Active vs Passive Voice in English Writing: When and How to Use Each

Active voice makes your writing clearer and more direct because the subject performs the action, while passive voice emphasizes the action or the receiver — and knowing when to use each is the key to professional English writing. Most English teachers recommend using active voice about 80-90% of the time, saving passive voice for specific situations where the doer is unknown, unimportant, or intentionally hidden.

Many ESL learners overuse passive voice because they believe it sounds more formal or academic. In reality, excessive passive voice makes writing wordy, vague, and difficult to read. This guide explains the difference between the two voices, shows you exactly when each one is appropriate, and gives you a simple method to convert between them.

What Is Voice in English?

In English grammar, "voice" describes the relationship between the subject of a sentence and its verb. There are only two voices: active and passive. The voice tells the reader whether the subject is doing the action or receiving the action.

This is not about tense (past, present, future) — a sentence can be active or passive in any tense. It is also not about whether the writing is good or bad. Both voices are correct English. The skill is knowing which one to choose for a specific sentence and purpose.

The Core Difference

• Active voice: Subject → Verb → Object. The subject does the action.
• Passive voice: Object → Form of "be" + Past Participle → (by + Subject). The subject receives the action.

Active Voice Defined

Active voice follows the natural English word order: Subject + Verb + Object. The subject is the person or thing performing the action, and the verb directly expresses that action. Active sentences are usually shorter, clearer, and more energetic than their passive equivalents.

Why Active Voice Is Usually Better

Active voice has three main advantages for ESL writers:

• Clarity: Readers immediately know who did what. There is no ambiguity about the actor.
• Conciseness: Active sentences use fewer words. "We made a mistake" (4 words) is shorter than "A mistake was made by us" (6 words).
• Confidence: Active voice sounds more authoritative. "I recommend this approach" is stronger than "This approach is recommended."

For more on building clear sentences, read our guide on how to improve English sentence structure.

Passive Voice Defined

Passive voice is formed with a form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, been, being) plus the past participle of the main verb, often followed by "by" and the actor. The object of the action moves to the front of the sentence and becomes the grammatical subject.

How Passive Is Formed

Notice that every passive sentence contains a form of "be" plus a past participle (-ed form or irregular participle like "written," "eaten," "built"). If you see both in a sentence, you are likely looking at passive voice.

Use the Grammar Checker to identify passive constructions in your writing. It will flag sentences where you might prefer active voice for clarity.

When to Use Passive Voice

Passive voice is not wrong — it is a strategic choice. Professional writers and academics use it in four specific situations:

1. The Doer Is Unknown

When you do not know who performed the action, passive voice is natural and correct.

2. The Doer Is Unimportant

Sometimes the action matters more than who did it, especially in scientific or technical writing.

3. You Want to Emphasize the Receiver

In news reporting and business writing, the victim or recipient often deserves the spotlight.

4. Tact or Politeness

Passive voice softens criticism by hiding the actor — useful in workplace feedback.

In scientific and academic writing, passive voice is still common, especially in methodology sections. However, many modern style guides (including APA 7th edition) now encourage active voice even in research writing. For essay-specific guidance, read our step-by-step English essay writing guide.

When to Use Active Voice

Use active voice in almost every other situation. Active voice is the default for:

• Most business and email writing — clear, direct communication
• Storytelling and narratives — keeps the reader engaged
• Instructions and procedures — "Press the button" beats "The button should be pressed"
• Persuasive writing — confident claims sound stronger in active voice
• Personal statements — "I learned" is more compelling than "It was learned"

A good rule of thumb: if you can easily name the doer and it matters, use active voice. If naming the doer sounds awkward or adds no value, passive may be appropriate.

How to Convert Between Them

Converting passive to active is a mechanical process you can apply to almost any sentence. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Find the "by" Phrase (or Implied Doer)

In "The cake was baked by my mother," the doer is "my mother." In "Mistakes were made," the doer is implied (someone made them).

Step 2: Move the Doer to the Front

Make the doer the subject: "My mother baked the cake."

Step 3: Change the Verb

Replace "was baked" (be + participle) with the active verb "baked." Remove the form of "be."

Practice Exercise

Try converting these passive sentences to active:

• "The book was read by 10,000 students." → "10,000 students read the book."
• "A decision will be made tomorrow." → "We will make a decision tomorrow." (doer implied)
• "The website was designed by our team." → "Our team designed the website."

If you find conversion difficult, paste your text into the Paraphrasing Tool and use the Standard or Formal mode. It often suggests more active, direct phrasings automatically.

Common ESL Voice Mistakes

Based on patterns observed through our Grammar Checker, here are the most frequent voice-related mistakes ESL learners make:

1. Overusing Passive to Sound "Academic"

Many learners were taught that academic writing must be passive. This leads to paragraphs like "It was found that the results were affected by..." which could be "The results affected..." Active voice is now preferred in most academic contexts.

2. Mixing Voices Within a Paragraph

Shifting between active and passive without reason confuses readers. Be consistent within a paragraph unless you have a clear reason to switch.

3. Creating "Empty" Passive Sentences

"Mistakes were made" and "Progress was achieved" hide responsibility and sound evasive. Unless you have a tactful reason (see above), name the actor.

4. Passive With "Get"

"Get" passive (e.g., "He got fired") is common in spoken English but usually too informal for writing. Use "was" instead: "He was fired."

For a complete list of grammar issues, read 10 most common English grammar mistakes ESL learners make.

Practice with Free Tools

Free online tools make it easy to spot and fix voice problems in your writing. Here is a practical workflow:

1. Write your draft naturally, without worrying about voice.
2. Paste it into the Grammar Checker to catch passive constructions and other errors.
3. Use the Readability Checker — texts with too much passive voice often score lower on clarity.
4. Try the Paraphrasing Tool on your most passive sentences to get more active alternatives.
5. Use the Word Counter to check average sentence length — passive sentences tend to be longer.

For a complete writing review routine, read our English writing checklist before publishing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is passive voice grammatically incorrect?

No. Passive voice is fully correct English. The issue is overuse. Using passive voice occasionally — especially when the doer is unknown or unimportant — is appropriate. The problem arises when writers use passive voice for every sentence, making their writing vague and wordy.

How much passive voice is too much?

As a general guideline, keep passive voice under 10-15% of your sentences in most writing. Scientific writing may tolerate up to 25-30% in methodology sections. If more than a third of your sentences are passive, your writing will likely feel unclear.

How can I tell if a sentence is passive?

Look for two things together: (1) a form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, been, being) and (2) a past participle (usually a verb ending in -ed, or an irregular form like "written," "broken," "eaten"). If both appear, the sentence is passive. Example: "The report was completed" — "was" + "completed."

Should I use passive voice in IELTS or TOEFL essays?

Yes, but sparingly. Examiners reward grammatical range, so using passive voice correctly once or twice shows variety. However, most of your essay should be in active voice for clarity and directness. Overusing passive voice can lower your coherence and cohesion score.

What tools help me find passive voice?

The Grammar Checker flags passive constructions, the Readability Checker shows clarity scores affected by voice, and the Paraphrasing Tool suggests more active alternatives. Use all three together for the best results.

For more sentence-level guidance, read our guide to improving English sentence structure and the complete guide to English writing for ESL learners. Since passive voice is closely tied to formality, our guide to formal vs informal English writing shows when the passive is the right stylistic choice.