essay passive voice

Passive Voice

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you understand what the passive voice is, why many professors and writing instructors frown upon it, and how you can revise your paper to achieve greater clarity. Some things here may surprise you. We hope this handout will help you to understand the passive voice and allow you to make more informed choices as you write.

So what is the passive voice? First, let’s be clear on what the passive voice isn’t. Below, we’ll list some common myths about the passive voice:

1. Myth: Use of the passive voice constitutes a grammatical error.

Use of the passive voice is not a grammatical error. It’s a stylistic issue that pertains to clarity—that is, there are times when using the passive voice can prevent a reader from understanding what you mean.

2. Myth: Any use of “to be” (in any form) constitutes the passive voice.

The passive voice entails more than just using a being verb. Using “to be” can weaken the impact of your writing, but it is occasionally necessary and does not by itself constitute the passive voice.

3. Myth: The passive voice always avoids the first person; if something is in first person (“I” or “we”) it’s also in the active voice.

On the contrary, you can very easily use the passive voice in the first person. Here’s an example: “I was hit by the dodgeball.”

4. Myth: You should never use the passive voice.

While the passive voice can weaken the clarity of your writing, there are times when the passive voice is OK and even preferable.

5. Myth: I can rely on my grammar checker to catch the passive voice.

See Myth #1. Since the passive voice isn’t a grammar error, it’s not always caught. Typically, grammar checkers catch only a fraction of passive voice usage.

Do any of these misunderstandings sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. That’s why we wrote this handout. It discusses how to recognize the passive voice, when you should avoid it, and when it’s OK.

Defining the passive voice

A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at this passive rephrasing of a familiar joke:

Why was the road crossed by the chicken?

Who is doing the action in this sentence? The chicken is the one doing the action in this sentence, but the chicken is not in the spot where you would expect the grammatical subject to be. Instead, the road is the grammatical subject. The more familiar phrasing (why did the chicken cross the road?) puts the actor in the subject position, the position of doing something—the chicken (the actor/doer) crosses the road (the object). We use active verbs to represent that “doing,” whether it be crossing roads, proposing ideas, making arguments, or invading houses (more on that shortly).

Once you know what to look for, passive constructions are easy to spot. Look for a form of “to be” (is, are, am, was, were, has been, have been, had been, will be, will have been, being) followed by a past participle. (The past participle is a form of the verb that typically, but not always, ends in “-ed.” Some exceptions to the “-ed” rule are words like “paid” (not “payed”) and “driven.” (not “drived”).

Here’s a sure-fire formula for identifying the passive voice:

form of “to be” + past participle = passive voice

For example:

The metropolis has been scorched by the dragon’s fiery breath.

When her house was invaded, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage.

Not every sentence that contains a form of “have” or “be” is passive! Forms of the word “have” can do several different things in English. For example, in the sentence “John has to study all afternoon,” “has” is not part of a past-tense verb. It’s a modal verb, like “must,” “can,” or “may”—these verbs tell how necessary it is to do something (compare “I have to study” versus “I may study”). And forms of “be” are not always passive, either—”be” can be the main verb of a sentence that describes a state of being, rather than an action. For example, the sentence “John is a good student” is not passive; “is” is simply describing John’s state of being. The moral of the story: don’t assume that any time you see a form of “have” and a form of “to be” together, you are looking at a passive sentence.

Need more help deciding whether a sentence is passive? Ask yourself whether there is an action going on in the sentence. If so, what is at the front of the sentence? Is it the person or thing that does the action? Or is it the person or thing that has the action done to it? In a passive sentence, the object of the action will be in the subject position at the front of the sentence. As discussed above, the sentence will also contain a form of be and a past participle. If the subject appears at all, it will usually be at the end of the sentence, often in a phrase that starts with “by.” Take a look at this example:

The fish was caught by the seagull.

If we ask ourselves whether there’s an action, the answer is yes: a fish is being caught. If we ask what’s at the front of the sentence, the actor or the object of the action, it’s the object: the fish, unfortunately for it, got caught, and there it is at the front of the sentence. The thing that did the catching—the seagull—is at the end, after “by.” There’s a form of be (was) and a past participle (caught). This sentence is passive.

Let’s briefly look at how to change passive constructions into active ones. You can usually just switch the word order, making the actor and subject one by putting the actor up front:

The dragon has scorched the metropolis with his fiery breath.

After suitors invaded her house, Penelope had to think of ways to delay her remarriage.

To repeat, the key to identifying the passive voice is to look for both a form of “to be” and a past participle, which usually, but not always, ends in “-ed.”

Clarity and meaning

The primary reason why your instructors frown on the passive voice is that they often have to guess what you mean. Sometimes, the confusion is minor. Let’s look again at that sentence from a student’s paper on Homer’s The Odyssey:

Like many passive constructions, this sentence lacks explicit reference to the actor—it doesn’t tell the reader who or what invaded Penelope’s house. The active voice clarifies things:

After suitors invaded Penelope’s house, she had to think of ways to fend them off.

Thus many instructors—the readers making sense of your writing—prefer that you use the active voice. They want you to specify who or what is doing the action. Compare the following two examples from an anthropology paper on a Laotian village to see if you agree.

(passive)  A new system of drug control laws was set up. (By whom?)

(active)  The Lao People’s Revolutionary Party set up a new system of drug control laws.

Here’s another example, from the same paper, that illustrates the lack of precision that can accompany the passive voice:

Gender training was conducted in six villages, thus affecting social relationships.

And a few pages later:

Plus, marketing links were being established.

In both paragraphs, the writer never specifies the actors for those two actions (Who did the gender training? Who established marketing links?). Thus the reader has trouble appreciating the dynamics of these social interactions, which depend upon the actors conducting and establishing these things.

The following example, once again from that paper on The Odyssey, typifies another instance where an instructor might desire more precision and clarity:

Although Penelope shares heroic characteristics with her husband, Odysseus, she is not considered a hero.

Who does not consider Penelope a hero? It’s difficult to tell, but the rest of that paragraph suggests that the student does not consider Penelope a hero (the topic of the paper). The reader might also conceivably think that the student is referring to critics, scholars, or modern readers of The Odyssey. One might argue that the meaning comes through here—the problem is merely stylistic. Yet style affects how your reader understands your argument and content. Awkward or unclear style prevents your reader from appreciating the ideas that are so clear to you when you write. Thus knowing how your reader might react enables you to make more effective choices when you revise. So after you identify instances of the passive, you should consider whether your use of the passive inhibits clear understanding of what you mean.

Summarizing history or literary plots with the passive voice: don’t be a lazy thinker or writer!

With the previous section in mind, you should also know that some instructors proclaim that the passive voice signals sloppy, lazy thinking. These instructors argue that writers who overuse the passive voice have not fully thought through what they are discussing and that this makes for imprecise arguments. Consider these sentences from papers on American history:

The working class was marginalized. African Americans were discriminated against. Women were not treated as equals.

Such sentences lack the precision and connection to context and causes that mark rigorous thinking. The reader learns little about the systems, conditions, human decisions, and contradictions that produced these groups’ experiences of oppression. And so the reader—the instructor—questions the writer’s understanding of these things.

It is especially important to be sure that your thesis statement is clear and precise, so think twice before using the passive voice in your thesis.

In papers where you discuss the work of an author—e.g., a historian or writer of literature—you can also strengthen your writing by not relying on the passive as a crutch when summarizing plots or arguments. Instead of writing:

It is argued that… or  Tom and Huck are portrayed as… or  And then the link between X and Y is made, showing that…

you can heighten the level of your analysis by explicitly connecting an author with these statements:

Anderson argues that… Twain portrays Tom and Huck as… Ishiguro draws a link between X and Y to show that…

By avoiding passive constructions in these situations, you can demonstrate a more thorough understanding of the material you discuss.

Scientific writing

All this advice works for papers in the humanities, you might note—but what about technical or scientific papers, including lab reports? Many instructors recommend or even require the passive voice in such writing. The rationale for using the passive voice in scientific writing is that it achieves “an objective tone”—for example, by avoiding the first person. To consider scientific writing, let’s break it up into two main types: lab reports and writing about a scientific topic or literature.

Lab reports

Although more and more scientific journals accept or even prefer first-person active voice (e.g., “then we sequenced the human genome”), some of your instructors may want you to remove yourself from your lab report by using the passive voice (e.g., “then the human genome was sequenced” rather than “then we sequenced the human genome”). Such advice particularly applies to the section on Materials and Methods, where a procedure “is followed.” (For a fuller discussion on writing lab reports, see our handout on writing lab reports .)

While you might employ the passive voice to retain objectivity, you can still use active constructions in some instances and retain your objective stance. Thus it’s useful to keep in mind the sort of active verbs you might use in lab reports. Examples include: support, indicate, suggest, correspond, challenge, yield, show.

Thus instead of writing:

A number of things are indicated by these results.

you could write:

These results indicate a number of things . or Further analysis showed/suggested/yielded…

Ultimately, you should find out your instructor’s preference regarding your use of the passive in lab reports.

Writing about scientific topics

In some assignments, rather than reporting the results of your own scientific work, you will be writing about the work of other scientists. Such assignments might include literature reviews and research reports on scientific topics. You have two main possible tasks in these assignments: reporting what other people have done (their research or experiments) or indicating general scientific knowledge (the body of knowledge coming out of others’ research). Often the two go together. In both instances, you can easily use active constructions even though you might be tempted by the passive—especially if you’re used to writing your own lab reports in the passive.

You decide: Which of these two examples is clearer?

(passive) Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in the United States.

or (active)  Research points to heart disease as the leading cause of death in the United States.

Alternatively, you could write this sentence with human actors:

Researchers have concluded that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

The last two sentences illustrate a relationship that the first one lacks. The first example does not tell who or what leads us to accept this conclusion about heart disease.

Here’s one last example from a report that describes angioplasty. Which sounds better to you?

The balloon is positioned in an area of blockage and is inflated. or The surgeon positions the balloon in an area of blockage and inflates it.

You can improve your scientific writing by relying less on the passive. The advice we’ve given for papers on history or literature equally applies to papers in more “scientific” courses. No matter what field you’re writing in, when you use the passive voice, you risk conveying to your reader a sense of uncertainty and imprecision regarding your writing and thinking. The key is to know when your instructor wants you to use the passive voice. For a more general discussion of writing in the sciences , see our handout.

“Swindles and perversions”

Before we discuss a few instances when the passive might be preferable, we should mention one of the more political uses of the passive: to hide blame or obscure responsibility. You wouldn’t do this, but you can learn how to become a critic of those who exhibit what George Orwell included among the “swindles and perversions” of writing. For example:

Mistakes were made.

The Exxon Company accepts that a few gallons might have been spilled.

By becoming critically aware of how others use language to shape clarity and meaning, you can learn how better to revise your own work. Keep Orwell’s swindles and perversions in mind as you read other writers. Because it’s easy to leave the actor out of passive sentences, some people use the passive voice to avoid mentioning who is responsible for certain actions.

So when is it OK to use the passive?

Sometimes the passive voice is the best choice. Here are a few instances when the passive voice is quite useful:

1. To emphasize an object. Take a look at this example:

One hundred votes are required to pass the bill.

This passive sentence emphasizes the number of votes required. An active version of the sentence (“The bill requires 100 votes to pass”) would put the emphasis on the bill, which may be less dramatic.

2. To de-emphasize an unknown subject/actor. Consider this example:

Over 120 different contaminants have been dumped into the river.

If you don’t know who the actor is—in this case, if you don’t actually know who dumped all of those contaminants in the river—then you may need to write in the passive. But remember, if you do know the actor, and if the clarity and meaning of your writing would benefit from indicating him/her/it/them, then use an active construction. Yet consider the third case.

3. If your readers don’t need to know who’s responsible for the action.

Here’s where your choice can be difficult; some instances are less clear than others. Try to put yourself in your reader’s position to anticipate how they will react to the way you have phrased your thoughts. Here are two examples:

(passive)  Baby Sophia was delivered at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

and (active)  Dr. Susan Jones delivered baby Sophia at 3:30 a.m. yesterday.

The first sentence might be more appropriate in a birth announcement sent to family and friends—they are not likely to know Dr. Jones and are much more interested in the “object”(the baby) than in the actor (the doctor). A hospital report of yesterday’s events might be more likely to focus on Dr. Jones’ role.

Summary of strategies

• Look for the passive voice: “to be” + a past participle (usually, but not always, ending in “-ed”)
• If you don’t see both components, move on.
• Does the sentence describe an action? If so, where is the actor? Is the he/she/they/it in the grammatical subject position (at the front of the sentence) or in the object position (at the end of the sentence, or missing entirely)?
• Does the sentence end with “by…”? Many passive sentences include the actor at the end of the sentence in a “by” phrase, like “The ball was hit by the player ” or “The shoe was chewed up by the dog .” “By” by itself isn’t a conclusive sign of the passive voice, but it can prompt you to take a closer look.
• Is the doer/actor indicated? Should you indicate him/her/them/it?
• Does it really matter who’s responsible for the action?
• Would your reader ask you to clarify a sentence because of an issue related to your use of the passive?
• Do you use a passive construction in your thesis statement?
• Do you use the passive as a crutch in summarizing a plot or history, or in describing something?
• Do you want to emphasize the object?
• If you decide that your sentence would be clearer in the active voice, switch the sentence around to make the subject and actor one. Put the actor (the one doing the action of the sentence) in front of the verb.

Towards active thinking and writing

We encourage you to keep these tips in mind as you revise. While you may be able to employ this advice as you write your first draft, that’s not necessarily always possible. In writing, clarity often comes when you revise, not on your first try. Don’t worry about the passive if that stress inhibits you in getting your ideas down on paper. But do look for it when you revise. Actively make choices about its proper place in your writing. There is nothing grammatically or otherwise “wrong” about using the passive voice. The key is to recognize when you should, when you shouldn’t, and when your instructor just doesn’t want you to. These choices are yours. We hope this handout helps you to make them.

Works consulted and suggested reading

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Baron, Dennis E. 1989. “The Passive Voice Can Be Your Friend.” In Declining Grammar and Other Essays on the English Vocabulary , 17-22. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers.

Hjortshoj, Keith. 2001. The Transition to College Writing . New York: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Lanham, Richard A. 2006. Revising Prose , 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman.

Orwell, George. 1968. “Politics and the English Language.” In The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell , edited by Ian Angus and Sonia Orwell, 4: 127-140. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Javanovich.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2000. The Allyn and Bacon Handbook , 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Strunk, William, and E.B. White. 2000. The Elements of Style , 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Trimble, John R. 2000. Writing With Style , 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Williams, Joseph, and Joseph Bizup. 2017. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace , 12th ed. Boston: Pearson.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Active vs. Passive Constructions | When to Use the Passive Voice

Published on June 29, 2023 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 23, 2023.

The passive voice occurs when the person or thing that performs an action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Instead, the person or thing that receives the action is placed before the verb . Passive sentences are formed using the verb  to be combined with a past participle.

Active voice

The dog bites the bone.

Passive voice

The bone is bitten by the dog.

In a passive construction, the actor does not have to be named at all.

Passive construction

The bone is bitten .

Writers are often advised to avoid the passive voice, but it is not a grammatical error. In academic writing , this type of sentence structure is sometimes useful or necessary. However, overusing it can make your writing unclear or convoluted.

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Table of contents

Avoiding the passive voice, using the passive voice, other interesting articles.

In most cases, it’s best to use active sentence constructions where possible. Sometimes the passive voice makes a sentence less clear by obscuring the actor.

Who made the decision? To properly understand what occurred, we need to know who was behind the action. This is possible in the passive voice, but the sentence becomes convoluted.

An active construction is preferable for clarity and concision .

If you write a passive sentence, consider carefully whether leading with the actor would strengthen your point.

This is also relevant when discussing previous research: active constructions that specify who is responsible for findings can make your writing more credible and convincing.

• Evidence   has been found of nonhuman primates engaging in ritualistic behaviour.
• Smith (2015)  found  evidence of nonhuman primates engaging in ritualistic behaviour.
• Several recent studies have found evidence of nonhuman primates engaging in ritualistic behaviour.

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Some types of academic writing do not permit the use of first-person pronouns . In these cases, the passive voice can be used for referring to your own actions.

If you use the passive voice in more complex sentences, make sure to avoid dangling modifiers .

The passive voice is often also appropriate when the subject of an action is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence.

In this case, the object of the action – the votes – is more important than who did the counting. Specifying the actor wouldn’t add any useful information to the sentence.

With verbs like require , there is often no particular actor who does the requiring , so the passive voice is used to state a general sense of necessity or obligation.

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or writing rules make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Scholarly Voice: Active and Passive Voice

Active and passive voice.

Active voice and passive voice are grammatical constructions that communicate certain information about an action. Specifically, APA explains that voice shows relationships between the verb and the subject and/or object (see APA 7, Section 4.13). Writers need to be intentional about voice in order to ensure clarity. Using active voice often improves clarity, while passive voice can help avoid unnecessary repetition.  

Active voice can help ensure clarity by making it clear to the reader who is taking action in the sentence. In addition, the active voice stresses that the actor (or grammatical subject) precedes the verb, again, putting emphasis on the subject. Passive voice construction leaves out the actor (subject) and focuses on the relationship between the verb and object.

The order of words in a sentence with active voice is subject, verb, object.

• Active voice example : I conducted a study of elementary school teachers.
• This sentence structure puts the emphasis of the sentence on the subject, clarifying who conducted the study. 
• Passive voice example : A study was conducted of elementary school teachers.
• In this sentence, it is not clear who conducted this study. 

Generally, in scholarly writing, with its emphasis on precision and clarity, the active voice is preferred. However, the passive voice is acceptable in some instances, for example:

• if the reader is aware of who the actor is;
• in expository writing, where the goal of the discussion is to provide background, context, or an in-depth explanation;
• if the writer wants to focus on the object or the implications of the actor’s action; or
• to vary sentence structure.  

Also, much like for anthropomorphism , different writing styles have different preferences. So, though you may see the passive voice used heavily in articles that you read for your courses and study, it does not mean that APA style advocates the same usage.

Examples of Writing in the Active Voice

Here are some examples of scholarly writing in the active voice:

• This is active voice because the subject in the sentence precedes the verb, clearly indicating who (I) will take the action (present).

Example : Teachers conducted a pilot study addressing the validity of the TAKS exam.

• Similarly, teachers (subject) clearly took the action (conducted) in this sentence.

Recognizing the Passive Voice

According to APA, writers should select verb tenses and voice carefully. Consider these examples to help determine which form of the verb is most appropriate:

Example : A study was conducted of job satisfaction and turnover.

• Here, it is not clear who did the conducting. In this case, if the context of the paragraph does not clarify who did the action, the writer should revise this sentence to clarify who conducted the study. 

Example : I conducted a study of job satisfaction and turnover.

• This revised sentence clearly indicates the action taker. Using “I” to identify the writer’s role in the research process is often a solution to the passive voice and is encouraged by APA style (see APA 7, Section 4.16).

Using the past tense of the verb “to be” and the past participle of a verb together is often an indication of the passive voice. Here are some signs to look for in your paper:

• Example : This study was conducted.
• Example : Findings were distributed.

Another indication of passive voice is when the verb precedes the actor in the sentence. Even if the action taker is clearly identified in a passive voice construction, the sentence is usually wordier. Making the actor the grammatical subject that comes before the verb helps to streamline the sentence.

• Issue : Though the verb and the actor (action taker) are clearly identified here, to improve clarity and word economy, the writer could place that actor, Rogers, before the verb.
• More concise active voice revision : Rogers (2016) conducted a study on nursing and turnover.  
• Issue : Here, the actor follows the verb, which reduces emphasis and clarity.
• This revised sentence is in the active voice and makes the actor the subject of the sentence.

Intentional Use of the Passive Voice

Sometimes, even in scholarly writing, the passive voice may be used intentionally and strategically. A writer may intentionally include the subject later in the sentence so as to reduce the emphasis and/or importance of the subject in the sentence. See the following examples of intentional passive voice to indicate emphasis:

Example : Schools not meeting AYP for 2 consecutive years will be placed on a “needs improvement” list by the State’s Department of Education.

• Here, all actors taking actions are identified, but this is in the passive voice as the State’s Department of Education is the actor doing the placing, but this verb precedes the actor. This may be an intentional use of the passive voice, to highlight schools not meeting AYP.
• To write this in the active voice, it would be phrased: “The State’s Department of Education will place schools not meeting AYP for 2 consecutive years on a “needs improvement” list. This sentence places the focus on the State’s Department of Education, not the schools.

Example : Participants in the study were incentivized with a $5 coffee gift card, which I gave them upon completion of their interview.

• As the writer and researcher, I may want to vary my sentence structure in order to avoid beginning several sentences with “I provided…” This example is written in the passive voice, but the meaning is clear.

Using Passive Voice in Scholarly Writing

As noted before, passive voice is allowed in APA style and can be quite appropriate, especially when writing about methods and data collection. However, students often overuse the passive voice in their writing, which means their emphasis in the sentence is not on the action taker. Their writing is also at risk of being repetitive. Consider the following paragraph in which the passive voice is used in each sentence:

A survey was administered . Using a convenience sample, 68 teachers were invited to participate in the survey by emailing them an invitation. E-mail addresses of teachers who fit the requirements for participation were provided by the principal of the school . The teachers were e-mailed an information sheet and a consent form. Responses were collected from 45 teachers… As you can see, the reader has no idea who is performing these actions, which makes the research process unclear. This is at odds with the goal of the methods discussion, which is to be clear and succinct regarding the process of data collection and analysis.

However, if translated entirely to the active voice, clearly indicating the researcher’s role, “I” becomes redundant and repetitive, interrupting the flow of the paragraph:

In this study, I administered a survey. I created a convenience sample of 68 teachers. I invited them to participate in the survey by emailing them an invitation. I obtained e-mail addresses from the principal of the school… “I” is quite redundant here and repetitive for the reader.

The Walden Writing Center suggests that students use “I” in the first sentence of the paragraph . Then, as long as it is clear to the reader that the student (writer) is the actor in the remaining sentences, use the active and passive voices appropriately to achieve precision and clarity (where applicable):

In this study, I administered a survey using a convenience sample. Sixty-eight teachers were invited to participate in the survey. The principal of the school provided me with the e-mail addresses of teachers who fit the requirements for participation. I e-mailed the teachers an information sheet and a consent form. A total of 45 teachers responded …

The use of the passive voice is complicated and requires careful attention and skill. There are no hard-and-fast rules. Using these guidelines, however, should help writers be clearer and more engaging in their writing, as well as achieving the intended purposes.

Remember, use voice strategically. APA recommends the active voice for clarity. However, the passive voice may be used, with intention, to remove the emphasis on the subject and also as a method for varying sentence structure. So, generally write in the active voice, but consider some of the above examples and some uses of the passive voice that may be useful to implement in your writing. Just be sure that the reader is always aware of who is taking the action of the verb.

• For more practice, try our Clarifying the Actor module .

Related Resources

• Principles of Writing: Active and Passive Voice (blog post) APA Style Blog post.

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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Active and Passive Voice

Voice describes the relationship between a verb and the subject and object associated with it.

• Active voice: the subject of a sentence is followed by the verb and then the object of the verb (e.g., “the children ate the cookies”).
• Passive voic e: the object of the verb is followed by the verb (usually a form of “to be” + past participle + the word “by”) and then the subject (e.g., “the cookies were eaten by the children”). If the subject is omitted (e.g., “the cookies were eaten”), it may result in confusion about who performed the action (did the children eat the cookies, or was it the dog?).

Both the active and the passive voice are permitted in APA Style. However, writers often overuse the passive voice.

• Use the active voice as much as possible to create direct, clear, and concise sentences, especially when you are writing about the actions of people.
• Use the passive voice when it is more important to focus on the recipient of an action than on who performed the action, such as when describing an experimental setup.

Active and passive voice are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 4.13 and the Concise Guide Section 2.13

From the APA Style blog

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Data about college degrees awarded by field of study and what writing style is used in each.

Check your tone: Keeping it professional

When writing an APA Style paper, present ideas in a clear and straightforward manner. In this kind of scholarly writing, keep a professional tone.

The “no second-person” myth

Many writers believe the “no second-person” myth, which is that there is an APA Style guideline against using second-person pronouns such as “you” or “your.” On the contrary, you can use second-person pronouns in APA Style writing.

APA Style JARS for high school students

In this post, we provide an overview of APA Style JARS and resources that can be shared with high school students who want to learn more about effective communication in scholarly research.

Key takeaways from the Psi Chi webinar So You Need to Write a Literature Review

This blog post describes key tasks in writing an effective literature review and provides strategies for approaching those tasks.

The “no first-person” myth

Whether expressing your own views or actions or the views or actions of yourself and fellow authors, use the pronouns “I” and “we.”

The “outdated sources” myth

The “outdated sources” myth is that sources must have been published recently, such as the last 5 to 10 years. There is no timeliness requirement in APA Style.

APA Style JARS on the EQUATOR Network

The APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (APA Style JARS) have been added to the EQUATOR Network. The network aims to promote accuracy and quality in reporting of research.

APA Style JARS: Resources for instructors and students

APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (APA Style JARS) are a set of guidelines for papers reporting quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research that can be used by instructors, students, and all others reading and writing research papers.

Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website

This post links directly to APA Style topics of interest that users may not even know exist on the website.

Welcome, singular “they”

This blog post provides insight into how this change came about and provides a forum for questions and feedback.

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Why Passive Voice Isn't Helping Your Writing: Tips, Examples, and Solutions

Ashley Shaw

I have heard countless times from people who are getting marked off (whether it’s by a teacher or a grammar checker) for writing too passively, but they don’t know how to fix it. If this applies to you, then this guide is really going to help.

In this post, we’ll go through what passive voice is, how to recognize it, and ways to fix it to improve your writing. We’ll also talk about when to ignore that wavy line and just let the passive voice roll. After all, it isn’t always wrong to use it.

Let’s get started.

• What Is Passive Voice?

The Opposite of Passive Voice Is Active Voice

How can you spot passive voice in your writing, does prowritingaid detect passive voice, active and passive voice examples, how do you fix passive voice in your writing, times where passive voice works, what is passive voice .

Even if you really aren’t sure what passive voice is, you probably have an idea about what a passive person is like (or, worse, a passive-aggressive person). There is a reason that writing uses the same word: They are very similar.

What do you know about the word passive in general?

You may think of someone that just lets things go by them without reacting. Or perhaps you think about a person who never comes out and says what they really feel.

Sentences can do this too. In passive voice sentences, the main actor in the sentence doesn’t really do anything. It lets the action do all the work. It’s, well, passive.

Let’s talk about this in technical terms:

• Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence is acted upon instead of acting itself .

We’ll cover more examples later, but just in case you need to see one to understand, let’s start with an easy one:

• The ball was kicked.

Notice that there is a ball at the center of the action in this sentence. It’s the subject of the sentence. It’s what the sentence is all about. However, it isn’t doing anything. It’s just sitting there waiting for someone or something else to kick it. In other words, it is being acted upon . It’s very passive.

That is what passive voice is. And just like a person who is always passive, sometimes you just want to tell that sentence to do something already!

Don’t just sit there letting the writing pass you by. Be more active. This is why many people will say that passive voice is a little boring. If you want your writing to be more lively, then your subjects need to be more lively too.

So what is the opposite of passive, then?

If passive voice occurs when the object or subject of the sentence is being acted on, then it makes sense to learn that active voice occurs when the subject is doing the acting .

Let’s look at the sentence from above:

OK. So one of two things can happen here. For starters, we can ask what the ball, the subject, did. Did it soar through the air? If so, then we can make this sentence active by saying that:

• The ball soared through the air.

Notice that suddenly the ball is doing something. It isn’t just sitting around waiting to be kicked.

Of course, sometimes the problem with the sentence isn’t just that the subject isn’t acting; it’s more that the wrong subject is there to begin with.

If kicked is really the verb you want to use in that sentence, then instead of trying to get the ball to kick something, which wouldn’t work unless you were writing sci-fi, you can instead pick a subject that isn’t the object of the verb.

In other words, make an appropriate subject active.

• Someone kicked the ball.

Now, someone is the subject of the sentence, and they have kicked the ball. Very active.

This is a good start, but I’ll have some more tips on fixing passive voice a little later. First, though, let’s talk more about how to spot passive voice in your writing.

Once you know what passive voice is, it’s usually pretty easy to spot it. However, it’s also pretty reasonable to say you don’t want to go around every sentence asking what the subject is and how active it is being.

That’s why we have some easier and better ways to help you spot passive voice in your writing that take a lot less work.

Tip: The Passive Voice Zombie Test

The first tip I have is called the zombie test. This one is really helpful, and it works well.

If you want to check if a sentence is passive or not, just add the words “by zombies” after the verb. If the sentence makes sense, it is almost always because it is passive. If it doesn’t, that means it is likely active.

Here’s an example:

Let’s go back to that passive sentence from before:

You can go through all of the above steps.

What is the subject? The ball. Okay, what is the ball doing? Nothing. It is just sitting there being kicked. Okay. That’s passive.

It would be easier, though, to just do this:

• The ball was kicked by zombies .

Does that make sense? Yes. It’s passive.

Now let’s look at our active voice sentence to see the opposite.

Once again, you could do a lot of work here.

Who is the subject of the sentence? Someone. What is someone doing? Kicking the ball. Okay. It’s active.

Or you could do this:

• Someone kicked by zombies the ball.

This doesn’t make sense. It’s active.

Easy, right?

Caveats to the Zombie Test

Like most things in life, the zombie test isn’t 100% perfect. So let’s talk about some problems you might have with it.

Issue 1: It’s Scary.

Maybe the idea of thinking about zombies just terrifies you, and you’d rather write passively than deal with the nightmares of thinking about zombies all day. If that sounds like you, don’t worry. You don’t need to use zombies for this to work.

Zombies are standard in this test because they are the passive beasts of the monster world. However, there is no reason you couldn’t use “by unicorns,” “by Justin Bieber,” or even “by me” in your sentences. It all works exactly the same.

Issue 2: It’s Not Foolproof.

Let’s say you write the sentence, “She ran.” That is an active sentence (which you can tell because the subject, she, is doing the action, running.) Yet, “She ran by zombies” technically makes sense. So how does that affect the test?

Okay. You got me there, but there is an easy way around this: Does adding “by zombies” completely change the point of the sentence? In this case, the original sentence was all about her running. Now, suddenly it is about her passing zombies on the way. This is a lot different than just learning who kicked the ball, which is still the subject.

At any rate, this usually only happens in really short sentences that only have a noun and a verb. So maybe do some double-checking on these small sentences, but mostly feel free to trust the test on longer ones.

It’s really good to know the grammar rules and how to spot passive voice on your own (if only in case one day you have to hand-write something, your WiFi goes out, or you are taking an in-class test). However, let’s be real: There is another easy way to spot passive voice.

Just look out for the purple highlights in ProWritingAid. They mark the passive voice in your writing so that you can easily spot it without having to bring any zombies into your work. You'll even find ways to rephrase your sentence to the active voice with just a click. Easy!

Check your writing for passive voice with a free ProWritingAid account.

Now that you are perfectly clear about what passive voice is and how to spot it, let’s look at some examples.

Passive Voice Examples

Let’s start with some examples of passive voice:

• Something strange was seen.
• People were scared.
• A meal was eaten.
• The battle was lost.
• The girl is found.

Notice how all of these have a subject that is being acted upon and also how each of these would still make sense if you added “by zombies” after the verb. (Plus, you can’t see this on your end, but I assure you that each of these is being marked by my ProWritingAid extension .)

Active Voice Examples to Compare

I know this is an article on passive voice, but I honestly think it is easier to learn passive voice when you also know how to recognize the active. So, let’s also look at some examples here:

• She ran from the eerie creatures.
• He heard something in the distance.
• We learned about a safe town.
• The sirens rang in the distance.
• The world was quiet that night.

Notice once again that all of the subjects are doing something in these sentences (even the world is being quiet despite that tricky use of “was” that so many passive voice sentences use). Plus, if you add “by zombies” after the verbs, they don’t make sense.

Examples for You to Try on Your Own

Are you ready to test what you have learned? Let’s see which of these are passive and which are active. I’ll put the answers at the end of this post:

• The meal was prepared.
• He was bitten.
• She fought them off.
• They escaped.
• We were left behind.

I have spent a lot of time talking about what passive voice is and how to spot it, which means there isn’t much room left to talk about how to fix it. Don’t worry, though. The reason I wrote it this way is because when you know how to spot it, fixing it becomes so easy it doesn’t need a lot of explanation!

I talked a little bit at the beginning about the two ways to fix passive voice , but I’m going to expand on those here.

Passive Voice Fixer 1: Making the Subject More Active

The first way to make a sentence more active is to figure out what the current subject of the sentence is doing and focus on that action.

Let’s fix a couple of the example sentences from above using this method.

Passive: The battle was lost.

In this case, what action might the battle be doing? Perhaps ending. Therefore, all we’d need to do to fix this is change the sentence to focus on the end:

Active: The battle ended when one side lost.

What about another example?

Passive: The girl is found.

In this one, what is the girl doing? It sounds like she was just waiting around, so let’s make that the verb.

Active: The girl waited there to be found.

Passive Voice Fixer 2: Changing the Subject to Something More Active

The next way to fix passive voice, and perhaps the easier way, is just to figure out who is doing the current action, and rewrite the sentence to focus on that actor.

Let’s use the rest of the above examples to test this method.

Passive: Something strange was seen.

Something strange was seen by whom? By them. Okay, let’s start with them, then.

Active: They saw something strange.

Passive: People were scared.

People were scared by what? By the strange sight.

Active: The strange sight scared them.

That just leaves one more example.

Passive: A meal was eaten.

A meal was eaten by whom? By you.

Active: You ate the meal.

See how easy this all is?!

Even though you usually want people to be able to make decisions and actually do some work, sometimes it’s okay for people to just sit back and let others take control. In the same way, it is sometimes useful to let sentences be passive.

While you want to avoid doing this too much, I thought it was important to end this post with a few examples of situations in which passive voice may actually be your better option:

1. You don’t know who or what did the action. (e.g. The jewelry was stolen! But you don’t yet know by whom.)

2. The action itself matters more than the actor. (e.g. The robber was arrested. We all care more about the robber being arrested than who arrested them.)

3. The actor is really obvious and doesn’t need to be stated. (e.g. The robber was arrested. Sticking with this example, everyone knows the cops did the arresting, so there is no reason to say it.)

4. You want to be vague, evasive, or secretive. (e.g. Mistakes were made. By whom? I’m certainly not admitting it was by me! Companies do this a lot to admit a problem occurred without taking on liability.)

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for. The answers to the practice examples are as follows:

• Sentences 1, 2, and 5 are passive
• Sentences 3 and 4 are active

How did you do?

If you didn’t get them all right, that’s okay. After all, that is what ProWritingAid is for!

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Ashley Shaw is a former editor and marketer/current PhD student and teacher. When she isn't studying con artists for her dissertation, she's thinking of new ways to help college students better understand and love the writing process.

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What is Passive Voice? Definition, Examples of Passive Sentences in Writing

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Passive Voice? Definition, Examples of Passive Sentences in Writing

Passive voice definition: The passive voice is a style of writing where what would be the object of a sentence becomes the subject of the sentence.

What is Passive Voice?

What does passive voice mean? The passive writing voice occurs when something that is ordinarily “done by” the subject of a sentence is “done by” the object of a sentence .

In the passive writing voice, whatever is doing the action of the sentence is not the grammatical subject of the sentence.

Passive Voice Examples:

• The work was completed by Jaime.

Even though “Jaime” completed the work, “Jaime” is not the grammatical subject of this sentence. The subject of this sentence is “work.”

• The ball was hit by Johnny.

Again, in this sentence, rather than say, “Johnny hit the ball.” the ball becomes the subject of the sentence.

How is the Passive Voice Formed?

Passive construction: The passive writing voice is formed when what should be the object of a sentence becomes the subject of a sentence.

Examples of Passive Voice:

• Austin bought clothes.
• “Austin” is subject; “clothes” is object
• The clothes
• The clothes were bought.
• The clothes were bought by Austin.

Passive vs. Active Voice: What’s the Difference?

What is a passive sentence? The passive writing voice occurs when the action is done by what seems like it should be the subject.

Active Voice Example:

• Shakespeare wrote the play.

In this sentence, Shakespeare is “doing” the action of the sentence.

Active vs. Passive Voice Examples:

• Shakespeare wrote the play. (active)
• The play was written by Shakespeare. (passive)

The subject is typically clearer in active voice whereas in passive voice it may seem like the object is the subject.

More Examples:

• President Barack Obama signed a rescue package on Thursday for financially strapped Puerto Rico, which is facing more than $70 billion in debt and a major payment due Friday. – ABC News (active)
• A bill designed to reclaim businesses that have left the state and better Missouri’s port infrastructure was signed into law by Gov. Jay Nixon Tuesday. – The Missouri Times (passive)

Should You Avoid Passive Voice in Writing?

The passive voice is used less frequently in writing. However, it should not be avoided altogether.

Some phrases in English are always stated in the passive voice (i.e. The book was written by Herman Melville).

Stylistically, passive voice can be used as well. The passive voice can add style when:

• the writer wants the “punch” to be at the end of a sentence;
• the agent is unknown or unimportant (i.e. The person doing the action is unknown.);
• the writer wants to hide the agent’s identity

Many will say that the passive voice is not permitted in good writing. This is untrue. Good writers know how to delicately blend the passive writing voice with active sentences. Like all writing techniques, passive voice should be used with intention and purpose.

Passive Voice vs. Active Voice Exercises

• This episode was brought to you by Coca-Cola.
• Children danced in the halls to celebrate the last day of school.
• The china was made in Japan.
• We bought a new entertainment unit.
• The fossil has been discovered.

See Answers Below.

Summary: What is a Passive Voice?

Define passive voice: The definition of passive voice is when the recipient of the verb’s action becomes the subject of a sentence .

The passive voice is not common in writing. However, it is a stylistic choice that writers will occasionally use for effect.

The passive writing voice occurs when what would be the object of a sentence becomes the subject.

For more information on English voice, see our full article on the active voice.

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How to Avoid Using the Passive Voice

Last Updated: September 30, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD . Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 222,412 times.

Passive voice is usually weaker writing since it makes it unclear who or what is doing the action. Do you find yourself using the passive voice too frequently in your writing? Do you want to make your writing active and stronger? A few simple rules will help you avoid using the passive voice. This will turn you into a stronger writer overnight.

Identifying the Different Parts of a Sentence

• The verb is the action word in the sentence, and it can be either active or passive. Most verbs are active, like kicked or graded, but the verb phrase "to be" and its conjugations (is, was) are passive. [1] X Research source
• For example, the sentence: Mark kicked the ball. The verb in the sentence is kicked. In this sentence it's past tense. It's the action. The act of kicking. The ball is passive because it's not doing anything; it's just being kicked. [2] X Research source

• The subject of the sentence in the active voice is who or what did the action. Let's go back to our example sentence: Mark kicked the ball. Kicked, as we have already established, is the verb. Ask yourself, who or what did the kicking? Answer: Mark. That's how you determine the subject in the active voice.
• Recognize that sometimes the subject is not a person. Example: The plane stopped the traffic. The action, and thus, the verb, is the act of stopping. Who or what did the stopping? The plane. Thus, the plane is the subject of the sentence.

• In the example, Mark kicked the ball, the word ball is the direct object. The ball isn't active. It's not the catalyst for movement. It's being acted upon. It's the direct object.
• Sometimes, people eliminate the direct object and just write something like, Mark kicked. Sometimes in the passive voice, the previous direct object becomes the subject: The ball was kicked.

Determining Active Versus Passive Voice

• We've established that the verb is the action word in the sentence. Make sure the “who or what did the action” is actually performing the action.
• The dog wagged its tail is active voice. That's because the act of wagging is the verb. Who or what did the wagging? The dog. The dog in the sentence is performing the verb, wagging. Thus, the sentence is in active voice.

• For example, The tail was wagged by the dog is passive voice. This is because the tail, the subject, is being acted upon by the verb.
• Sometimes people eliminate the prepositional phrase describing who the action was being done by, and write a sentence like: The tail was wagged. This is often done to eliminate responsibility or when people don't know who did the action.

Knowing When to Use Passive Voice

• Let's say you're a news writer. The mayor was arrested by the police. Active voice would be: The police arrested the mayor. The more important point in the sentence is to announce that the mayor, a very prominent person, was arrested! Thus, in this case, it's logical to write instead: The mayor was arrested by police.
• Similarly, in science, it might make more sense to put the object first, not the process. Instead of writing, I poured the hydrogen into the beaker, you might write, the hydrogen was poured into the beaker.
• Generally speaking, though, active voice is better because it's tighter and punchier writing. It's more dramatic, and it puts responsibility where it belongs.

• Get in the habit of re-reading and checking over all your work. Look at each sentence individually.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Ask an English teacher or professor to explain the difference between the active and passive voices. Get a grammatically-adept friend to help you look over your work. Don't be afraid to let others help you!

• The papers will be graded by the teachers is passive (it's future tense). The papers will have been graded by the teachers is also passive (it's future perfect). The papers are being graded by the teachers is present progressive tense and also passive.
• Again, the key point is that all of these sentences are passive because the direct object (papers) is in front of the verb, and the subject (who did the action) is located after the verb. The active voice version of this sentence is: The teachers graded the papers.

Expert Q&A

• Politicians and PR operatives sometimes use passive voice to confuse or eliminate responsibility. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1
• It's possible to use first-person in the passive voice. I was hit by the ball is still passive because the person, the “I,” is not active in this sentence. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.mckendree.edu/offices/writing-center/resources/grammar/passive-verbs/index.php
• ↑ https://www.american.edu/provost/academic-access/upload/active-and-passive-verbs.pdf
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/active_and_passive_voice/changing_passive_to_active_voice.html
• ↑ https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/activepass.aspx
• ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/ccs_activevoice/
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/passive-voice/
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice/activepassive

About This Article

To avoid using the passive voice, make sure the subject of your sentence is doing the action. For example, "The tail was wagged by the dog" is passive, but "The dog wagged its tail" isn't because the subject of the sentence, the dog, is doing the action. In general, watch out for sentences where the subject is preceded by the prepositional phrase "by the" or "by a," which means the sentence was written using the passive voice. To learn how to tell when it's OK to use the passive voice, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Active Voice vs Passive Voice in Essay Writing: What's the Difference?

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Active and Passive Voice

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Using Active Versus Passive Voice

In a sentence using active voice , the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb.

The arrow points from the subject performing the action (the dog) to the individual being acted upon (the boy). This is an example of a sentence using the active voice.

Sample active voice sentence with the subject performing the action described by the verb.

The active voice sentence subject (watching a framed, mobile world) performs the action of reminding the speaker of something.

Each example above includes a sentence subject performing the action expressed by the verb.

View examples of active verb tenses.

Active-Passive Voice Converter

Boost your SEO and communicate more clearly by switching between active and passive voices seamlessly. Enhances readability and improve quality in a matter of seconds.

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Instructions

1. Enter the existing text in the designated area.

2. Choose the desired output: active or passive voice.

3. [Optional] Select output length from the drop-down menu.

4. Click "Change Voice"

5. Paste the generated copy into a document or rewrite your copy using our paraphrasing tool.

💡Pro Tip: Break down complex sentences into simpler ones before converting voice.

What is Active and Passive Voice?

Active and passive voice are two different ways of constructing a sentence. The active voice focuses on the subject of the sentence, who is taking direct action. It provides clear, straightforward sentences where the agent of action is easily identifiable, making it a favored choice in most writing styles.

The passive voice shifts the focal point to the recipient of the action. The subject becomes secondary to the action itself, thus presenting a more impartial narrative. It is extensively used in scientific and formal writing where the primary focus is the action, not the doer.

How to Identify Active and Passive Voice?

Active Voice: In active voice, the subject performs the action. It's direct and concise.

Example: "The chef (subject) prepared (action) a delicious meal."

Passive Voice: In passive voice, the subject receives the action. It's indirect and often used when the doer of the action is less important.

Example: "A delicious meal (subject) was prepared (action) by the chef."

Advanced Tip: To identify passive voice, look for forms of "to be" (e.g., was, were) followed by the past participle (e.g., prepared). In active voice, the subject acts on the object, making it easier to spot.

How to Convert Sentences From Active Voice to Passive Voice

Step 1: Identification of Subject, Object, and Verb

A sentence usually comprises the doer (subject), the action (verb), and the receiver (object). In "John reads a book," 'John' is the subject, 'reads' is the verb, and 'a book' is the object. Recognizing these essential components of a sentence is the first step to getting your transformations right.

Step 2: Reposition the Subject-Object Placement

You need to reverse the subject's and object's roles to convert an active voice sentence to passive voice. That means the object becomes the sentence's new subject, and the subject becomes a part of the sentence after the verb.

Taking the same example, the sentence changes to "The book is read by John."

Step 3: Alter Verb Form

The verb in a passive voice sentence typically involves a form of 'be' (is, am, are, was, were) followed by a past participle. So, 'reads' in active voice changes to 'is read' in passive voice.

Step 4: Include Preposition

When the original subject is included in the passive sentence, it is usually introduced by a preposition like 'by'. For example, 'by John' in our previous illustration. However, if the focus of your sentence is the action rather than the doer, you can omit this prepositional phrase.

To recap, the original sentence "John reads a book." is coverted to "The book is read by John" in passive voice.

When to Use A Sentence Voice Changer?

Use passive to active voice sentence converter when:.

1. You want to emphasize the action itself rather than the doer.

2. The doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.

3. Keeping the focus consistent throughout a series of sentences.

4. Avoid putting responsibility on a specific person or group.

5. To sound objective, scientific, technical, or logical.

Passive to Active Voice Example

Passive Voice: "The cake was baked by John."

Active Voice: "John baked the cake."

In the passive voice sentence, the subject (the cake) is acted upon by the verb. The primary attention is on the action done to the subject. In the active voice sentence, the subject (John) is performing the action of the verb. The primary attention shifts to who is doing the action.

Use Active to Passive Voice Sentence Converter When:

1. You want to emphasize the doer of the action.

2. Writing clear and concise instructions.

3. Avoiding ambiguity.

4. Writing non-scientific content.

Active to Passive Voice Example

Active Voice: "John ate the apple."

Passive Voice: "The apple was eaten by John."

In the active voice sentence, the subject (John) is the one doing the action (eating). In the passive voice sentence, the subject (The apple) is the one being acted upon, and the actor (John) is mentioned at the end of the sentence.

Who Benefits From Converting Sentence Voice?

Converting sentences between active and passive voice benefits a wide array of individuals.

1. Writers, editors, linguists, and students studying language or literature can enhance their craft and comprehension.

2. Professionals in marketing or PR sectors can critically analyze text, heightening their ability to produce persuasive content.

3. SEO specialists can optimize content, making it more engaging and search-engine friendly.

How to Make the Most of Active Passive Sentence Voice Changer?

Start by understanding the power of structure in your sentence. Don't merely convert your text; use this tool as an opportunity to refine your content, enriching your writing with diversity in sentence formation.

Apply variety by alternating between active and passive voices, enhancing your writing style and engaging your readers more effectively. Modify the sentence length according to your document needs, whether brief sentences for a swift read or lengthy, descriptive ones for detailed insights.

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Sentence Voice Changer FAQs

Is an ai sentence voice converter reliable.

Our AI sentence voice converter is highly reliable, guaranteeing consistent and accurate results for your writing needs. The tool is trained on massive datasets of text and code, which allows them to accurately identify and convert sentences between active and passive voice.

Is the copy generated plagiarism-free?

The content produced by our sentence voice converter tool is entirely plagiarism-free, ensuring your originality and peace of mind. It uses a variety of techniques to ensure that the output is unique.

Should you use active voice or passive voice in SEO & content marketing?

You should predominantly use active voice in SEO and content marketing as it makes your writing clearer, more direct, and easier to understand. However, passive voice can be used sparingly for variation or when the focus is on the action rather than the actor.

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