Ever wondered why we say “The dog chased the cat” but also “The cat was chased by the dog”? Both sentences are correct, but they focus on different things. Welcome to the world of active and passive voice in English grammar—a key topic that every English learner should understand.

Whether you’re writing school essays, speaking in class, or preparing for an exam, knowing how to use active and passive voice correctly can make a big difference in your communication skills. In this easy-to-follow guide, we’ll break it down with clear explanations, real-life examples, and simple rules that are perfect for learners of all levels.

By the end of this blog, you’ll feel confident using both voices like a pro—without any confusion!

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✨ Common Expressions in Active and Passive Voice

To get comfortable with the idea of active and passive voice, let’s look at some everyday English sentences. These will help you understand how a sentence can change its focus while keeping the same meaning.

Here are some common expressions in active voice (where the subject does the action) and their matching passive voice versions (where the subject receives the action):

Active Voice	Passive Voice
She writes a letter.	A letter is written by her.
The teacher explains the lesson.	The lesson is explained by the teacher.
They are watching a movie.	A movie is being watched by them.
He will fix the car.	The car will be fixed by him.
The chef cooked a delicious meal.	A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
The kids played football.	Football was played by the kids.
Someone has stolen my phone.	My phone has been stolen.
People speak English worldwide.	English is spoken worldwide.
We cleaned the classroom yesterday.	The classroom was cleaned yesterday.
They will announce the results soon.	The results will be announced soon.

👉 These examples show how the focus of the sentence changes, but the meaning stays the same. In the active voice, the subject is doing the action. In the passive voice, the focus is on the object or the result of the action.

Next, we’ll learn when and why we use each voice. Ready?

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🛠️ Usage of Active and Passive Voice in English

Understanding when to use active or passive voice is just as important as knowing how to form the sentences. Both voices are useful, and choosing the right one depends on what you want to focus on in a sentence.

Let’s explore the common situations where active and passive voice are used in daily communication, writing, and speaking.

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✅ When to Use Active Voice

The active voice is more direct and lively. It’s commonly used in:

• Everyday conversations
  Example: I ate lunch at 2 PM.
• Clear and direct writing
  Example: The manager approved the project.
• Storytelling and action-focused sentences
  Example: The dog chased the cat across the yard.
• Instructions and commands
  Example: Close the window.
• Academic and formal writing (when clarity is needed)
  Example: Researchers found a solution.

🟢 Use active voice when you want to focus on who is doing the action.

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🟡 When to Use Passive Voice

The passive voice is often used when:

• The doer (subject) is unknown or unimportant
  Example: The wallet was stolen. (We don’t know who stole it.)
• You want to focus on the result or object
  Example: The cake was baked perfectly. (Focus is on the cake, not the baker.)
• You want to sound more formal or polite
  Example: Your request has been approved. (Often used in official emails.)
• Scientific or technical writing
  Example: The experiment was repeated three times.
• Avoiding blame or responsibility
  Example: Mistakes were made. (No one is named.)

🔵 Use passive voice when the action is more important than the person who did it.

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👉 Quick Tip:
If you want your sentence to sound strong and active—use the active voice.
If you want to focus on the object or result, or sound more formal—use the passive voice.

Coming up next: Conjugation – where we’ll explain how verbs change in active and passive voice for different tenses.

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🔄 Verb Conjugation Rules in Active and Passive Voice

When we change a sentence from active to passive voice, the verb form also changes. This is where many learners get confused—but don’t worry! With some simple patterns and a little practice, it becomes easy.

Here’s what you need to remember:

✅ In the passive voice, we use a form of the verb “to be” + the past participle of the main verb.

Let’s look at how this works in different tenses:

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🕒 Present Simple

• Active: She writes a letter.
• Passive: A letter is written by her.

🧠 Rule:
am/is/are + past participle

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🕘 Present Continuous

• Active: He is cleaning the room.
• Passive: The room is being cleaned by him.

🧠 Rule:
am/is/are being + past participle

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🕔 Past Simple

• Active: They painted the fence.
• Passive: The fence was painted by them.

🧠 Rule:
was/were + past participle

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🕑 Past Continuous

• Active: She was writing a story.
• Passive: A story was being written by her.

🧠 Rule:
was/were being + past participle

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🕥 Present Perfect

• Active: We have finished the work.
• Passive: The work has been finished by us.

🧠 Rule:
has/have been + past participle

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🕙 Past Perfect

• Active: He had completed the task.
• Passive: The task had been completed by him.

🧠 Rule:
had been + past participle

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🕕 Future Simple

• Active: They will deliver the package.
• Passive: The package will be delivered by them.

🧠 Rule:
will be + past participle

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🕡 Future Perfect

• Active: She will have written the essay.
• Passive: The essay will have been written by her.

🧠 Rule:
will have been + past participle

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📝 Note: The past participle is usually the -ed form of the verb (like washed, painted, cooked), but some verbs are irregular (like written, eaten, broken).

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📚 Grammar Rules for Active and Passive Voice in English

To form correct sentences in active and passive voice, it’s important to follow a few basic grammar rules. Once you understand the sentence structure, you’ll be able to switch between voices easily and correctly.

Let’s break it down step-by-step:

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🔸 Basic Sentence Structure

• Active Voice Structure:
  Subject + Verb + Object
  ➤ Example: The boy (subject) kicked (verb) the ball (object).
• Passive Voice Structure:
  Object + form of “to be” + past participle + (by + subject)
  ➤ Example: The ball was kicked by the boy.

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🔹 Passive Voice Formula

As we saw in the previous section, the passive voice always follows this pattern:

Be (am/is/are/was/were/been/being) + Past Participle of Verb

🔑 Remember:

• Use the correct form of “to be” based on the tense.
• Use the past participle of the main verb (e.g., eaten, written, made, seen).

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🔸 Tense Matching in Active and Passive Voice

Make sure the tense stays the same when changing the voice. Only the verb form changes—not the tense.

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Present Simple	She writes a story.	A story is written by her.
Past Simple	He made dinner.	Dinner was made by him.
Present Continuous	They are watching TV.	TV is being watched by them.
Past Continuous	She was cleaning the room.	The room was being cleaned by her.
Present Perfect	I have eaten the apple.	The apple has been eaten by me.
Future Simple	We will finish the project.	The project will be finished by us.
Future Perfect	They will have signed the papers.	The papers will have been signed by them.

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🔹 Using “By + Agent” (Who Did the Action)

In passive sentences, the person or thing doing the action is called the agent. You can include it using “by”, but sometimes it’s not needed.

• ✅ The book was written by J.K. Rowling.
• ✅ The cake was baked this morning. (Agent is not important here.)

💡 Use the agent only when it’s important or necessary for clarity.

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🔸 Passive Voice with Modal Verbs

You can also use passive voice with modals like can, should, may, must, will.

🔧 Formula:
modal + be + past participle

Examples:

• You must complete the form. → The form must be completed.
• They can open the shop early. → The shop can be opened early.

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🔹 Passive Voice with Questions

Yes! You can also ask questions in the passive voice.

Examples:

• Active: Did he clean the room?
  Passive: Was the room cleaned by him?
• Active: Is she writing a letter?
  Passive: Is a letter being written by her?

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👉 Pro Tip: When you change active to passive, always:

• Identify the object in the active sentence.
• Make that object the new subject.
• Use the correct form of to be and the past participle of the verb.

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⚠️ Things to Keep in Mind – Tricky Points & Important Tips

Switching between active and passive voice may seem simple at first, but there are some exceptions and confusing areas that can trip up learners. Let’s go over the key things to remember so you can speak and write with confidence!

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🔹 1. Not All Sentences Can Be Changed to Passive

Only sentences with a direct object can be turned into passive voice. That’s because the object becomes the new subject.

• ✅ He painted a picture. → A picture was painted by him.
• ❌ She sleeps early. → No object → Can’t be changed to passive.

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🔹 2. Avoid Overusing Passive Voice

While passive voice is useful, using it too often can make your writing sound dull or confusing.

❌ The report was written, the meeting was arranged, the room was cleaned…
✅ I wrote the report, arranged the meeting, and cleaned the room.

🟢 Use passive voice only when needed—to focus on the action or when the subject is unknown.

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🔹 3. Watch Out for Irregular Verbs

Passive voice always uses the past participle form. Irregular verbs don’t follow the usual -ed pattern, so make sure you’re using the correct form.

Examples:

• write → written
• eat → eaten
• go → gone
• take → taken

🧠 Tip: Make a list of common irregular verbs and practice their past participle forms.

Learn about Pas participle form in English here.

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🔹 4. Some Passive Sentences Don’t Need “By”

Sometimes the doer (the person who does the action) isn’t important or is unknown.

Examples:

• The room was decorated beautifully. (Who decorated it? Not important.)
• My phone was stolen. (We don’t know who did it.)

📝 Don’t use “by someone” or “by people” unless it really matters.

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🔹 5. Get the Tense Right

One of the biggest mistakes learners make is using the wrong tense in the passive form. Always match the tense of the active sentence, even though the form of the verb changes.

✅ They will announce the results. → The results will be announced.
❌ The results are announced.

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🔹 6. Modal Verbs Need “Be” + Past Participle

When using modals like can, must, should, don’t forget to add “be” before the past participle.

✅ The form must be filled.
❌ The form must filled.

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🔹 7. Don’t Forget Subject-Verb Agreement

In passive sentences, the new subject must agree with the verb.

✅ The apples are eaten. (Plural)
✅ The apple is eaten. (Singular)
❌ The apples is eaten.

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🔹 8. Gerunds and Infinitives Stay in Active

Not every part of English grammar works in the passive voice. Gerunds (verbs ending in -ing used as nouns) and infinitives (to + verb) usually stay active.

• I love reading books. → Not: Books are loved reading by me. ❌

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🔹 9. Passive Voice is Common in Formal Writing

You’ll often see passive voice used in:

• News reports: The suspect was arrested last night.
• Scientific writing: The test was conducted three times.
• Business writing: The files have been updated.

It makes writing sound more objective and polished—but don’t overdo it!

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❌ 10 Common Mistakes to avoid in Active and Passive Voice

Understanding active and passive voice is one thing—using them correctly is another! Let’s look at the most common errors students make and how you can easily fix them.

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1. ❌ Using the Wrong Verb Form

Many learners confuse the past tense with the past participle form of the verb.

• ✘ The homework was wrote by John.
• ✔ The homework was written by John.

🧠 Fix: Always use the past participle (V3) in passive voice, not the past tense (V2).
Make a list of irregular verbs and review their correct forms.

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2. ❌ Forgetting the Correct Form of “To Be”

In passive voice, the verb “to be” must match the tense and the subject.

• ✘ The dishes was cleaned by Sarah.
• ✔ The dishes were cleaned by Sarah.

🧠 Fix: Match “be” with both the tense and whether the subject is singular or plural.

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3. ❌ Switching Subjects and Objects Incorrectly

Sometimes students change the verb but forget to switch the subject and object positions.

• ✘ By the teacher was the lesson explained.
• ✔ The lesson was explained by the teacher.

🧠 Fix: In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the new subject.

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4. ❌ Overusing Passive Voice

Using too much passive voice can make your writing sound boring and unclear.

• ✘ The cake was eaten. The milk was drunk. The plates were washed.
• ✔ I ate the cake, drank the milk, and washed the plates.

🧠 Fix: Use passive voice only when needed, especially when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

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5. ❌ Including Unnecessary “By” Phrases

Not every passive sentence needs to say who did the action.

• ✘ The house was cleaned by someone.
• ✔ The house was cleaned.

🧠 Fix: Remove “by” + person if it doesn’t add important information.

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6. ❌ Passive Voice in Sentences Without Objects

Only verbs with objects (transitive verbs) can be changed into passive.

• ✘ He sleeps early. → ✘ Early is slept by him.
• ✔ Cannot be changed to passive voice.

🧠 Fix: Ask yourself, “What is receiving the action?” If nothing is, don’t change it to passive.

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7. ❌ Incorrect Word Order

Some students place the verb or subject in the wrong place.

• ✘ A letter written was by her.
• ✔ A letter was written by her.

🧠 Fix: Follow the correct sentence structure:
Object + correct “be” verb + past participle + (by + subject)

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8. ❌ Using Passive Voice for Personal Style

Avoid using passive voice just to sound formal.

• ✘ The assignment was completed by me on time.
• ✔ I completed the assignment on time. (Much clearer!)

🧠 Fix: Use passive voice only when it improves clarity or focus.

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9. ❌ Mixing Tenses Incorrectly

Sometimes learners keep the original verb tense but forget to apply the passive structure correctly.

• ✘ He has eaten the pizza. → The pizza has ate by him.
• ✔ The pizza has been eaten by him.

🧠 Fix: Maintain the tense, but change the structure to include “been” and past participle for perfect tenses.

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10. ❌ Using Passive Voice in Idioms and Fixed Phrases

Some idioms and expressions don’t make sense in passive voice.

• ✘ The cat was let out of the bag by her.
• ✔ She let the cat out of the bag.

🧠 Fix: Be careful when changing idiomatic or casual expressions—they often don’t work well in passive voice.

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✅ Quick Recap:

• Use past participles (not past tense verbs)
• Match the “to be” verb correctly
• Don’t use passive voice with intransitive verbs
• Keep your sentence structure clear and smooth
• Use passive voice only when necessary

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📝 20 Example Sentences – Active and Passive Voice in Action

Let’s look at 10 pairs of sentences. Each pair will show one active voice sentence and its passive voice version. You’ll see how the subject, verb, and object change places.

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✅ Present Simple

1. Active: She cleans the room every day.
   Passive: The room is cleaned every day by her.
2. Active: They serve lunch at noon.
   Passive: Lunch is served at noon by them.

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✅ Past Simple

3. Active: He painted the wall yesterday.
   Passive: The wall was painted yesterday by him.
4. Active: The company launched a new product.
   Passive: A new product was launched by the company.

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✅ Future Simple

5. Active: They will announce the winners tomorrow.
   Passive: The winners will be announced tomorrow by them.
6. Active: She will bake a cake for the party.
   Passive: A cake will be baked for the party by her.

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✅ Present Continuous

7. Active: The chef is preparing the meal.
   Passive: The meal is being prepared by the chef.
8. Active: They are fixing the car now.
   Passive: The car is being fixed now by them.

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✅ Past Continuous

9. Active: He was reading a book.
   Passive: A book was being read by him.
10. Active: The workers were building a bridge.
    Passive: A bridge was being built by the workers.

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✅ Present Perfect

11. Active: She has written a letter.
    Passive: A letter has been written by her.
12. Active: They have cleaned the house.
    Passive: The house has been cleaned by them.

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✅ Past Perfect

13. Active: He had finished the report.
    Passive: The report had been finished by him.
14. Active: She had called the doctor.
    Passive: The doctor had been called by her.

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✅ Modal Verbs

15. Active: You must complete the form.
    Passive: The form must be completed by you.
16. Active: They can solve the puzzle.
    Passive: The puzzle can be solved by them.

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✅ Sentences Without “By”

17. Active: Someone stole my phone.
    Passive: My phone was stolen.
18. Active: People speak English in many countries.
    Passive: English is spoken in many countries.

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✅ More Everyday life Examples

19. Active: I close the windows at night.
    Passive: The windows are closed at night by me.
20. Active: He buys fresh bread every morning.
    Passive: Fresh bread is bought every morning by him.

These examples cover different tenses, situations, and sentence types to give you a solid understanding. Up next—let’s test your skills with a fun exercise section where you get to convert sentences yourself!

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✍️ Exercise – Convert the Sentences

🔄 Convert Active Voice to Passive Voice

1. The teacher explains the lesson clearly.
2. They will finish the project by Friday.
3. She wrote a beautiful poem.
4. We are cleaning the classroom.
5. He has sent the email.
6. The manager reviews the reports every Monday.
7. She is writing a story for the school magazine.
8. He painted the door yesterday.
9. The workers have repaired the road.
10. I will deliver the message tomorrow.

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🔄 Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice

11. The song was sung by the child.
12. The food is being cooked by the chef.
13. A letter has been written by her.
14. The movie will be watched by them.
15. The house was cleaned by John.
16. The book was being read by the student.
17. The flowers were watered by my sister.
18. The homework has been done by the students.
19. The cake is baked by the baker every morning.
20. The mail will be delivered by the postman.

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✅ Answers – Convert Active to Passive Voice

1. The teacher explains the lesson clearly.
   👉 The lesson is explained clearly by the teacher.
2. They will finish the project by Friday.
   👉 The project will be finished by them by Friday.
3. She wrote a beautiful poem.
   👉 A beautiful poem was written by her.
4. We are cleaning the classroom.
   👉 The classroom is being cleaned by us.
5. He has sent the email.
   👉 The email has been sent by him.
6. The manager reviews the reports every Monday.
   👉 The reports are reviewed by the manager every Monday.
7. She is writing a story for the school magazine.
   👉 A story is being written for the school magazine by her.
8. He painted the door yesterday.
   👉 The door was painted yesterday by him.
9. The workers have repaired the road.
   👉 The road has been repaired by the workers.
10. I will deliver the message tomorrow.
    👉 The message will be delivered by me tomorrow.

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✅ Answers – Convert Passive to Active Voice

11. The song was sung by the child.
    👉 The child sang the song.
12. The food is being cooked by the chef.
    👉 The chef is cooking the food.
13. A letter has been written by her.
    👉 She has written a letter.
14. The movie will be watched by them.
    👉 They will watch the movie.
15. The house was cleaned by John.
    👉 John cleaned the house.
16. The book was being read by the student.
    👉 The student was reading the book.
17. The flowers were watered by my sister.
    👉 My sister watered the flowers.
18. The homework has been done by the students.
    👉 The students have done the homework.
19. The cake is baked by the baker every morning.
    👉 The baker bakes the cake every morning.
20. The mail will be delivered by the postman.
    👉 The postman will deliver the mail.

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🧠 Summary – Key Points to Remember

• Voice shows whether the subject does the action (active) or receives the action (passive).
• Active Voice = Subject + Verb + Object
  Example: The boy kicked the ball.
• Passive Voice = Object + Form of “be” + Past Participle + (by + Subject)
  Example: The ball was kicked by the boy.
• Passive voice is used when:
  • The doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious
  • The focus is on the action or result
  • In formal or academic writing
• Use correct forms of “be” + past participle in passive constructions (is, was, will be, etc.)
• Not all verbs can be used in passive voice (only transitive verbs)
• Passive voice exists in all tenses – adjust the “be” verb accordingly
• Avoid overusing passive voice in writing – use it when necessary
• Look out for common mistakes like wrong verb form, missing “by,” or awkward phrasing
• Practice converting between active and passive forms to gain confidence

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🎯 Conclusion – Mastering Active and Passive Voice in English

Learning how to use active and passive voice in English is a game-changer for anyone looking to improve their speaking, writing, and overall grammar skills. Whether you’re crafting stories, writing essays, or preparing for English exams, knowing when and how to switch between voices gives your communication more clarity and control.

Here’s the exciting part: the more you practice, the more confident you’ll become. Start using active and passive voice in your daily writing. Try changing sentence structures while reading or listening to English—notice how the voice changes the focus and tone.

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⚠️⚠️Below is the complete guide on Tenses in English language 👇👇

Past Participle Form of Verbs in English

A Basic Concept of Verb Forms (Present, Past, Future)

Mastering the Simple Present Tense: A Complete Guide

The Present Perfect Tense in English

Present Continuous Tense In English: A Complete Guide

Present Perfect Continuous Tense in English

Simple Past Tense in English

Past Perfect Tense in English

Past Continuous Tense in English

Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English

Simple Future Tense in English

Future Perfect Tense in English

Future Continuous Tense in English

Future Perfect Continuous Tense in English

Modal Verbs in English Grammar: A Complete Guide with Examples & Exercise