Most Important Point
✅ Correct
Both active voice and passive voice are grammatically correct in English. Source-1✅
❌ Wrong
The claim “passive voice is always wrong” isn’t true; it’s about clarity and focus, not “correct vs incorrect.”
Think of voice as where the spotlight goes: on the doer (active) or on what receives the action (passive).
“Active vs passive voice” is one of those topics that gets treated like a right-or-wrong quiz, even though it’s really a meaning-and-focus choice. The key is knowing what changes in the sentence when the voice changes.
- Grammar
- Active Voice
- Passive Voice
- Subject • Verb • Object
- Clarity & Emphasis
Table of Contents
Which Voice Is Correct
- Active Voice
- The subject performs the action.
- Passive Voice
- The subject receives the action; the doer may be missing or shown in a by-phrase.
So the answer to “which is correct?” is both. The real difference is what your sentence centers: the doer (active) or the receiver (passive).
Why Passive Gets Flagged
A lot of people learn “avoid passive voice” as a rule, so passive gets treated like a grammar mistake. Many writing guides push back on that idea: passive is not automatically wrong, yet it can reduce clarity when the doer disappears. Source-2✅
Common reason: passive sentences often hide responsibility by leaving out the actor (an agentless passive).
Three Myths That Cause Confusion
- Myth: Passive voice is a grammar error. Reality: It’s a valid structure; the issue is usually readability.
- Myth: Any form of “to be” is passive. Reality: “To be” can appear in many non-passive sentences.
- Myth: Grammar checkers reliably flag passive voice. Reality: detection varies; “voice” is partly about context.
What Voice Changes
Voice doesn’t change the core event; it changes the sentence’s default focus. Active voice keeps the classic Subject → Verb → Object order. Passive voice puts the object in the subject slot.
The Parts You’ll See Again and Again
- Subject: who/what the sentence is “about” (grammar role, not morality).
- Verb: the action or state, carrying tense (past/present/etc.).
- Object: who/what receives the action in many active sentences.
- Agent: the doer in passive voice, often shown with by.
Plain-language guidance often summarizes it this way: active voice makes it easier to see who does what, while passive voice can make the actor less visible. Source-3✅
Voice vs Tense: A Frequent Mix-Up
Tense answers when (past, present, future). Voice answers who is centered in the grammar. A sentence can be active in the past tense, or passive in the present tense.
How Passive Voice Is Built
In standard English, passive voice is typically formed with a form of “be” plus a past participle. The tense usually lives in the “be” part, while the participle signals the passive structure.
Pattern: be + past participle (+ optional by + agent)
Passive Forms Across Common Tenses
| Tense / Form | Active Example | Passive Example | Core Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | The editor approves the draft. | The draft is approved. | is/are + participle |
| Past Simple | The editor approved the draft. | The draft was approved. | was/were + participle |
| Present Continuous | The editor is approving the draft. | The draft is being approved. | is/are being + participle |
| Past Continuous | The editor was approving the draft. | The draft was being approved. | was/were being + participle |
| Present Perfect | The editor has approved the draft. | The draft has been approved. | has/have been + participle |
| Past Perfect | The editor had approved the draft. | The draft had been approved. | had been + participle |
| Future | The editor will approve the draft. | The draft will be approved. | will be + participle |
| Modal | The editor can approve the draft. | The draft can be approved. | modal + be + participle |
Short Passive and Long Passive
- Short passive: the agent is omitted. The focus stays on the receiver of the action.
- Long passive: the agent appears in a by-phrase. The sentence still centers the receiver, but the doer is visible.
Communication guidance often notes that active voice is the default in everyday instructions and conversation, with passive used more selectively. Source-4✅
Related Grammar Terms
These terms show up a lot when people talk about voice. Keeping them straight makes grammar explanations feel less mysterious.
Past Participle
A verb form used in perfect tenses and passive voice (often ends in -ed, but not always: written, driven).
Agent
The doer in a passive sentence, often introduced by by (a by-phrase).
Transitive Verb
A verb that can take a direct object. Many passives rely on a transitive structure.
Linking Verb
A verb like be that links to a description, not an action (e.g., “The room is quiet”). That’s not passive.
Many plain-language resources prefer active voice for clarity while still acknowledging that passive has limited uses in the right context. Source-5✅
Examples Table
This table separates active voice, passive voice, and sentences that only look passive. The goal is a clean mental split: voice vs tense vs description.
| Sentence | Label | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The chef prepared the meal. | ✅ Active | Subject (“chef”) performs the action. |
| The meal was prepared by the chef. | ✅ Passive | Receiver (“meal”) becomes the subject; by-phrase shows the agent. |
| The meal was prepared. | ✅ Passive | Passive pattern is present; the agent is omitted. |
| The door was open. | ✅ Not Passive | “Was” links the subject to a state (“open”), not an action. |
| The door was opened. | ✅ Often Passive | “Was” + past participle can signal passive; context decides if it’s action or description. |
| The device got repaired quickly. | ✅ Passive (Get-Passive) | Get + participle is a common informal passive pattern. |
| There were three updates this week. | ✅ Not Passive | “There were” is an existential structure, not a passive construction. |
Useful detail: many “looks passive” cases come from be + adjective (state) vs be + participle (action). That overlap is why voice can feel tricky.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Are active voice and passive voice both correct?
Yes. Active voice and passive voice are both standard English sentence patterns. The difference is focus, not correctness.
Is passive voice the same as past tense?
No. Tense is about time; voice is about structure. A sentence can be active in the past, or passive in the present.
Does every “to be” verb create passive voice?
No. Many sentences use be as a linking verb (state or description). Passive voice usually needs be + past participle, not just “be.”
Can a passive sentence exist without a “by” phrase?
Yes. That’s common. The agent can be omitted when it’s unknown, unimportant, or simply not stated. The sentence can still be passive.
What is a “by-phrase” in passive voice?
A by-phrase names the agent (the doer), like “by the team.” It often turns a short passive into a long passive.
What is the “get” passive?
The get-passive uses get + past participle (for example, “got repaired”). It’s a real passive pattern, often with a more informal tone.