The choice between active and passive voice is a critical one that significantly impacts clarity, engagement, and overall effectiveness. It’s something that I’ve struggled with personally, and I’m not afraid to admit that. I’m constantly pushing myself to recognize it when I see it so that I can be the best editor that I can be.

Knowing when to use active or passive voice can significantly enhance a piece’s clarity. While both have benefits and usage, using them strategically is vital to convey a message clearly and engage readers.

You can create a sense of action and directness by using active voice, while passive voice shifts the focus or evokes a more formal tone. The key is to be intentional and purposeful in your writing and always to consider your audience and the impact of your words. With practice and awareness, you can master the usage of both active and passive voice and enhance the effectiveness of your writing.

Here’s how I would define active and passive voice, and then I’ll discuss each form’s distinct features.

What is active voice?

The act of telling what a person or thing does is active voice when you’re writing it all out. The subject acts and typically comes before the action (verb).

The object typically receives the action and comes after the action (verb).

What is passive voice?

The process of telling what’s done to someone or something is what the passive voice does on the page. The subject acts and typically comes after the action (verb).

The object, who or what receives the action, typically comes before the action (verb).

16 examples of active vs. passive voice

1. Harry (subject) ate (verb) six shrimp (object) at dinner.
2. At dinner, six shrimp (object) were eaten (verb) by Harry (subject).
3. Beautiful giraffes (subject) roam (verb) the savanna (object).
4. The savanna (object) is roamed (verb) by beautiful giraffes.
5. The critic (subject) wrote (verb) a scathing book review.
6. A scathing review (object) was written (verb) by the critic (subject).
7. The staff (subject) is required to watch (verb) a cybersecurity video (subject) annually.
8. A safety video (object) will be watched (verb) by the staff (subject) annually.
9. Stephanie (subject) will finish (verb) her final project (subject) by tomorrow.
10. The project (object) will be finished (verb) by Stephanie (subject) tomorrow.
11. The cleaning crew (subject) dusts and vacuums (verb) the office (object) every night.
12. Every night, the office (subject) is dusted and vacuumed (verb) by the cleaning crew (subject).
13. Not one person (subject) responded (verb) to my sales ad (object).
14. My sales ad (object) wasn’t responded to (verb) by anyone (subject).
15. Thousands of tourists (subject) visit (verb) Las Vegas (object) every year.
16. Las Vegas (object) is visited (verb) by thousands of tourists (subject) every year.