The Power of Voice — Why Active and Passive Sentences Matter in English

As English learners step into the world of fluent communication, they often focus on vocabulary and grammar rules. While these are essential, there is another powerful element that shapes how clearly and effectively we express ourselves — voice, particularly the choice between active and passive sentences.

Understanding the difference between active and passive voice is more than just a grammar lesson — it’s a key to clarity, control, and confidence in English. In active sentences, the subject does the action, making the message direct and strong. For example, “The student wrote the essay” tells us exactly who did what. On the other hand, passive sentences shift the focus to the action itself or the receiver of the action — “The essay was written by the student” — which is useful in formal writing, science reports, or when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Knowing when and how to use each voice allows learners to adjust tone, highlight important information, and adapt to different contexts — from casual conversations to professional emails, academic writing, or news articles. It gives them the flexibility to communicate more thoughtfully and effectively.

In this lesson, we will explore the structure, function, and purpose of active and passive voice. By mastering both, learners gain the tools to not only speak English but to shape meaning with precision and purpose.

Active and Passive Voice

🔹 What is “Voice” in Grammar?

In grammar, voice shows the relationship between the subject and the action in a sentence.

There are two types:

• ✅ Active Voice

• 🔄 Passive Voice

🔴 1. Active Voice

In an active voice sentence, the subject does the action.

✅ Structure:

Subject + Verb + Object

🧾 Examples:

• The chef cooked the meal.

• She writes emails every day.

• They built a new house.

Tip: Active voice is clear, direct, and often preferred in writing.

🔵 2. Passive Voice

In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action. The doer of the action is often included after the word “by” (but not always).

✅ Structure:

Object (receiver) + form of "be" + past participle + (by + subject)

🧾 Examples:

• The meal was cooked by the chef.

• Emails are written every day.

• A new house was built by them.

Tip: The action is more important than the person doing it — commonly used in news, formal writing, or when the doer is unknown.

📝 Tense Chart: Active vs. Passive

Simple Present

Active Voice Example: She cleans the room.

Passive Voice Example: The room is cleaned by her.

Simple Past

Active Voice Example: He washed the car.

Passive Voice Example: The car was washed by him.

Present Perfect

Active Voice Example: hey have finished the work.

Passive Voice Example: The work has been finished by them.

Future

Active Voice Example: We will paint the wall.

Passive Voice Example: The wall will be painted by us.

🧠 When to Use Passive Voice

✅ Use passive voice when:

• The doer of the action is unknown:
  My wallet was stolen.

• The focus is on the action or receiver:
  The vaccine was discovered in 2020.

• You want to be formal or polite:
  Mistakes were made. (rather than “You made mistakes.”)

📝 Common Passive Voice Clues

• Forms of "be": am, is, are, was, were, has been, will be, etc.

• Followed by a past participle: eaten, done, built, written, etc.

🧪 Mini Quiz: Active or Passive Voice?

Instructions:

Read each sentence and choose whether it is Active or Passive voice.

🏁 Scoring Guide:

• 5/5: Excellent! You understand both voices well.

• 3–4/5: Great effort! Just review the tricky cases.

• 0–2/5: No worries — reread the lesson and try again!