Active and passive voice are two important concepts to understand when writing. Active voice is more concise and direct, while passive voice can make sentences longer and more complicated. In this post, we’ll take a look at 100 examples of active and passive voice so that you can better understand the difference between the two.
Active Voice
In writing, voice refers to the relationship between the reader and the writer. There are two main types of voice: active and passive. Active voice is when the subject of the sentence is performing the action. For example, “I am writing a paper.” In this sentence, the subject (I) is performing the action (writing). Passive voice is when the subject is being acted upon.
For example, “The paper is being written by me.” In this sentence, the subject (paper) is being acted upon (written). Active voice is generally considered to be more direct and effective than passive voice. However, there are times when the passive voice may be appropriate, such as in scientific writing. In general, though, an active voice is a sound choice for most types of writing.
Passive Voice
The passive voice is created using a form of the verb “to be” (is, are, was, were) plus the past participle of the main verb. For example, “The paper was written by me.” In this sentence, the subject (paper) is in the passive voice because it is being acted upon (written).
The passive voice can make sentences longer and more complicated. It can also obscure who is doing the action, which can be important to know in some cases. However, there are times when the passive voice may be the best choice, such as when you want to de-emphasize the actor or when the actor is unknown.
Active Voice vs Passive Voice! What is the Difference?
The main difference between the active voice and vs passive voice is that the active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the action described by the verb. For example, “I am writing a paper.” Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence experiences the action described by the verb. For example, “A paper is being written by me.”
While there are instances where passive voice can be used effectively, active voice is generally considered to be more concise and direct. When used correctly, it can also help to create more engaging and powerful prose. As a result, many experts recommend using active voice whenever possible.
Examples of active and passive voice
Here are 100 examples of active and passive voice to help you better understand the difference:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| I am writing a paper | A paper is being written by me |
| You are reading this post | This post is being read by you |
| He is playing tennis | Tennis is being played by him |
| She is watching television | Television is being watched by her |
| It is raining outside | It is raining outside |
| We are having a party tonight | A party is being had by us tonight |
| They are going to the movies tomorrow | The movies are going to be gone to tomorrow by them |
| The cat is sleeping on the bed | The bed is being slept on by the cat |
| The boy is eating an apple | An apple is being eaten by the boy |
| Maria is working in the garden | Maria is working in the garden |
| John is painting the house today | John is painting the house today |
| The flowers are blooming beautifully this springtime | The flowers are blooming beautifully this springtime |
| Are you cooking dinner tonight? | Dinner is being cooked tonight, aren’t you? |
| I am doing laundry later | Laundry is going to be done later by me |
| We will be going on vacation next week | Vacation will be gone on next week by us |
| Shall we dance? | Shall we dance? |
| He is taller than she is | He is taller than she is |
| This book is more interesting than that one is | This book is more interesting than that one is |
| The red house is smaller than the blue one is | The red house is smaller than the blue one is |
| I am faster than you are | I am faster than you are |
| She is the best tennis player in the world | She is the best tennis player in the world |
| They are the most popular band in the country | They are the most popular band in the country |
| Is he coming to the party tonight? | He is coming to the party tonight, isn’t he? |
| I am not going to the movies tomorrow | I am going to the movies tomorrow, aren’t I? |
| They are not here right now | They are here right now, aren’t they? |
| We are not having a party tonight | We are having a party tonight, aren’t we? |
| He is not taller than she is | He is taller than she is, isn’t he? |
| This book is not more interesting than that one is | This book is more interesting than that one is, isn’t it? |
| The red house is not smaller than the blue one is | The red house is smaller than the blue one is, isn’t it? |
| I am not faster than you are | I am faster than you are, aren’t I? |
| She is not the best tennis player in the world | She is the best tennis player in the world, isn’t she? |
| They are not the most popular band in the country | They are the most popular band in the country, aren’t they? |
| He is coming to the party tonight, isn’t he? | A party tonight is being had by us, right? |
| I am going to the movies tomorrow, aren’t I? | The movies tomorrow are being gone to by me, right? |
| They are here right now, aren’t they? | Here right now are they, correct? |
| We are having a party tonight, aren’t we? | Tonight a party is being had by us, correct? |
| He is taller than she is, isn’t he? | Taller than she is he, right? |
| This book is more interesting than that one is, isn’t it? | More interesting than that one this book is, yes? |
| The red house is smaller than the blue one is, isn’t it? | Smaller than the blue one the red house is, true? |
| I am faster than you are, aren’t I? | Faster than you I am, correct? |
| She is the best tennis player in the world, isn’t she? | The best tennis player in the world she is, right? |
| They are the most popular band in the country, aren’t they? | The most popular band in the country they are, true? |
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Common Examples of Active and Passive Voice
Below are the 20 most common examples of active and passive voice:
Active Voice: She is writing a book.
Passive Voice: A book is being written by her.
Active Voice: I ate the cake.
Passive Voice: The cake was eaten by me.
Active Voice: They built the house.
Passive Voice: The house was built by them.
Active Voice: He sold the car.
Passive Voice: The car was sold by him.
Active Voice: We delivered the package.
Passive Voice: The package was delivered by us.
Active Voice: I am teaching the class.
Passive Voice: The class is being taught by me.
Active Voice: She answered the question.
Passive Voice: The question was answered by her.
Active Voice: They cleaned the room.
Passive Voice: The room was cleaned by them.
Active Voice: He read the book.
Passive Voice: The book was read by him.
Active Voice: We wrote the report.
Passive Voice: The report was written by us.
Active Voice: I cooked the dinner.
Passive Voice: The dinner was cooked by me.
Active Voice: She bought the car.
Passive Voice: The car was bought by her.
Active Voice: They painted the house.
Passive Voice: The house was painted by them.
Active Voice: He took the exam.
Passive Voice: The exam was taken by him.
Active Voice: We studied the material.
Passive Voice: The material was studied by us.
Active Voice: I recorded the video.
Passive Voice: The video was recorded by me.
Active Voice: She played the game.
Passive Voice: The game was played by her.
Active Voice: They made the cake.
Passive Voice: The cake was made by them.
Active Voice: He drove the car.
Passive Voice: The car was driven by him.
Active Voice: We sent the letter.
Passive Voice: The letter was sent by us.
Active Voice: I ate the sandwich.
Passive Voice: The sandwich was eaten by me.
Active Voice: She watched the movie.
Passive Voice: The movie was watched by her.
Active Voice: They said the words.
Passive Voice: The words were said by them.
Active Voice: He bought the flowers.
Passive Voice: The flowers were bought by him.
Active Voice: We wrote the essay.
Passive Voice: The essay was written by us.
Active Voice: I opened the window.
Passive Voice: The window was opened by me.
Active Voice: She saw the bird.
Passive Voice: The bird was seen by her.
Active Voice: They organized the event.
Passive Voice: The event was organized by them.
Active Voice: He taught the class.
Passive Voice: The class was taught by him.
Active Voice: We cooked dinner.
Passive Voice: The dinner was cooked by us.
Active Voice: I drank the water.
Passive Voice: The water was drunk by me.
Active Voice: She sang the song.
Passive Voice: The song was sung by her.
Active Voice: They answered the question.
Passive Voice: The question was answered by them.
Active Voice: He gave the gift.
Passive Voice: The gift was given by him.
Active Voice: We heard the noise.
Passive Voice: The noise was heard by us.
Active Voice: I found the keys.
Passive Voice: The keys were found by me.
Active Voice: She said the words.
Passive Voice: The words were said by her.
Active Voice: They crossed the street.
Passive Voice: The street was crossed by them.
Active and Passive Voice Examples (Infographics)
