Master the art of voice transformation with our comprehensive guide, examples, and interactive quiz.
In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb. The subject is the doer of the action.
The chef prepared a delicious meal.
Here, “the chef” is the subject performing the action of preparing.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb. The subject is acted upon.
A delicious meal was prepared by the chef.
Here, “a delicious meal” is the subject receiving the action.
Active voice is generally preferred in most writing because it is more direct, concise, and engaging. However, passive voice has its place when the recipient of the action is more important than the doer, when the doer is unknown, or when you want to emphasize the action rather than who performed it.
The bank was robbed yesterday. (We don’t know who did it)
The experiment was conducted carefully. (Emphasizing the action, not the doer)
The new policy was implemented last month. (The policy is more important than who implemented it)
To change from active to passive voice, move the object of the active sentence to the subject position in the passive sentence. The verb changes to a form of “be” + past participle, and the original subject moves to the end preceded by “by” (if included).
Active: The cat chased the mouse.
Passive: The mouse was chased by the cat.
The tense of the passive verb is determined by the tense of the active verb. The form of “be” changes according to the tense, while the main verb always appears as a past participle.
Present: She writes a letter → A letter is written by her
Past: She wrote a letter → A letter was written by her
Future: She will write a letter → A letter will be written by her
In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The original subject becomes the agent and is often placed in a “by” phrase, which can be omitted if unimportant or unknown.
Active: The team won the championship.
Passive: The championship was won by the team.
When converting sentences with modal verbs to passive voice, the structure becomes: modal + be + past participle.
Active: You should complete the task.
Passive: The task should be completed.
Active: They can solve the problem.
Passive: The problem can be solved.
To convert questions to passive voice, the same rules apply but with the question structure maintained.
Active: Did the manager approve the plan?
Passive: Was the plan approved by the manager?
Active: Who wrote this book?
Passive: By whom was this book written?
Some verbs like “give”, “send”, “show”, etc., can have two objects. In such cases, either object can become the subject in passive voice.
Active: She gave him a book.
Passive 1: He was given a book by her.
Passive 2: A book was given to him by her.
Always identify who or what is performing the action. If the subject is doing the action, it’s active voice. If the subject is receiving the action, it’s passive.
Passive voice always includes a form of “be” (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle. This is a quick way to identify passive constructions.
Active voice typically uses fewer words than passive voice. Converting to active voice can make your writing more concise and direct.
Use passive voice intentionally when you want to emphasize the action or the recipient, or when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Regularly convert sentences between active and passive voice to build your understanding and skill with both constructions.
During editing, look for passive constructions that could be made more direct by converting to active voice, unless there’s a specific reason to keep them passive.
One common error is using passive voice without a good reason, which can make writing sound weak or evasive. Another mistake is creating dangling modifiers when using passive voice. Also, avoid mixing voices unnecessarily within the same sentence or paragraph, which can create confusion for the reader. Finally, be careful not to omit necessary helping verbs when forming passive constructions.
Convert the following sentences between active and passive voice. Think carefully about the tense and structure before checking your answers.
Convert to passive: “The company will launch a new product next month.”
Convert to active: “The report was prepared by the research team.”
Convert to passive: “Someone has stolen my bicycle.”
Convert to active: “The cake must be eaten today.”
When checking your practice sentences, ensure that: The meaning remains the same after conversion, The tense is consistent between the original and converted sentence, The subject and object have been correctly swapped in passive conversions, and The sentence structure is grammatically correct with all necessary components included.
Test your knowledge with these 15 multiple choice questions. Select the correct option for each question.