The Ultimate Guide to Passive vs Active Voice
In active voice, the subject performs the action: "The committee approved the budget." In passive voice, the subject receives the action: "The budget was approved by the committee." Neither is inherently wrong — but they do different jobs.
When active voice works better
Active voice is usually more direct and easier to follow, which is why most style guides recommend it as the default for clear, confident writing.
When passive voice is the better choice
Passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or intentionally being de-emphasized — like in "Mistakes were made" in a diplomatic statement, or "The sample was heated to 90°C" in a lab report, where the process matters more than who performed it.
How to spot it in your own writing
Look for a form of "to be" (is, was, were, been) followed by a past participle (often ending in -ed). If you find yourself using it in every other sentence, try rewriting a few as active voice and compare how they read — a grammar checker that flags passive constructions can speed this up considerably.
Key takeaways
- Active voice is usually clearer and more direct — it's the safer default.
- Passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown or intentionally de-emphasized.
- Look for "to be" + a past participle as the telltale sign of passive voice.
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