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Active and passive voice are two different ways of building a sentence. Knowing how each one functions allows the writer to place emphasis on different parts of the sentence, depending on the intended meaning. In general, academic writing prioritizes active voice. Sentences in active voice are more direct, easier to understand, and usually shorter. However, one is not “right" and the other “wrong," but both may be useful depending on context. 

What are Active and Passive Voice?

Active and passive voice are two different kinds of sentence construction. 

In active voice, the subject of the sentence is performing the action the sentence is describing.

 

The researcher analyzed the results.

 

Here, the subject of the sentence (researcher) is also the noun doing the action (analyzed). This sentence is in active voice.

​In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is not doing the action the sentence is describing. Rather, the subject​ is being acted upon.

 

The results were analyzed by the researcher.

 

Here, the subject of the sentence (results) is not the noun doing the action (analyzed). Therefore, this sentence is in passive voice.

 

How Can I Fix A​​ctive/Passive Voice Problems?

Given the academic preference for active voice, it is far more likely that you'll be asked to transform passive writing into active.

​We will use the following sentence as an example in the process of transitioning from passive to active voice.

​The rats were placed into the maze by the researchers.


​Step 1: ​​ Identify the action 

Placed is the action in our sample sentence.

 

Step 2: Identify who is performing the action


Researchers are performing the action. 

Step 3: Mak​​​e Edits

Edit the sentence so that the person, place, or thing performing the action is the subject of the sentence (generally, comes before the verb).

The researchers pla​​​ced the rats into the maze.


Noteworthy

Sometimes, a passive sentence will not include who is performing the action.

The rats were placed into the maze.

​We can still tell this is passive, because the rats are not placing themselves into the maze. Someone else must be acting on them. In sentences like this, decide what noun would best represent whoever is doing the action, and insert that at the beginning of the sentence.

 

Additional ​​Resources

To learn more about active and passive voice, check out the following resources.