Active and passive voice: the difference and when to use each

The passive uses a form of be (is, are, was, were, has been, will be) plus a past participle (written, chased, eaten):

A quick test: if you can add "by zombies" after the verb and it still makes sense, it's probably passive: "The plan was approved by zombies."

1. Find who or what did the action (the agent, often after "by").
2. Make it the subject.
3. Put the verb in the active form.

"The window was broken by the ball." → "The ball broke the window."

If there's no agent, you may need to supply one: "Mistakes were made" → "The manager made mistakes."

• Science write-ups: "The solution was heated to 60 °C" focuses on the method, not the scientist.
• The doer is unknown: "The museum was founded in 1753."
• The receiver matters more: "The patient was treated quickly."
• Linking sentences: keeping the same topic as the subject helps paragraphs flow.

In persuasive and narrative writing, too many passives make writing feel vague or evasive. "It was decided that homework would be increased" hides who decided. Active sentences are usually shorter and more energetic: "The school increased homework."

In GCSE English Language you may be asked to analyse a writer's choices: noticing that a news report uses the passive ("Protesters were removed") and explaining what it hides is a strong point. In your own writing, varying voice deliberately shows control of sentence structure.

• Past tense isn't passive: "She wrote the letter" is active past tense.
• "Was" doesn't always mean passive: "He was tired" is just a description.
• The passive isn't wrong: it's a choice. Use it on purpose.

See also our guide to comma rules.

Decide whether each sentence is active or passive, then rewrite the passive ones in the active voice.

1. "The experiment was repeated three times."
2. "The students repeated the experiment three times."
3. "The trophy was won by our team."
4. "The window had been left open."

Answers:

1. Passive. Active: "We repeated the experiment three times."
2. Active.
3. Passive. Active: "Our team won the trophy."
4. Passive (no agent given). Active: "Someone had left the window open."

In every tense, the passive uses a form of "be" and the past participle.