Learn active and passive voice with easy rules, examples, and step-by-step explanations. Beginner-friendly grammar guide for students to master voice change.

Writing in the active voice makes the meaning clear while keeping sentences from becoming complicated and wordy. Sentences using passive voice are not necessarily wrong, just less effective than ...

Active: Cuomo, Savarese, Sarnelli et al. reported that drinking carbonated water distends the gastric antrum through the ...

If the subject is doing the acting, the sentence is in the active voice (“Joe kicks the ball”); if the subject is acted upon, the sentence is in the passive voice (“The ball is kicked by Joe ...

In fact, a recent Harvard Business Review article cites brain research indicating that the brain processes sentences in the active voice more quickly than in the passive voice. Not only that ...

Here’s another example of how it does this: Where active voice would separate key ideas, passive voice can unite them. Compare these sentences: So whether you’re writing about your memorable ...

Not only does Editor highlight the sentence, but it also offers an active voice alternative. Click the correction to replace the passive sentence with Editor’s active sentence. Editor will ...

Both describe the same facts. However, in each pair one sentence uses the active voice and one uses the passive voice. Which sentence would you use? That would depend on what tone you wanted to ...

Both describe the same facts. However, in each pair one sentence uses the active voice and one uses the passive voice. Which sentence would you use? That would depend on what tone you wanted to ...

This handout is also available for download in PDF format. We refer to a sentence as being in the "active voice" when the subject is performing the action of the sentence (the verb). A sentence is in ...