Grammar and Punctuation Rules

Active voice focuses on who is doing the action. The subject (noun) performs the action (verb).

• The tall man walks through the woods.
• My neighbor's dog ate my flowers.
• Last week, I made a cake for a birthday party.
• In his research, Smith compares the two findings.

Passive voice is the opposite, where it focuses on what receives the action. The subject (noun) receives the action (verb).

• The letter was mailed to her.
• The windows were being cleaned.
• New movies are shown at the theater.
• The suspect was being watched closely by the authorities.

Examples of active and passive voice side-by-side:

• Active: They painted the walls before we arrived. 
• Passive: The walls were painted before we arrived.

The active example includes who painted the walls, which shifts the attention to who is doing the action. In the passive example, the walls that were painted are the main focus, which highlights what is receiving the action. 

• Active: The students took their final exam.
• Passive: The final exam was taken by the students. 

The active example focuses on the students who took the exam, while the passive example focuses on the exam that was taken.

• Active: The study shows that collaboration is a strong motivator in the workplace. 
• Passive: Collaboration is shown by the study to be a strong motivator in the workplace.

The active example focuses on what the study shows, while the passive sentence highlights the collaboration that was shown.

The active voice is preferred in most academic and professional writing for its clarity and conciseness. It helps convey information efficiently and professionally, it is more direct, and it is more likely to engage the reader than the passive voice.

The passive voice may be used in some scientific or technical writing, as it can create a sense of objectivity. It is also used when the action or the object of the action is more important than the subject of the sentence.

Check to see if the person or thing doing the action is at the beginning of the phrase. If it is, chances are the phrase is in active voice.

• Passive: The race was sponsored by the mayor to celebrate the new year. 
• Active: The mayor sponsored the race to celebrate the new year.

Passive sentences...

...usually contain a form of the verb "to be" (i.e., am, is, was, were, are, been) in front of the acting verb in the sentence. 

• Example: Apple pies were placed in front of the judges.

....may be wordy. Read over what you’ve written and see if some of your phrases could be more concise.

• Example: The argument that was formed by Smith is very weak. 
• More concise: Smith formed a very weak argument. 

...often include the word “by.” 

• Example: A time for the interview was chosen by the company.