Learn how to write in active voice and avoid passive voice with simple tips, clear examples, and easy fixes to make your writing stronger and more readable.
Writing is a skill. And like any skill, you can always get better at it. One of the easiest ways to make your writing stronger is to use active voice. But most people don't even know what that means. And if they do, they still use passive voice all the time without noticing.
Don't worry. By the end of this article, you will know exactly what active voice is, why it matters, and how to use it every single time you write.
Let's start from the very beginning.
What Is Active Voice?
Active voice is when the subject of a sentence does the action.
Let's break that down.
A sentence has three main parts most of the time. There is a subject, a verb, and an object.
- The subject is who or what is doing something.
- The verb is the action.
- The object is what receives the action.
In active voice, the subject does the action. Simple.
Example:
The dog bit the man.
Here, the dog (subject) is doing the biting (verb). The man (object) is getting bitten. That's active voice.
Now let's flip it.
The man was bitten by the dog.
Now the man is at the front of the sentence. But the man is not doing anything. The dog is still doing the biting. This is passive voice.
See the difference?
Active voice = the doer comes first. Passive voice = the receiver comes first.
What Is Passive Voice?
Passive voice is when the action happens to the subject instead of the subject doing the action.
Passive voice usually has a helping verb like "was," "were," "is," "are," "been," or "being" before the main verb. And many times, it also uses the word "by."
More examples of passive voice:
- The cake was eaten by the children.
- The window was broken.
- The letter was written by Maria.
- Mistakes were made.
Now in active voice:
- The children ate the cake.
- Tom broke the window.
- Maria wrote the letter.
- We made mistakes.
Do you feel how the active versions feel more alive? More direct? More clear?
That's the power of active voice.
Why Does Active Voice Matter?
You might be thinking, "Both sentences say the same thing. Why does it matter which one I use?"
Great question. Here's why it matters a lot.
1. Active Voice Is Clearer
When you read an active sentence, you know right away who is doing what. There is no confusion. The information comes in the right order.
With passive voice, the reader has to do more work. They have to figure out who is doing the action. Sometimes that information is not even there.
Look at this sentence: The report was lost.
Who lost it? We don't know. The sentence doesn't tell us. That's a problem if you need to know who is responsible.
Now try: James lost the report.
Clear. Simple. No confusion.
2. Active Voice Is Shorter
Passive sentences use more words to say the same thing. And extra words slow down your reader.
- Passive: The homework was finished by the students before dinner.
- Active: The students finished the homework before dinner.
The active version is shorter and faster to read. In writing, shorter is almost always better.
3. Active Voice Feels More Energetic
Passive voice feels slow and flat. Active voice feels alive. It has energy. It moves forward.
Think about your favorite book or story. Most of the sentences are active. Things are happening. People are doing things. Events are moving.
Passive voice is like a slow walk. Active voice is like a run.
4. Active Voice Is Better for SEO
If you write for the web, active voice helps your readers stay on your page longer. Google pays attention to how long people stay on your page. If your writing is clear and easy to read, people stay longer. That helps your rankings.
Google also reads your content. Sentences that are clear and direct are easier for search engines to understand. That means your article has a better chance of showing up when someone searches for your topic.
5. Active Voice Sounds More Human
Passive voice is very common in formal writing, like government reports and legal documents. That's why those things are so hard to read. They feel cold and distant.
When you write for real people, you want to sound like a real person. Active voice helps you do that.
How to Find Passive Voice in Your Writing
Before you can fix passive voice, you have to find it. Here are some easy ways to do that.
Look for "Was" and "Were"
The most common sign of passive voice is the word "was" or "were" followed by a verb ending in "-ed."
- The book was written...
- The car was damaged...
- The flowers were picked...
These are almost always passive.
Look for the Word "By"
If you see "by" after a verb, there is a good chance you are looking at passive voice.
- The pizza was delivered by the driver.
- The song was sung by the choir.
Ask "Who Is Doing This?"
Read your sentence and ask yourself: who is actually doing the action here?
If the answer is not at the beginning of the sentence, or if there is no answer at all, you might have a passive sentence.
Use a Tool
If you are not sure, you can use free writing tools to check. Hemingway App highlights passive voice in your writing. Grammarly also catches passive voice and suggests fixes. These tools are not perfect, but they are very helpful.
How to Fix Passive Voice
Now comes the fun part. Fixing passive voice is easy once you know how.
The basic rule is simple: put the doer at the start of the sentence.
Let's practice.
Passive: The ball was kicked by the boy. Active: The boy kicked the ball.
Passive: The song was played by the band. Active: The band played the song.
Passive: The test was passed by most students. Active: Most students passed the test.
See the pattern? Just find who is doing the action, put them first, and rewrite the sentence.
What If There Is No Doer?
Sometimes passive sentences don't tell us who did something. Like this:
- The window was broken.
- Mistakes were made.
- The rules were changed.
If you don't know who did it, you have two choices.
Choice 1: Find out who did it and add them.
- Someone broke the window.
- The manager made mistakes.
- The school changed the rules.
Choice 2: Rewrite to make it active with a different structure.
- The window broke.
- We made mistakes.
- The rules changed.
These are not perfect, but they are much better than the passive versions.
Common Passive Voice Traps
Even good writers fall into these traps. Watch out for them.
Trap 1: Starting With "It Was"
- It was decided that the meeting would be moved.
This is passive and vague. Who decided? Rewrite it:
- The team decided to move the meeting.
Trap 2: Using "There Was" or "There Were"
- There were many mistakes found in the report.
Rewrite:
- The editor found many mistakes in the report.
Trap 3: Using Too Many Helping Verbs
Sentences with three or four helping verbs are usually passive and confusing.
- The problem could have been solved by the engineer.
Rewrite:
- The engineer could have solved the problem.
When Is Passive Voice Okay?
Here is something important. Passive voice is not always wrong. Sometimes it is the right choice.
When the Doer Is Unknown
- The ancient temple was built over 2,000 years ago.
We don't know who built it. Passive makes sense here.
When the Doer Doesn't Matter
- The results were published in a medical journal.
Who published them? It doesn't really matter for the point of the sentence. The focus is on the results.
When You Want to Protect Someone
Sometimes writers use passive voice on purpose to avoid naming someone.
- Errors were made during the process.
This keeps the focus off of any one person. In some situations, that's the right thing to do.
In Scientific Writing
Science papers often use passive voice because the focus is on the experiment, not on the person doing it.
- The samples were tested three times.
This is a normal and accepted way to write in science.
So the rule is not "never use passive voice." The rule is "use active voice most of the time and only use passive voice when it makes sense."
Simple Tips to Write More Actively Every Day
Let's make this practical. Here are easy habits you can build to start writing more actively.
Tip 1: Start Sentences With a Strong Subject
Ask yourself before every sentence: who or what is doing this action? Make that the first word or phrase.
Instead of: A decision was made by the committee. Write: The committee made a decision.
Tip 2: Use Strong Verbs
Weak verbs make writing feel passive even when it is technically active. Replace weak verbs with strong, clear ones.
- Weak: She made a run for the door.
- Strong: She ran to the door.
Strong verbs carry the energy of the sentence. Use them.
Tip 3: Cut the Helping Verbs
Every time you see "was," "were," "is being," or "has been" followed by a verb, try to cut the helping verbs and rewrite.
- The food is being prepared by the chef. becomes The chef is preparing the food. or even better, The chef prepares the food.
Tip 4: Read Your Writing Out Loud
When you read your work out loud, you can hear the difference. Passive sentences often sound weird or awkward. If something sounds off, it usually is.
Tip 5: Edit One Sentence at a Time
Don't try to fix everything at once. Go sentence by sentence. Look for passive voice, fix it, and move on. It gets easier and faster the more you practice.
Tip 6: Write First, Edit Later
Don't try to avoid passive voice while you are writing your first draft. Just write freely. Then go back and clean it up. Trying to edit while you write slows you down and breaks your flow.
Tip 7: Practice Every Day
The best way to write more actively is to practice. Write something every day. It could be a short story, a journal entry, a blog post, or even a text message. The more you write with active voice in mind, the more natural it becomes.
Active Voice in Different Types of Writing
Let's look at how active voice works in different kinds of writing.
Blog Writing
Blogs need to be friendly and easy to read. Active voice is perfect for this. It feels like you are talking directly to your reader.
- Passive: The tips listed below can be used to improve your blog.
- Active: Use these tips to improve your blog.
Short. Direct. Personal.
Story Writing
Stories need action and energy. Active voice keeps the reader moving forward.
- Passive: The treasure was found by the kids in the old barn.
- Active: The kids found the treasure in the old barn.
The active version pulls the reader in right away.
Email Writing
Emails need to be clear and quick. Active voice makes sure your message gets across fast.
- Passive: Your application has been reviewed by our team.
- Active: Our team reviewed your application.
Academic Writing
This is the one place where passive voice is more accepted. But even here, too much passive voice makes papers hard to read. Try to mix in active voice whenever you can.
A Quick Active Voice Checklist
Before you publish or send anything you write, go through this quick list.
- Did I start most sentences with the person or thing doing the action?
- Did I use strong, clear verbs?
- Did I cut out extra helping verbs where I could?
- Did I ask "who is doing this?" for each sentence?
- Did I read it out loud to check for awkward phrasing?
If you can say yes to all of these, your writing is in great shape.
The Big Picture
Writing in active voice is not just about following grammar rules. It is about respecting your reader's time. It is about being clear. It is about saying what you mean in the simplest, most direct way possible.
Every time you choose active voice, you make your writing easier to read. You make your message stronger. And you make your reader's experience better.
That is what good writing is all about.
The more you practice, the easier it gets. Start small. Fix one passive sentence a day. Then two. Then five. Before long, active voice will be your natural way of writing.
And your writing will be so much better for it.
Conclusion
Active voice makes writing clear, strong, and easy to read. Passive voice makes it slow and confusing. The difference is simple: in active voice, the subject does the action. In passive voice, the action happens to the subject.
You don't have to be a grammar expert to write actively. You just have to ask one question before every sentence: Who is doing this? Put that person or thing at the start of your sentence, and you are already on the right track.
Write actively. Be clear. Keep it simple.
Your readers will love you for it.
Written by Himanshi
