Have you ever read a sentence that confused you about what it was trying to convey? Often, reading works written in passive voice can feel like trying to find your way to the center of a labyrinth. The meaning is in there somewhere, but it’s harder to reach.
The difference between active voice and passive voice is all in the name.
- Active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs an action.
- Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence experiences or receives an action.
The common writing advice from teachers, editors, authors, and even casual readers is to favor active voice. It’s typically clearer, more direct, and easier for readers to follow. But that may not always be the best or most effective choice. Sometimes, the passive voice better suits the tone, pacing, or focus of a particular sentence.
Technically, both structures are grammatically correct. Both can occur in any tense and point of view. Rather than being a question of right or wrong, it’s a matter of intention and effect. Each is a tool in your grammatical toolbox for varying sentence structure and shifting emphasis. So, there will likely be a combination of the two in any well-written work of fiction or nonfiction.
Therefore, finding the balance between active and passive voice becomes part of the author’s voice and overall writing style. This balance may change over time and from story to story, depending on the narrative’s needs. What’s important is that the author makes these decisions deliberately and understands why one structure is being chosen over the other.
All of the most respected and successful authors understand and utilize these tools. They craft their stories at the prose level, making purposeful choices about sentence structure, rhythm, and emphasis.
Switching between active and passive voice isn’t random—it’s a way to control flow, build tension, or soften tone. Mastering grammar gives a writer flexibility, allowing them to shape their story into something compelling and intentional once the structure is in place.
What Is Active Voice in Writing?
Active voice is a grammatical structure where the subject of the sentence performs the action. The sentence structure is subject, verb, object or SVO. It uses fewer words, producing clarity and simplicity.
Active voice uses active verbs that create movement, empathy, and pacing in your writing. The structure of these sentences highlights their subjects.
Active voice is easier to follow and more engaging to readers by generating a sense of agency for the subject. It gets straight to the meat of the meaning without beating around the bush.
What Is Passive Voice in Writing?
When the action is being performed upon the subject or object, you’re using passive voice. In these cases, the typical sentence structure becomes: object, verb, and often a preposition followed by the subject (which may or may not appear at all). For example, instead of saying “The chef cooked the meal,” passive voice would reframe it as “The meal was cooked by the chef.” The focus shifts from who did the action to what was done.
Passive voice typically uses a form of the verb “to be” (is, was, were, etc.) combined with a past participle (the action verb), which creates grammatical distance. This can make sentences longer, more roundabout, and sometimes less clear, as the most important information gets buried.
The emphasis in passive constructions tends to fall on the action or the object, especially when the subject is left out entirely.
While most writing is clearer and more dynamic in active voice, passive voice can be a valuable stylistic tool. If the boy is more important in the scene, the author might write, “The boy lost his ticket.” But if the object carries more narrative weight or symbolic importance, the author might choose, “The ticket was lost by the boy,” placing subtle emphasis on the ticket instead.
Passive voice also proves useful when the subject is unknown (“The documents were stolen”), irrelevant, or intentionally withheld. It’s commonly used in scientific writing to maintain objectivity (“The samples were tested”), in journalism for neutrality, and in historical or factual accounts.
Additionally, it can create a timeless, mysterious, or even prophetic tone, particularly in opening lines, mythic storytelling, or when writing omens and prophecies: “A child shall be born under a blood moon.”
Understanding how passive voice functions helps writers make conscious choices—adding nuance, tone, or rhythm in a way that enhances the story rather than obscures it.
Active vs Passive Voice Examples
Active Voice Examples
Simple sentences
- The girl threw the ball.
- Ghosts filled the haunted house.
- The cat pounced on the toy.
Simple sentences with possible irrelevant subjects
- I paid the check.
- He lassoed the cow.
Complex sentences with modifiers
- She solved the math problem quickly.
- The Union Army defeated the Confederacy in 1865.
- Someone well stocked the place with gamer food.
- Yesterday, I arrived at the hotel.
- A stack of unopened boxes piled precariously on the couch next to where she stood, ready to tumble down in an avalanche of cardboard, as precarious as mom’s temper.
Examples of Active Opening Sentences From Literature
- White Fang by Jack London [1906] “Dark spruce forest frowned on either side of the frozen waterway.”
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie [1911] “All children, except one, grow up.”
- I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith [1948] “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
- The Witches by Roald Dahl [1983] “In fairy-tales, witches always wear silly black hats and black coats, and they ride on broomsticks.”
- The Girl With the Ghost Eyes by M.H. Boroson [2015] “I placed a paper shirt into the furnace.”
Passive Voice Examples
Simple Sentences
- The ball was thrown by the girl.
- The haunted house was filled with ghosts.
- The toy was pounced on by the cat.
Simple sentences with irrelevant subjects
- The check has been paid.
- The cow was lassoed.
Complex sentences with modifiers
- The math problem was solved quickly by her.
- The Confederacy was defeated by the Union Army in 1865.
- The place was well stocked with gamer food.
- The hotel was where I arrived yesterday.
- The couch, next to where she stood, was stacked with unopened boxes ready to tumble down in an avalanche of cardboard, as precarious as mom’s temper.
Examples of Passive Opening Sentences From Literature
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [1813] “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde [1890] “The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.”
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein [1937] “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt [1992] “The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling [1997] “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.”
How to Write in Active Voice
Writing in active voice is very natural to most people. It is the way they tend to communicate verbally and in informal situations. So, if you relax the pressure, you are likely to easily write in active voice. But if you want to make sure, here’s how to do it.
Begin by determining the noun that is the true subject of your sentence. Just like the protagonist of your story, the subject of the sentence is the one doing the action.
Then, use active verbs without “to be” verb modifiers.
Add any modifiers like objects, prepositions, etc.
If you have identified passive voice or want to check your writing for passive sentences in order to change them to active or to check the ratio, begin by searching for modified verbs and the word “by.”
Whatever noun that comes after “by” is likely your true subject. Flip the sentence around making the subject come first followed by the verb they are doing.