Active and Passive Voice
Voice shows whether the subject performs or receives the action of the verb.
Active Voice
The subject performs the action.
The chef cooked the meal. The dog chased the cat.
Passive Voice
The subject receives the action. Formed with be + past participle.
The meal was cooked by the chef. The cat was chased by the dog.
When to Use Passive Voice
- When the doer is unknown: My bike was stolen.
- When the action is more important than the doer: The bridge was built in 1990.
- In formal or scientific writing: The experiment was conducted.
Common Mistakes
Overusing passive voice makes writing wordy and weak. Active voice is usually stronger and more direct.