In active voice, the subject performs the action: “The editor shortened the announcement.” In passive voice, the subject receives the action: “The announcement was shortened by the editor.” The choice changes what the sentence puts first, not whether the underlying event happened. Active voice often makes an actor clear and concise; passive voice can be useful when the receiver matters more or the actor is unknown or unimportant. Purdue OWL notes both the clarity often offered by active voice and valid reasons to choose passive. [1]
Find the actor and the receiver
Start by identifying who or what acts and who or what is affected. In “A gust scattered the notes,” the gust acts and the notes receive the action. The sentence’s subject is the actor, so the construction is active. In “The notes were scattered by a gust,” the notes become the subject, while the gust appears later in a by-phrase; that is passive.
The basic passive pattern in English uses a form of be plus a past participle: “was scattered,” “is repaired,” “will be delivered.” The actor may be named with by, as in “The package was delivered by Jo,” or omitted: “The package was delivered.” Omission can be deliberate or simply reflect that the actor is unknown.
Choose what deserves the opening position
The first part of a sentence receives attention, so select the subject according to the point you want to make. If a report explains what a team did, “The team tested the sound system” puts the team up front. If the report tracks the sound system, “The sound system was tested before the event” keeps the object as the topic and leaves the tester unstated.
Passive voice is useful when the doer is unknown, obvious, or less relevant than the result, or when a field convention favors it. A notice reading “The entrance is closed” need not identify who closed it. But if responsibility matters, naming the actor helps: “The venue manager closed the entrance at six.” Purdue OWL advises that active sentences often clarify who performs an action, while also recognizing contexts where passive serves a purpose. [1]
Revise with a three-question check
Take this original example: “The rehearsal schedule was changed after lunch.” Ask: Do readers need to know who changed it? Is the schedule itself the topic? Does the sentence hide responsibility that matters? If the organizer made the change and that fact is relevant, revise: “The organizer changed the rehearsal schedule after lunch.” If the actor does not matter, the passive version is efficient and keeps attention on the schedule.
Practice on a short paragraph about a lost microphone. Underline each verb phrase, then label its subject as actor, receiver, or neither. For each passive sentence, write an active alternative that names a plausible actor only if the context supports one. Do not invent an actor just to force active voice; mark the doer as unknown if the information is absent.
Do not confuse voice with tense
Voice and tense answer different questions. Voice concerns the relationship between subject and action; tense places the event in time. “The crew checks the cables” is active present. “The cables are checked” is passive present. “The crew checked the cables” is active past. “The cables were checked” is passive past. The auxiliary changes with tense while the passive pattern still uses be plus a participle.
Some sentences with forms of be are not passive. “The cables are loose” describes a state; no action is being done to the cables in that sentence. To test a suspected passive, ask whether the subject receives an action and whether an actor could naturally be named. This check prevents edits that replace a clear description with an awkward or inaccurate verb.
Keep the emphasis, improve the sentence
Changing passive to active can reveal a vague noun phrase or an absent actor, but it does not guarantee better prose. “The committee reached a decision” is active, yet “The committee decided” is more direct. Likewise, passive voice may be preferable when a paragraph repeatedly discusses one object and shifting to an actor would disrupt the thread. Purdue’s clarity guidance treats active voice as often easier to follow while allowing passive where the doer does not need emphasis. [2]
When editing, preserve the intended focus, name agents when supported and useful, and vary sentence structure for a reason. Read the paragraph aloud: if the same topic disappears from sentence openings, a passive construction may help keep it in view. If readers keep asking who acted, consider an active rewrite.
