In this lesson, you will learn 100 example sentences of active and passive voice used in various contexts and structures in English. Understanding these sentence types will help you master essential communication skills by improving your ability to express ideas clearly and effectively in both speaking and writing. This lesson provides practical examples that will enhance your grasp of the active and passive voice, making your English more versatile.
What are Active and Passive Voice?
Active voice is when the subject of a sentence does the action. Simple, right? You’re the star of the show! Passive voice, on the other hand, is when the action is done to the subject. So, instead of you being the star, you’re more like the recipient of the action.
To make it clearer:
- Active Voice: The subject is the doer of the action.
Example: “The dog chased the ball.” (The dog is doing the action.) - Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
Example: “The ball was chased by the dog.” (The ball is receiving the action.)
Why do we use passive voice?
Sometimes, we don’t care about who did something; we care more about what was done. Also, sometimes the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant.
Example Sentences of Active and Passive Voice
1. Present Simple Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Verb (base form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
- Object + Is/Am/Are + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| She makes dinner every night. | Dinner is made by her every night. |
| The teacher explains the lesson. | The lesson is explained by the teacher. |
| They build houses. | Houses are built by them. |
2. Past Simple Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Verb (past form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Was/Were + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| He wrote a letter. | A letter was written by him. |
| The kids broke the window. | The window was broken by the kids. |
| She baked a cake. | A cake was baked by her. |
3. Future Simple Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Will + Verb (base form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Will + Be + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They will finish the project tomorrow. | The project will be finished by them tomorrow. |
| She will paint the wall. | The wall will be painted by her. |
| We will organize the event. | The event will be organized by us. |
4. Present Continuous Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Is/Am/Are + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Is/Am/Are + Being + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They are cleaning the house. | The house is being cleaned by them. |
| He is reading a book. | A book is being read by him. |
| She is teaching the students. | The students are being taught by her. |
5. Past Continuous Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Was/Were + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Was/Were + Being + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They were discussing the plan. | The plan was being discussed by them. |
| He was fixing the car. | The car was being fixed by him. |
| The company was developing a new product. | A new product was being developed by the company. |
6. Future Continuous Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Will + Be + Verb (-ing form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Will + Be + Being + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| She will be presenting the report. | The report will be being presented by her. |
| He will be singing a song. | A song will be being sung by him. |
| They will be repairing the road. | The road will be being repaired by them. |
7. Present Perfect Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Has/Have + Verb (past participle) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Has/Have + Been + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They have completed the assignment. | The assignment has been completed by them. |
| She has washed the clothes. | The clothes have been washed by her. |
| We have built a house. | A house has been built by us. |
8. Past Perfect Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Had + Verb (past participle) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Had + Been + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | 12Passive |
| He had solved the problem. | The problem had been solved by him. |
| They had finished the work. | The work had been finished by them. |
| She had cleaned the kitchen. | The kitchen had been cleaned by her. |
9. Future Perfect Tense
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Will + Have + Verb (past participle) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Will + Have + Been + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They will have delivered the package. | The package will have been delivered by them. |
| He will have completed the task. | The task will have been completed by him. |
| She will have written the report. | The report will have been written by her. |
10. Modal Verbs
Active Voice Structure:
-
Subject + Modal (Can, Must, Should, etc.) + Verb (base form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Object + Modal (Can, Must, Should, etc.) + Be + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| They can solve the problem. | The problem can be solved by them. |
| She must finish the homework. |
The homework must be finished by her. |
| He should call the doctor. | The doctor should be called by him. |
11. Imperative Sentences
Active Voice Structure:
-
Verb (base form) + Object
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Let + Object + Be + Verb (past participle)
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| Close the door. | Let the door be closed. |
| Clean the room. | Let the room be cleaned. |
| Finish the assignment. | Let the assignment be finished. |
12. Questions (Interrogative)
Active Voice Structure:
-
Did/Do/Will + Subject + Verb (base form) + Object?
Passive Voice Structure:
-
Was/Were/Will + Object + Be + Verb (past participle) + by + Subject?
Examples:
| Active | Passive |
| Did she open the window? | Was the window opened by her? |
| Have they completed the task? | Has the task been completed by them? |
| Will you finish the work? | Will the work be finished by you? |
13. Passive Voice Without ‘By’
Sometimes, the doer is not important, so we omit “by” in the passive sentence.
| Active | Passive |
| They are building the new mall. | The new mall is being built. |
| Someone broke the vase. |
The vase was broken. |
| They will deliver the packages. | The packages will be delivered. |
14. Passive Voice with Unknown Doer
Sometimes, the person doing the action is unknown or irrelevant.
| Active | Passive |
| Someone stole my wallet. | My wallet was stolen. |
| People speak English all over the world. | English is spoken all over the world. |
| They canceled the event. | The event was canceled. |
15. Passive Voice in Formal Writing
Passive voice is often used in formal writing to sound more objective or polite.
| Active | Passive |
| We will make the payment by Friday. | The payment will be made by Friday. |
| They must submit the report. | The report must be submitted. |
| The company awarded the contract to the new vendor. | The contract was awarded to the new vendor by the company. |
Read More
- Tenses in Active and Passive Voice
- Active and Passive Voice With Examples
- Use of There, Their, and They’re
FAQs about Active and Passive Voice
1. What is the difference between active and passive voice?
In the active voice, the subject performs the action (e.g., “The cat chased the mouse”). In the passive voice, the action is performed on the subject (e.g., “The mouse was chased by the cat”).
2. When should I use passive voice?
Use passive voice when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than who is performing it. For example: “The project was completed on time.”
3. Can you give an example of active and passive voice in the present tense?
Active: “The teacher explains the lesson.”
Passive: “The lesson is explained by the teacher.”
4. How does passive voice change in the past tense?
In the past tense, the verb changes, but the structure remains the same.
Active: “She cleaned the room.”
Passive: “The room was cleaned by her.”
5. Can active and passive voice be used in different contexts?
Yes, active and passive voice can be used in various contexts such as education, business, and daily life. For example, in a business context:
Active: “The manager approved the proposal.”
Passive: “The proposal was approved by the manager.”
6. How do I convert an active sentence to passive voice?
To convert an active sentence to passive voice, make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence. For example:
Active: “They built the house.”
Passive: “The house was built by them.”
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