Active and Passive Voice: Differences, Rules & Examples

What Is Active and Passive Voice?

The active and passive voice are the two grammatical voice in English; each has different purposes and structures. They are used to represent the relationship between the verb and subject in a sentence. The term voice is used to signify the form or the “verb” that demonstrates that the subject in the given sentence is the doer or receiver of the action. In the English language, there are two voices: “Active” and “Passive” voice. Let’s explore active and passive voice definition and examples individually in the next section.

Active Voice: Definition and Examples

The active voice is used to denote the noun and to indicate that the act is a subject in the sentence and describes the doer of the action. Hence, the subject does the action or performs the verb. Active voice gives a clear and straightforward meaning of the sentences that is sensible and relevant to understand. The active voice highlights the subject or the specific thing performing the action.

Structure of the Action Voice

Subject + Verb + Object.

Have a look at the examples of active voice mentioned below that will surely dispel all your doubts.

1. I want ice cream now

2. I eat fruit custard.

3. The chef cooked a tasty dinner

4. John and Jenny always decorate the Christmas tree.

5. The artist created a mind-blowing painting

Passive Voice: Definition and Examples

The passive voice signifies the subject who was acted upon rather than performing the action. It’s a grammatical construction where the subject receives the action of the verb. It is mainly formed by the verb “to get” or “to be” with the past participles of the main verb. The focus of the doer shifts to the receiver of the action. The passive voice may be longer and sounds more detached, a little awkward, and wordy. However, it can be more suitable depending on a certain context.

Structure of the Passive Voice

Object + Form of “be” + Past Participle + (by + Subject) (optional)

Here are the passive voice examples that can help you understand this clearly. 

1. The lesson is explained by the teacher.

2. A tasty dinner was cooked by the chef.

3. A new factory is going to be built.

4. Innovative software was developed by the company.

5. A picture is painted by him

Difference Between Active Voice and Passive Voice

Evaluating the difference between the active and passive voice can help you know the right way to use these two voices properly in a sentence. Thus, active vs passive voice is different from each other and can be easily distinguished from each other. But to clear all your doubts, here is the difference between these two voices.

When Should You Use Active or Passive Voice in a Sentence?

Many learners struggle to use active and passive voice correctly in their sentences. But due to lots of confusion, it can become a hurdle. Thus, understanding the right approach to using them can help to express your ideas correctly. But the decision depends on what you want to emphasise and highlight: the doer of the action or the action itself. Thus, this table can help you to know the active vs passive voice uses.

Tense-Wise Conversion Chart of Active and Passive Voice

When it comes to converting the active voice into the passive voice or vice versa, not only does the wording get changed, but the tenses and pronouns get modified along with that. Here is the table that can help you understand the active and passive voice formulas and rules to use them.

When the tense changes according to the different times, it is important to know the modification of pronouns as well. Thus, this table can help you to understand which pronoun should be used correctly with the rules of active and passive voice. Have a look.

Active and Passive Voice Examples

Here is the list of examples of active and passive voice sentences that will give you an idea of how to convert an active voice to a passive voice.

1. Active Voice– Annie likes adventure stories.

Passive Voice – Adventure stories are liked by Annie.

2. Active Voice– Lata is learning Spanish this year.

Passive Voice – Spanish is being learnt by Lata this year.

3. Active Voice– Kids have brought macaroons.

Passive Voice – Macaroons have been brought by kids.

4. Active Voice– Virat Kohli played cricket.

Passive Voice – Cricket was played by Virat Kohli.

5. Active Voice– They were making wedding invitation cards.

Passive Voice – Wedding invitation cards were being made by them.

6. Active Voice– Bunny had packed the bags.

Passive Voice – The bags had been packed by Bunny.

7. Active Voice– Mitali will buy the appetisers for the party.

Passive Voice – The appetisers for the party will be bought by Mitali.

8. Active Voice– The coach will have given the forms to all the members.

Passive Voice – The forms will have been given to all the members by the coach.

9. Active voice – Is Aunty Ajani and Uncle Jayesh visiting us today?

Passive voice – Will we be visited by Aunty Ajani and Uncle Jayesh today?

10. Active voice – Please remove your shoes before entering my room.

Passive voice – Shoes should be removed before entering my room.

Worksheet for Active Voice and Passive Voice

After knowing everything about the active and passive voice, it's time to test your knowledge. In this section, we have shared a worksheet on active and passive voice along with its answer key. Here you will get questions that need to be changed according to the given active or passive voice in the brackets. So let’s solve them.

1. Nisha is helping Kinjal. (Change into passive voice)

2. A gift was given to my friend by me. (Change into active voice)

3. Andrew will sing All My Life at the Nationals. (Change into active voice)

4. A cat was being chased by my dog. (Change into active voice)

5. Nikhil loves Nia. (Change into passive voice)

6. The decorations for the wedding will be done by Monica. (Change into active voice)

7. J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter novels. (Change into passive voice)

8. Ms. Johnson will teach French this year. (Change into passive voice)

9. Miko was hit by Neo. (Change into active voice)

10. Naseem is being scolded by his sister. (Change into active voice)

Answer Key

1. Kinjal is being helped by Nisha.

2. I gave my friend a gift.

3. All My Life will be sung by Andrew at the Nationals.

4. My dog was chasing a cat.

5. Nia is loved by Nikhil.

6. Monica will do the decorations for the wedding.

7. The Harry Potter novels were written by J. K. Rowling.

8. French will be taught by Ms. Johnson this year.

9. Neo hit Miko.

10. Naseem’s sister is scolding her.

Conclusion

We have arrived at the conclusion of this matter, and hope you get an idea of where to use the right form of active and passive voice. In a nutshell, the active voice helps you to clearly express your ideas by maintaining an appropriate tone. Conversely, passive voice sounds wordy, confusing, and the tone gets tangled due to the wrong meaning, but it can be useful in some specific contexts. If you want to excel in this grammar form, solving various worksheets on active and passive voice would be helpful. Moreover, you can get worksheets on adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and tenses from Gradding.com. Also, experts here provide tailored guidance, resources, and more to make you a proficient English speaker.

FAQs

1. What are the 5 rules of active and passive voice?

Answer: The five major rules of active and passive voice when changing a sentence from the active to passive voice are.

(a) Interchange the subject and object

(b) Use the correct form of the verb “to be” based on the original tone.

(c) Change the main verb to its past participle (3rd form)

(d) Change subject pronouns to object pronouns

(e) Add “by” with the original subject after the preposition.

2. How do you change passive voice to active voice?

Answer: To change the passive to active voice, firstly identify the doer of the action and mark it as the new subject. Afterwards, it shifts the verb to match the new subject and then adds the original object to the sentence. For example, “the ball was hit by Rohan” to “Rohan hit the ball”

3. Can all sentences be converted into passive voice?

Answer: No, not all the sentences can be converted into passive voice, as only sentences with transitive verbs (verbs with a direct object) can be converted into passive voice. Sentences with intransitive verbs like “I sleep” or linking verbs such as “she seemed angry” cannot be converted, as they lack a direct object to become the subject of the passive sentences.

4. Is using passive voice grammatically wrong?

Answer: No, using the passive voice is not grammatically wrong, but sometimes it can make writing unclear or wordy if overused. Creative confusion in understanding the sentences. It is valid when the grammatical construction is useful when the actor is unidentified, irrelevant, or when you want to highlight the recipient of the action in the sentence.

5. How can I identify passive voice easily?

Answer: To identify the passive voice, easily look for the form of the verb “to be” such as am, is, are, was, were, be, being, and been that is followed by the past participles. (eg the verb ending in –ed or -en). For example, in the sentences “the lesson was explained”, “was” is a form of the verb " to be and explained is the past participle.