The Difference Between Passive And Active Voice In Writing

Gary Smailes | 29 December 2025

What Are Active and Passive Voice?

Active and passive describe who holds the spotlight in a sentence. Who did what to whom. That simple frame drives clarity and tone.

Active voice first. The subject performs the action on an object. Subject, verb, object, in that order.

Examples

• The editor corrected the typo.
• Guards closed the gate.
• Asha lights the lantern at dusk.
• The council approves permits on Mondays.

Passive voice flips focus. The subject receives the action. Form uses a be verb plus a past participle. A by phrase can name the doer, or the doer stays offstage.

Examples

• The typo was corrected by the editor.
• The gate was closed at dusk.
• The lantern was lit by Asha.
• Permits are approved on Mondays.

A quick checkpoint. Not every be verb signals passive.

Be plus adjective shows a state, not an action done to a subject.

• She is tired.
• The door is open.
• The sky was clear.

Be plus verb plus ing shows ongoing action, not passive.

• He was running.
• They were drafting a plan.
• We are waiting in the hall.

Action shows up when a past participle pairs with be and an action makes sense. Compare:

• The door is closed. State.
• The door was closed by Nina. Action done to the door.

Two common variants keep the same focus shift.

Get passive

• He got fired.
• The roof got damaged in the storm.
• She got promoted last spring.

Agentless passive

• The decision was made.
• The rules were changed overnight.
• The file was deleted.

Notice the tradeoff. Active voice centers the doer. Passive centers the receiver or the result.

Pairs that show the difference

• Active: Three agents rejected the manuscript.
• Passive: The manuscript was rejected by three agents.

Focus moves from agents to manuscript.

• Active: The driver struck a cyclist.
• Passive: A cyclist was struck.

Focus moves from driver to victim.

• Active: We missed the deadline.
• Passive: The deadline was missed.

Focus moves from responsible party to a neutral event.

Neither choice is wrong on principle. Choose the form that supports the point on the page. Want accountability and energy? Active helps. Want impact-first framing, a neutral tone, or an unknown doer? Passive helps.

A few quick tells for form

• Active often reads shorter and sharper. Fewer helper verbs, more punch.
• Passive often needs a be verb plus a past participle. Often longer, sometimes vaguer.
• A by phrase after a past participle often marks passive, though that phrase can drop away.

Mini exercise

1. Grab five sentences from a draft. Label each part: subject, verb, object.
2. Rewrite two in both voices.
3. Read both versions aloud. Ask which version serves the purpose of the line. Accountability or outcome. Energy or distance.

Two examples worked both ways

• Active: The reviewer praised the pacing.
• Passive: The pacing was praised by the reviewer.

• Active: The storm flooded the lower wards.
• Passive: The lower wards were flooded.

Keep those patterns in mind and choice becomes deliberate, not a guess. Active and passive are tools. Use the one that points readers’ eyes at the right thing.

How to Spot Passive Voice Quickly

You want a quick gut check. Here it is.

The core pattern

Look for a be verb plus a past participle.

• is, are, was, were, be, being, been
• approved, written, broken, hired, closed, made

Examples

• The permit was approved by the board.
• The memo is being drafted this week.
• The window was broken overnight.

Those lines fit the pattern. Each one puts the receiver in the subject slot.

Now, guardrails. A be verb does not equal passive on its own.

State, not action

• She is tired.
• The door is open.
• The sky was clear.

Ongoing action, not passive

• He was running.
• They were drafting a plan.
• We are waiting in the hall.

Check the word after the be verb. If it is an adjective, you have a state. If it ends in ing and forms a verb phrase, you have ongoing action. For passive, you need a past participle plus an action done to the subject.

Pairs to try

• The door is closed. State.
• The door was closed by Nina. Passive.
• The report was finished. Passive unless you treat finished as a pure adjective. Context will decide.

The “by zombies” test

Append by zombies at the end. If the sentence still makes sense, you likely have passive.

• The report was submitted by zombies. Works. Passive.
• The gate will be locked by zombies. Works. Passive.
• The team was running by zombies. Nonsense. Not passive.

This trick does not handle every case, but it works fast and adds a laugh during edits.

The missing agent signal

Ask a blunt question. Who did what to whom. If the doer is unknown or offstage, raise an eyebrow.

• The decision was made. By whom?
• The files were deleted. By whom?
• The budget was reduced. By whom?

Agentless passives often hide responsibility. Sometimes you want that effect. Many times you do not.

Lookalikes to avoid

Stative or adjectival past participles

• The window is broken. State or result, often adjectival.
• The window was broken by hail. Passive with a clear action.

If a by phrase names a doer, you have passive. If no action source exists and the word reads like a description, you likely have a state.

Progressive aspect

• We were writing the report. Ongoing action, active voice.
• The report was being written. Ongoing action, passive voice.

Past participle after get

• He got promoted.
• The server got patched.

These often behave like passive. Focus sits on the receiver and result.

Quick contrasts

• Active: The editor corrected the typo.
• Passive: The typo was corrected by the editor.

Form: be plus past participle. Focus shifts.

• Active: A leak damaged the ceiling.
• Passive: The ceiling was damaged overnight.

Agent disappears, result stays in view.

• Active: We missed the deadline.
• Passive: The deadline was missed.

Responsibility drops out.

A fast workflow

Use structure first. Tools help, but structure wins.

1. Run a search for be verbs: was, were, is, are, be, been, being.
2. For each hit, check the next word. Past participle or adjective or ing form.
3. If a past participle appears, look for a doer. In a by phrase, in the subject, or nowhere.
4. If nowhere, ask whether you need the agent. If yes, shift to active. If no, leave the passive in place.
5. Read the line aloud. Listen for drag from helper verbs. If the line feels soggy, try an active rewrite.

Micro practice

Spot the passive, then flip to active where useful.

• The guidelines were updated last week.

  Active: The committee updated the guidelines last week.

• The package was delivered at noon.

  Active: A courier delivered the package at noon.

• The door is locked.

  State or passive? If state, leave it. If action matters, clarify.

  Active: The guard locks the door at six.

• The grant was awarded to Lina.

  Active: The panel awarded the grant to Lina.

• The outage was caused by a faulty switch.

  Active: A faulty switch caused the outage.

Now try two on your own. Write the active version. Read both versions aloud. Choose the one that serves your point.

Tool support, with a pinch of salt

Grammar checkers highlight passive voice. Use those flags as a starting map. Expect noise. You will see false positives and misses. Confirm with the structure test, not with highlights alone. Your ear will sharpen over a few passes.

A simple rule of thumb

• If a sentence leaves you asking who did the action, inspect it.
• If a sentence leans on be plus a past participle, inspect it.
• If a sentence adds a by phrase to name a doer, you almost sure have passive.

When speed matters

You are scanning a report before a meeting. You need a quick sweep.

• Search for be verbs.
• Circle any be plus past participle strings.
• Mark lines with missing agents.
• Fix high-profile spots first, headlines and leads.
• Leave intentional passives in place when they serve emphasis or tone.

That habit takes minutes, not hours. Over time, your drafts will bring fewer passives to the page. Not because passive is evil, but because you will choose it on purpose.

Style, Tone, and Reader Experience

Voice choice shapes clarity, rhythm, and trust. Active voice points to a doer. Passive voice points to a result. Readers feel the difference fast.

Clarity and agency

Active voice names the agent, then the action. Accountability lands in the subject slot.

• Active: Security missed the alarm.
• Passive: The alarm was missed.

See how the second line ducks the who. A report stacked with lines like The process was not followed often muddies ownership. Readers start to wonder who dropped the ball, and why no one will say so.

Use a simple question during edits. Who did what to whom. If the answer hides, expect fog. If the answer sits in the subject, readers track the story.

Mini exercise

• Write three sentences from a recent email or memo.
• Circle the subject in each.
• Ask whether the subject did the action or received it.
• Switch one passive to active and read both versions aloud.

Tone and formality

Passive voice often sounds formal or distant. That tone fits some settings. It also risks a bureaucratic glaze. Active voice reads as human and direct, which builds rapport.

Refund note

• Passive: Your request has been reviewed and a refund will be issued within five business days.
• Active: We reviewed your request and will issue a refund within five business days.

Same promise, different tone. The first line sounds like a policy poster. The second sounds like a person wrote it this morning.

Apology

• Passive: Mistakes were made during rollout.
• Active: We made mistakes during rollout.

One shields the team. One takes responsibility. Choose based on risk, audience, and honesty. Readers sense hedging from a mile away.

Emphasis and cohesion

Passive voice helps when topic order matters. Old information first, new information next. That pattern keeps paragraphs smooth.

Watch this short sequence.

• The bridge opened in 1962. Severe cracks were found last year. Repairs were scheduled for spring.

The bridge stays in focus from sentence to sentence, even when different agents carried out the actions. A parallel active version would need subject changes each time, which pulls attention away from the bridge.

Now flip the order for contrast.

• Inspectors found severe cracks last year. Engineers scheduled repairs for spring. The bridge opened in 1962.

Facts remain, but topic flow wobbles. When your subject of interest is the receiver, passive voice helps you keep it in the spotlight without constant rephrasing.

A quick rule. Use passive when the receiver remains the star across linked sentences. Switch back to active once a clear agent needs emphasis.

Pacing and readability

Passive forms often pad sentences with helper verbs and prepositions. Active verbs trim that bulk and speed the line.

• Passive: The data were analyzed by the team after the trial was completed.
• Active: The team analyzed the data after the trial ended.

• Passive: The deadline was missed by the vendor.
• Active: The vendor missed the deadline.

During a page pass, your ear will notice drag. Repeated be verbs slow the beat. If a paragraph carries three or four passives in a row, readers start to slog. Swap some for punchy actives and watch the page tighten.

A quick count test

• Mark every be verb in a paragraph, then count.
• Read the paragraph aloud.
• Replace two passives with actives.
• Read again and listen for lift.

Genre signals

Different fields send different cues through voice choice. Readers bring expectations to each.

• Business updates. Prefer active for speed and accountability.
  Example: Finance approved the budget change.
• Narrative nonfiction. Active supports scene and motion. Use selective passives for emphasis on victims or results.
  Example: A fire destroyed the studio. Two artifacts were saved.
• Technical reports. Many journals now favor active for methods.
  Example: We centrifuged the samples at 4000 g.
• Policy or legal writing. Passive appears more often for neutrality or distance.
  Example: The policy was revised on March 3.

Match the norm, unless you have a reason to break it. When in doubt, test your draft with a reader from the field. Does the voice sound natural to that audience. Does agency feel clear.

Reader experience in practice

Consider a customer case summary.

• Passive-heavy version: The ticket was opened on Monday. Updates were requested. A replacement was shipped on Wednesday. A refund was issued on Friday.

Smooth timeline, thin agency. Who acted at each step.

• Active-rich version: Support opened the ticket on Monday. The customer requested updates. Logistics shipped a replacement on Wednesday. Billing issued a refund on Friday.

Now the story breathes. The sequence holds, and responsibility appears at each turn. Readers trust a timeline that names names.

Or take a product announcement.

• Passive: A new dashboard was added to the app. Additional filters were included for power users.
• Active: We added a new dashboard. Power users now have additional filters.

Lean, direct, human. The second version invites questions and feedback. The first sounds like release notes written by a committee.

Actionable page pass

Try a one-page sweep to tune voice to purpose.

1. Highlight every passive verb phrase on the page.
2. Star any sentence where the agent stays offstage.
3. Change every agent-hiding line to active unless concealment serves a reason such as victim-first emphasis or diplomacy.
4. Keep passives that aid topic flow across linked sentences.
5. Read aloud, marking any sentence that drags or feels numb.
6. Restore one or two passives where rhythm needs a softer landing.
7. Note the before and after word count. Shorter often reads sharper.

A final checkpoint

• Does each paragraph make responsibility clear where readers expect it.
• Does tone match audience, not your mood.
• Does topic order stay smooth from old to new.
• Does the page move, or does the page sink under helper verbs.

Choose voice with intent. Readers reward that choice with attention and trust.

When Passive Voice Works

Passive voice has a job. Use it with intent, and readers feel smart, not managed.

Unknown or irrelevant agent

Sometimes the doer stays offstage because no one knows who moved first, or because the who does not matter.

• The vault was breached at 2 a.m.
• Seats were removed overnight.
• Several files were deleted during migration.

Each line centers the result. A headline like Thieves breached the vault risks a guess. The police report above sticks to confirmed facts. When the agent adds no value, leave that slot empty.

Quick check

• Ask, does naming the agent help the reader take action or understand the risk.
• If not, let the result lead and move on.

Impact-first framing

News often prioritizes harm or benefit before blame. Readers look for who was hurt, what was lost, what was saved.

• A child was injured in the crash.
• Two homes were destroyed.
• Three artworks were recovered.

This order guides empathy and sets stakes. A driver’s name can follow once facts firm up. For public statements after a crisis, lead with the human effect, then fill in agency when ready.

Politeness or diplomacy

Passive softens hard edges. Use it to reduce heat when assigning blame would derail the message.

• Your payment was declined.
• Your order was delayed in transit.
• Mistakes were made during rollout.

Each line trims the sting. Sometimes that helps. A support email screens out friction and keeps the focus on next steps. Beware the slippery slope. A report packed with agentless passives reads like evasion. Name the actor once the relationship can carry honesty.

A simple rule

• Soften first contact, then clarify in the follow-up.

Scientific and technical procedures

Method writing often values result and repeatability. Passive keeps attention on the procedure rather than the people.

• Samples were centrifuged at 4000 g for 10 minutes.
• RNA was extracted with kit X.
• The solution was heated to 95°C and held for 2 minutes.

Many journals now welcome active voice in methods. Teams write We centrifuged the samples to save words and sharpen agency. Both approaches appear in the wild. Pick one for a paper and stay consistent. When a method section needs tight old-to-new flow, passive often helps.

Side-by-side

• Active: We labeled the vials. We stored the vials at 4°C. We recorded mass after 24 hours.
• Passive: The vials were labeled. The vials were stored at 4°C. Mass was recorded after 24 hours.

The second version keeps vials in front position without switching subjects. A reader skims faster.

Information flow and cohesion

Good paragraphs move from known to new. Passive helps when the known element sits in the object slot.

• The bridge opened in 1962. Severe cracks were found last year. Repairs were scheduled for spring.
• The policy failed two audits. Revisions were proposed in March. A vote was held in June.

Each sentence starts where the last one left off. No subject whiplash. Try the same content in active voice and watch the topic hop from inspectors to engineers to committees. Sometimes that helps. Often it jars.

Revision move

• When a paragraph feels jumpy, ask whether the topic belongs in subject position. If the topic receives actions from different agents, test a passive sequence.

Narrative effects

Storytelling plays with distance. Passive gives you tools for mood, mystery, and satire.

Concealment in mystery

• The safe was emptied during the gala.
• The alarm was disabled from inside.

Both lines plant clues without naming the thief. Suspense grows from withheld agency.

Ominous distance in horror

• The door was left open.
• Footsteps were heard on the stairs.

No one claims responsibility. The room feels watched. The passive voice keeps the source vague and unsettling.

Institutional tone in satire

• Procedures were followed. Forms were lost. Accountability was ensured.

This cadence mimics bureaucratic speech. Readers hear the dodge and laugh, or wince.

Mini exercise

• Write three lines from a scene in progress.
• Turn one key sentence passive to hide a name or raise tension.
• Read aloud. Keep the version that serves mood best.

Build a whitelist

Give yourself rules before the draft fights back. A whitelist keeps passive use purposeful.

Create a simple table in your notes or style sheet with four columns

• Pattern to allow
• Purpose
• Example
• Limits

Fill it out with entries like these

• Unknown agent. Report confirmed outcomes without guesswork. The vault was breached at 2 a.m. Limit to early updates, replace once facts land.
• Impact-first. Lead with harm, loss, or benefit. A child was injured in the crash. Use for headlines and first lines, then add agency.
• Polite buffer. Reduce friction in service messages. Your payment was declined. Follow with a fix and name any known cause.
• Methods. Keep procedure foregrounded. Samples were centrifuged. Stay consistent within a section.
• Topic flow. Maintain old-to-new order across sentences. Revisions were proposed in March. Revisit during line edit to confirm smoothness.
• Narrative mood. Hide or distance the source. The door was left open. Reserve for planned effects, not habit.

Two-step test for each passive sentence

1. What purpose from the whitelist does this sentence serve.
2. Does an active rewrite damage that purpose.

If the answer to step one is none, flip to active. If the answer to step two is yes, keep the passive and move on.

Try this quick drill

• Take one page.
• Highlight every passive.
• Tag each with a whitelist purpose or mark with a question mark.
• Convert all the question marks to active.
• Read aloud for flow.

Passive voice is not the villain. Passive voice is a specialist. Call it in when the job matches the skill.

How to Revise Passive to Active (Without Losing Emphasis)

Passive creeps in when you chase polish, or when you hide the doer. Sometimes you need it. Often you do not. Here is how to flip a sentence to active without dropping the point you care about.

1) Locate the agent

Ask one question. Who did what to whom. If a by-phrase exists, you already have your answer.

• Passive: The manuscript was rejected by three agents.
• Active: Three agents rejected the manuscript.

No by-phrase. Read around the sentence. Context often names the actor.

• Passive: The file was deleted.
• Active options: Someone deleted the file. The system deleted the file.
• Or keep passive if the result matters more: The file was deleted.

Mini exercise

• Take five passives from your draft.
• Underline the hidden doer.
• Promote it to subject in one clean sentence.

2) Swap vague verbs for precise ones

Passive often pairs with weak verbs. Was done, was made, was performed. Replace mush with a verb that carries meaning.

• Passive: The report was done by the team.
• Active: The team finished the report.

• Passive: A decision was made by the board.
• Active: The board approved the budget.

• Passive: Tests were performed on the samples.
• Active: The lab tested the samples.

Keep a short list near your screen

• was done → finished, completed
• was made → approved, issued, created
• was performed → conducted, ran
• was provided → supplied, sent
• was held → met, convened

3) Keep the right emphasis

Sometimes the receiver deserves the spotlight. Lead with it, then switch to active.

• Passive: The award was won by Maya.
• Active, with emphasis on Maya: Maya won the award.
• Active, with emphasis on the award: The award, a career milestone, capped Maya’s season.

Other patterns help when you want the object first.

• Passive: A child was injured in the crash.
• Active, receiver first: The child suffered injuries in the crash.

• Passive: The mural was restored by volunteers.
• Active, receiver first: The mural now shines, thanks to volunteers who restored it.

Use the order that guides attention to the right place. Who do you want the reader to notice first. Put that word in front position.

4) Break long passives

A long passive clause buries the point. Split or tighten.

• Passive tangle: It was determined by the committee after months of consultation that the policy was to be revised.
• Active: After months of consultation, the committee decided to revise the policy.

Another fix is two sentences.

• Passive stack: Concerns were raised, assurances were given, and steps were promised.
• Active with clarity: Staff raised concerns. Leadership offered assurances and promised steps.

5) Reverse nominalizations

Nouns built from verbs slow prose. Flip them back to verbs, then pick an agent.

• Passive: The implementation of the plan was completed by HR.
• Active: HR implemented the plan.

• Passive: Observation of trends was performed by the team.
• Active: The team observed trends.

• Passive: A review of the contract was conducted by counsel.
• Active: Counsel reviewed the contract.

Nominalizations hide decisions. Verbs expose them. Readers breathe easier.

6) Examples, side by side

• Passive: The manuscript was rejected by three agents.
• Active: Three agents rejected the manuscript.

• Passive, agent unknown: The file was deleted.
• Active options: Someone deleted the file. The system deleted the file. Or keep passive to stress the loss.

• Passive with needed emphasis: The award was won by Maya.
• Active with emphasis preserved: Maya won the award. Or, The award, a career milestone, capped Maya’s season.

• Passive chain: The request was received, the account was flagged, and access was restricted.
• Active: Support received the request, flagged the account, and restricted access.

• Passive with by-phrase: The window was broken by the storm.
• Active: The storm broke the window.

Read each pair aloud. Your ear will pick the one with cleaner energy.

A quick workflow you will use

1. Mark every passive on one page.
2. For each, write the agent above the line. If unknown, pick a likely one, or choose to keep the passive with purpose.
3. Replace vague verbs with precise ones.
4. Protect emphasis. If the receiver matters more, keep it first, then write an active clause.
5. Split any long sentence that muddies the point.
6. Reverse nominalizations. Turn decision nouns into decision verbs.

Now run the numbers. Note your before and after word count. Active often trims fat and sharpens rhythm.

Fast practice drill

• Pick a paragraph.
• Convert every unnecessary passive to active.
• Restore any passive that serves focus, tone, or cohesion.
• Read aloud with a timer. If your pace improves and meaning holds, you nailed it.

Active voice clarifies who moves the story. Passive still has a place. The trick is intent. Choose, do not drift.

Editing Workflow and Tools for Voice

Draft with freedom. Edit with intention. Separate the two. A clean workflow keeps voice sharp and sentences honest.

Separate passes

First pass, write. No self-policing. Second pass, line edit for passive voice, weak verbs, and subject and verb clarity. Third pass, copyedit for consistency and punctuation.

Try this quick routine

• Pick one page.
• Highlight every be-verb in yellow, every by-phrase in pink.
• Read each highlighted sentence. Ask one question, who did what.
• Promote the doer to subject. Replace vague verbs with precise ones.
• Read the page aloud to hear the new cadence.

Copyediting checklist

Use a short, repeatable list. Run through it fast.

• Prefer concrete subjects and active verbs.
• Limit agentless passives unless purpose is clear.
• Avoid stacked passives in one paragraph.
• Preserve intentional passives designed for emphasis, flow, or politeness.
• Replace vague verb strings, such as was made or was done, with a precise action.
• Keep subjects close to verbs.
• Break long sentences that hide agency.

A checklist saves time because decisions stay consistent from page to page.

Tool stack, used with judgment

Tools help, yet judgment leads. Use software to spot patterns, then decide.

• Word or Google Docs Find. Run a global search for was, were, is, are, be, been, being. Scan each hit for a nearby past participle, such as approved, written, broken. Add a search for space-by-space, to catch obvious by-phrases. Color-code hits, then work through them line by line.
• Wildcards or regex, if you like them. Search for common endings such as ed, then confirm by eye. Irregular participles need attention too, such as built, shown, sent.
• Grammarly or ProWritingAid. Let passive flags prompt a review. Expect false positives. Trust your ear over a highlight.
• Readability tools such as Yoast. Check the passive ratio to spot trends. Numbers guide, not rule.

When tools disagree, read the sentence aloud and choose based on sense and emphasis.

Read-aloud test

Voice issues jump out when spoken. Read a page to a friend or a blank room. Pause after each paragraph. Ask one question, who did what. Any delay or puzzled look marks a sentence for revision.

Solo version

• Record a read-through on a phone.
• Listen once without the text.
• Note every spot where meaning blurs or energy sags.
• Revise for agency, verbs, and order of information.

Reading aloud reveals rhythm problems too. Passive clusters slow the beat. Active verbs tighten the line.

Build a style sheet for voice

A style sheet turns preference into policy. Keep one document, easy to update.

Include

• Target ratio for passive in this project, for example 10 to 15 percent in narrative prose.
• Allowed passive patterns with reasons, such as victim-first reporting, unknown agents, method statements.
• Examples of go-to revisions, for example was made into approved or signed, was performed into conducted or ran.
• Notes on tone, such as direct voice for headlines, neutral voice for policy summaries.

Share the sheet with collaborators. Fewer surprises, stronger consistency.

A simple “voice” step in your workflow

Add one focused step during revision.

1. Run a global search for to be forms, plus a quick pass for by-phrases.
2. Fix high-impact spots first, headlines, leads, topic sentences.
3. Convert unnecessary passives to active. Protect passives that serve focus or tone.
4. Reverse nominalizations, such as implementation into implemented.
5. Break long sentences that fog agency.
6. Spot-check a random 10 percent of pages for drift.

Track a before and after word count for one page. Shorter, stronger sentences usually follow.

Two micro drills

• Ten-minute hunt. Pick one chapter. Flag every sentence with was or were plus a past participle. Revise three, leave two on purpose, explain the choice in a margin note.
• Partner test. Trade one page with a peer. Each writes names over verbs, who did what. Any blank line signals a hidden agent.

Voice comes down to choices. Tools surface options. A steady workflow helps you choose with confidence.

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