In the active voice, the subject does the action: “Sam threw the ball.” In the passive voice, the subject receives the action: “The ball was thrown by Sam.” The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one. The passive uses a form of be plus a past participle (from Perfect Tenses).
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Sam threw the ball. | The ball was thrown by Sam. |
| The storm damaged the roof. | The roof was damaged by the storm. |
| Someone has eaten the cookies. | The cookies have been eaten. |
Key idea
Active: the subject acts. Passive: the subject receives the action, and the verb is a form of be + a past participle.
Why it works
Strunk’s rule 10 (1918) says, “The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive.” But the passive is the right choice when the doer is unknown or doesn’t matter: “My bike was stolen.” “The winners will be announced on Friday.”
Worked example: Is it passive?
The window was broken by a baseball.
- Was + broken: a form of be + a past participle.
- The window doesn’t act; it receives the action.
Answer: Passive.
Worked example: A was that isn’t passive
The sky was blue.
- Was is a linking verb here, and blue is an adjective, not a past participle.
- Nothing is being done to the sky.
Answer: Not passive.
Worked example: Make it active
The cake was baked by Grandma.
- Find the doer, after by: Grandma.
- Make the doer the subject, and the receiver the object.
Answer: Grandma baked the cake.
Common mistake
Thinking any sentence with was or is is passive, or that the passive is a grammar error. “She was running” is active (the progressive). The passive is a correct form of the verb; the question is only whether it is the best choice for the sentence.