Passive vs Active Voice: Fastest Learning Guide

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why some sentences sound direct and powerful while others feel calm and indirect? That’s because of voice in English grammar, especially Active Voice and Passive Voice.

In everyday life, we use voice when:

• telling stories
• writing essays, messages, or assignments
• giving instructions
• describing actions
• reporting events or news

This guide will help you understand these voices quickly and easily even if you are a beginner. With examples, rules, exercises, a quiz, and a fun creative task, you will master this skill step by step.

What Are Active Voice & Passive Voice?

Active Voice

The subject does the action.
The focus is on the doer.

Example:
Ali eats an apple.
(Who is doing the action? — Ali)

Passive Voice

The subject receives the action.
The focus is on the action or the receiver.

Example:
An apple is eaten by Ali.
(The apple receives the action.)

Deep Explanation (Step-by-Step)

How Active Voice Works

• The subject performs the action.
• Sentences are shorter, clearer, and stronger.
• Mostly used in daily speaking and writing.

Structure:

Subject + Verb + Object

Example:
The teacher explains the lesson.

How Passive Voice Works

• The subject receives the action.
• Used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or not necessary.
• Common in reports, formal writing, news & academic content.

Structure:

Object + (be) + Past Participle + by + Subject

Example:
The lesson is explained by the teacher.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Focus	Doer	Action/Receiver
Sentence Length	Short & direct	Often longer
Use	Daily speaking	Formal writing, unknown doer
Example	Ali cleaned the room.	The room was cleaned by Ali.

20+ Active to Passive Conversions

No.	Active Voice	Passive Voice
1	Sara writes a letter.	A letter is written by Sara.
2	They play football.	Football is played by them.
3	He reads a book.	A book is read by him.
4	The cat chased the mouse.	The mouse was chased by the cat.
5	I water the plants.	The plants are watered by me.
6	She is baking a cake.	A cake is being baked by her.
7	We cleaned the room.	The room was cleaned by us.
8	The chef cooks dinner.	Dinner is cooked by the chef.
9	Children draw pictures.	Pictures are drawn by children.
10	The wind blew the tree.	The tree was blown by the wind.
11	He will repair the car.	The car will be repaired by him.
12	They have built a bridge.	A bridge has been built by them.
13	She wrote the story.	The story was written by her.
14	The boy kicked the ball.	The ball was kicked by the boy.
15	I will send the report.	The report will be sent by me.
16	The girl sings a song.	A song is sung by the girl.
17	Someone stole my bag.	My bag was stolen.
18	The police arrested the thief.	The thief was arrested by the police.
19	We speak English daily.	English is spoken daily.
20	They are watching a movie.	A movie is being watched by them.

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Rules & Patterns You Must Know

Active Voice Formula

Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

• I eat mangoes.
• He plays cricket.

Passive Voice Formula

Object + be (am/is/are/was/were/been) + Past Participle + by + Subject

Examples:

• Mangoes are eaten by me.
• Cricket is played by him.

Change of Be Verbs

Tense	Active	Passive
Present Simple	eat/eats	am/is/are + eaten
Past Simple	ate	was/were + eaten
Future Simple	will eat	will be eaten
Present Continuous	am/is/are eating	am/is/are being eaten
Present Perfect	has/have eaten	has/have been eaten

Why This Topic Matters in Real Life

You need Active vs Passive Voice when:

• writing essays or reports
• telling what happened
• describing events
• creating formal documents
• making instructions or announcements

Understanding voice improves clarity, confidence, and communication skills.

Common Mistakes + Easy Fixes

Mistake	Correct Fix
Using present tense past participle wrong	eat ❌ — eaten ✔
Adding “by” unnecessarily	My bag was stolen. (No need for by)
Forgetting “be” verbs	The cake baked ❌ → The cake was baked ✔
Changing meaning while converting	Always keep same meaning

Exercises (Try Yourself!)

A) Convert Active into Passive (10)

1. Ali broke the glass.
2. She buys fresh fruit.
3. They will finish the work.
4. The teacher praised him.
5. We celebrate Independence Day.
6. I am reading a story.
7. The rain destroyed the crops.
8. He will announce the winner.
9. They have completed the project.
10. Someone has stolen my phone.

B) Fill in the blanks with correct passive form (5)

1. The cake ______ (eat) by children.
2. The homework ______ (complete) yesterday.
3. The gate ______ (open) at 7 am.
4. A new road ______ (build) next year.
5. The room ______ (clean) by Sara.

C) Create Your Own Sentences (5)

Write 3 Active Voice + 2 Passive Voice sentences of your own.

Answer Key

A) Conversions

1. The glass was broken by Ali.
2. Fresh fruit is bought by her.
3. The work will be finished by them.
4. He was praised by the teacher.
5. Independence Day is celebrated by us.
6. A story is being read by me.
7. The crops were destroyed by the rain.
8. The winner will be announced by him.
9. The project has been completed by them.
10. My phone has been stolen.

B) Fill-in-the-Blanks

1. is eaten
2. was completed
3. is opened
4. will be built
5. was cleaned

C) Answers vary per student.

Mini Quiz (10 Questions)

Choose A or B

1. Active voice focuses on
   A) Doer ✔ | B) Receiver
2. Passive voice focuses on
   A) Subject | B) Action ✔
3. “The book was read by her.” is
   A) Active | B) Passive ✔
4. “He wrote a letter.”
   A) Active ✔ | B) Passive
5. Passive of “They make chocolates.”
   A) Chocolates are made ✔ | B) Chocolates make
6. Passive uses
   A) Present Form | B) Past Participle ✔
7. Active is mostly used in
   A) Everyday speaking ✔ | B) Academic only
8. “The door was opened by John.”
   A) Passive ✔ | B) Active
9. Active formula is
   A) S + V + O ✔ | B) O + be + V3
10. Passive is helpful in
    A) News/Reports ✔ | B) Only poems

Build a Short Story

Write a short three-sentence story using BOTH voices:

2 sentences Active + 1 sentence Passive

Example starter:
Ali found a puppy near the park. He took it home. The puppy was cared for with love.

Be creative and enjoy writing!

Summary

• Active Voice = Subject does the action.
• Passive Voice = Subject receives the action.
• Active is short, strong; Passive is calm, formal.
• Use correct be-verbs and past participles.
• Practice regularly — voice becomes easy and natural.