Active And Passive Voice With Rules and Examples

Active and passive voice are key ideas in English grammar that show how the subject and object are related in a sentence. In the active voice, the subject does the action. For example: “The cat chased the mouse.” Here, the cat (subject) is performing the action of chasing.

In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. For example: “The mouse was chased by the cat.” Here, the mouse (subject) is not doing anything but is instead affected by the action.

Knowing the difference between active and passive voice can make your writing clearer and more effective. Active voice is often direct and lively, while passive voice can be used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action rather than the doer.

This guide will explain the basics of active and passive voice, when to use each, and provide examples to help you understand them better. Let’s dive in and explore!

Active & Passive Voice

To start, what does “voice of the verb” mean?

The voice of a verb shows whether the subject is doing the action (active voice) or receiving the action (passive voice).

What is Active Voice?

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action, and the object receives it. This structure makes the sentence clear, direct, and easy to understand.

For example:
Sana waters the plants.

Sana is the subject (doer of the action).
Waters is the action (verb).
The plants are the object (receiver of the action).

Active voice is generally preferred in writing and speaking because it is concise and straightforward, making communication more effective.

What is Passive Voice?

In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the doer of the action (if mentioned) usually comes after the verb, introduced by the word “by.” This structure is often used when:

The doer is unknown or unimportant.
The focus is on the action or the receiver of the action.

Passive sentences use helping verbs like is, are, was, were, been, being, etc. along with the past participle of the main verb.

For example:
A song is sung by her.

A song is the subject (receiver of the action).
Is sung is the verb (showing the action).
By her identifies the doer of the action.

In passive voice, the focus shifts to the receiver of the action, making the sentence structure different from active voice.

How to Change Active Voice to Passive Voice

Transforming an active sentence into a passive one is simple if you follow these steps:

Identify the subject, verb, and object in the active sentence.
Switch the subject and object: Move the object of the active sentence to the beginning of the passive sentence.
Add the correct helping verb (e.g., am, is, are, was, were, been, being) to match the tense of the active sentence.
Use the past participle form of the main verb.
If needed, mention the doer of the action after the verb, starting with “by.”

Example Conversion:

Active: Sana waters the plants.

Identify: Subject = Sana, Verb = waters, Object = the plants.
Switch: The plants becomes the subject in the passive sentence.
Add helping verb: The plants are (to match the present tense).
Use past participle: The plants are watered.
Add “by” phrase (optional): The plants are watered by Sana.

By understanding these rules, you can effectively use both active and passive voice in your writing!

Active Voice (Subject)	Passive Voice (Object)
I	me
You	you
He/She/It	him/her/it
We	us
They	them

Optionally, mention the subject (the doer of the action) using the preposition “by” if necessary.

Difference Between Active And Passive Voice

Active Voice	Passive Voice
the subject performs the action	the subject receives the action
the subject comes before the verb in the sentence	the object comes before the verb in the sentence
emphasizes the doer of the action	emphasizes the receiver
makes your writing more engaging and dynamic	makes sentences wordy and less engaging
makes sentences often clearer and more direct and preferred in most writing situations	useful in specific contexts, such as when the doer is unknown, or unimportant, or when the focus is on the recipient of the action rather than the doer

Structure

Active voice sentence structure typically follows the subject + verb + object (SVO) pattern.
Passive voice sentence structure typically follows the object + v3 + by + subject (OVS) pattern.

Formation of Active and Passive Voice in Different Tenses

Both active and passive voices can be used in any tense, but their structure changes based on the tense. Below is a guide to how sentences are formed in both voices for common tenses:

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Simple Present	Subject + Verb (base form) + Object	Object + is/am/are + V3 + (by + Subject)
Simple Past	Subject + Verb (past tense) + Object	Object + was/were + V3 + (by + Subject)
Simple Future	Subject + will + Verb (base form) + Object	Object + will be + V3 + (by + Subject)
Present Continuous	Subject + is/are + Verb (-ing) + Object	Object + is/are being + V3 + (by + Subject)
Past Continuous	Subject + was/were + Verb (-ing) + Object	Object + was/were being + V3 + (by + Subject)
Present Perfect	Subject + has/have + Verb (past participle) + Object	Object + has/have been + V3 + (by + Subject)
Past Perfect	Subject + had + Verb (past participle) + Object	Object + had been + V3 + (by + Subject)
Future Perfect	Subject + will have + Verb (past participle) + Object	Object + will have been + V3 + (by + Subject)

Simple Present Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
Sarah reads a book.	A book is read by Sarah.
He solves the puzzle quickly.	The puzzle is solved quickly by him.
He opens the door.	The door is opened by him.
She plays the piano.	The piano is played by her.
The teacher explains the topic.	The topic is explained by the teacher.
I kick the ball.	The ball is kicked by me.
They eat fruits.	Fruits are eaten by them.
We watch a movie.	A movie is watched by us.
The sun shines brightly.	Brightly, the sun is shining.
He fix the computer.	The computer I fixed by him.
The kids love ice cream.	Ice cram is loved by the kids.
Tom catches the ball.	The ball is caught by tom.
They clean the house.	The house is cleaned by them.
She sings a song.	A song is sung by her.
We water the plants regularly.	The plants are watered regularly by us.

Present Continuous Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
I am writing a letter.	A letter is being written by me.
He is cooking dinner.	Dinner is being cooked by him.
They are painting the wall.	The wall is being painted by them.
He is riding a bicycle.	A bicycle is being ridden by him.
I am eating lunch.	Lunch is being eaten by me.
They are playing cricket.	Cricket is being played by them.
We are watching TV.	TV is being watched by us.
The baby is crying.	By the baby, crying is being done.
The cat is chasing a mouse.	A mouse is being chased by the cat.
We are planting flowers.	Flowers are being planted by us.
He is drawing a picture.	A picture is being drawn by him.
She is riding her bike.	Her bike is being ridden by her.
The player is chasing the ball.	The ball is being chased by the player.
He is fixing the car.	The car is being fixed by him.
I am cleaning the house.	The house is being cleaned by me.

Present Perfect Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
He has written a book.	A book has been written by him.
We have visited the zoo.	The zoo has been visited by us.
They have cooked dinner.	Dinner has been cooked by them.
She has completed the project.	The project has been completed by her.
The team has won the game.	The game has been won by the team.
He has caught a fish.	A fish has been caught by him.
We have built a house.	A house has been built by us.
The artist has painted a picture.	A picture has been painted by the artist.
We have found the keys.	The keys have been found by us.
She has won the competition.	The competition has been won by her.
We have played games.	Games have been played by us.
They have solved the puzzle.	The puzzle has been solved by them.
I have read a novel.	A novel has been read by me.
I have watered the plants.	The plants have been watered by me.
My friend has bought a car.	A car has been bought by my friend.

Simple Past Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
She wrote a story.	A story was written by her.
They caught the thief.	The thief was caught by them.
The waiter served the food.	The food was served by the waiter.
Sana washed the dishes.	The dishes were washed by Sana.
The doctor gave him medicine.	He was given medicine by the doctor.
The police officer arrested the robber.	The robber was arrested by the police officer.
The artist drew a portrait.	A portrait was drawn by the artist.
She sang a beautiful song.	A beautiful song was sung by her.
They painted the fence	The fence was painted by them.
The tailor sewed a dress.	A dress was sewn by the tailor.
He solved the mystery.	The mystery was solved by him.
Sarah wrote a story.	A story was written by Sarah.
The cat chased the mouse.	The mouse was chased by the cat.
The athlete won the race.	The race was won by the athlete.
The baby broke the toy.	The toy was broken by the baby.

Past Continuous Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
I was writing an email.	An email was being written by me.
He was driving a car.	A car was being driven by him.
The children were laughing.	Laughter was heard from the children.
We were eating pizza.	Pizza was being eaten by us.
She was singing a song.	A song was being sung by her.
He was drawing a picture.	A picture was being drawn by him.
They were swimming.	Swimming was being done.
He was playing the guitar.	The guitar was being played by him.
He was fixing the bicycle.	The bicycle was being fixed.
She was reading a novel.	A novel was being read.
They were studying for the test.	The test was being studied for.
We were waiting for the bus.	The bus was being waited for.
They were playing football.	Football was being played.
We were planting flowers in the garden.	Flowers were being planted in the garden.
She was cooking dinner.	Dinner was being cooked.

Past Perfect Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
They had visited the museum.	The museum had been visited.
She had written a book.	A book had been written by her.
She had sung a lovely song.	A lovely song had been sung by her.
They had built a house.	A house had been built by them.
They had caught a big fish.	A big fish had been caught by them.
The team had won the match.	The match had been won by the team.
They had planted a fruit tree.	A fruit tree had been planted by them.
He had played the piano.	The piano had been played by him.
he had completed the assignment.	The assignments had been completed.
He had cleaned the room.	The room had been cleaned by him.
They had repaired the car.	The car had been repaired.
He had found his lost keys.	His lost keys had been found by him.
They had baked a delicious cake.	A delicious cake had been baked by them.
They had solved the problems.	The problems had been solved by them.
He had painted a beautiful picture.	A beautiful picture had been painted by him.

Simple Future Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
She will draw a beautiful picture.	A beautiful picture will be drawn by her.
I will call you later.	You will be called by me later.
They will build a new house.	A new house will be built by them.
They will buy new phone.	New phone will be bought by them.
I will clean my room.	My room will be cleaned by me.
The company will launch a new product.	A new product will be launched by the company.
They will harvest the fruits.	Fruits will be harvested by them.
The postman will deliver the package.	The package will be delivered by the postman.
They will ride bicycles.	Bicycles will be ridden by them.
She will draw a picture.	A picture will be drawn by her.
We will watch a movie.	A movie will be watched by us.
They will climb the mountain.	The mountain will be climbed by them.
She will paint the walls.	The walls will be painted by her.
Mom will knit a sweater.	A sweater will be knitted by Mom.
The river will flow gently.	Gentle flow will be seen in the river.

Future Perfect Active And Passive Voice Examples Sentences

Active voice	Passive voice
I will have written the letter.	The letter will have been written by me.
He will have painted the picture.	The picture will have been painted by him.
We will have finished the project.	The project will have been finished by us.
They will have built the house.	The house will have been built by them.
She will have baked the cake.	The cake will have been baked by her.
He will have fixed the computer.	The computer will have been fixed by him.
She will have washed the dishes.	The dishes will have been washed by her.
She will have taught the class.	The class will have been taught by her.
The author will have written the book.	The book will have been written by the author.
The engineer will have designed the building.	The building will have been designed by the engineer.
She will have made the dress.	The dress will have been made by her.
He will have built the model.	The model will have been built by him.
They will have written the report.	The report will have been written by them.
The students will have passed the exam.	The exam will have been passed by the students.
The sun will have set by then.	Sunset will have happened by then.

Note;

Not all sentences can be converted into passive voice.

Present perfect continuous tense
Past perfect continuous tense
Future continuous tense
Future perfect continuous tense

Also, the sentences having intransitive verbs.

Only sentences with a transitive verb (a verb that requires an object) can be converted

Example sentences

Active Voice	Passive Voice
He hit the ball.	The ball was hit by him.
She sings a beautiful song.	A beautiful song is sung by her.
They built a new house.	A new house was built by them.
she eats an apple.	An apple is eaten by her.
The teacher praised the students.	The students were praised by the teacher.
We will finish the project on time.	The project will be finished on time.
We are watching the movie.	The movie is being watched by us.
The storm destroyed the old barn.	The old barn was destroyed by the storm.
She made a delicious cake.	A delicious cake was made by her.
She delivered the letters.	The letters were delivered.
He wrote an interesting story.	An interesting story was written by him.
They are playing football.	Football is being played by them.

Key Points to Remember

Not all sentences can be turned into passive voice, especially if there is no object in the active sentence (e.g., “She sleeps”).
The passive voice often emphasizes the action or the receiver of the action rather than the doer.
In passive sentences, the “by + subject” part is optional and can be omitted if the doer is unknown or unimportant.

By mastering these structures, you can confidently use both active and passive voice in any tense!