100 Examples Of Active And Passive Voice

The Verb That Changes Everything

You know that moment when you're reading something and it just feels... In practice, flat? Like the words are there but nothing's actually happening? But chances are, you're looking at passive voice. Or maybe you're staring at a sentence you wrote and thinking, "This sounds off, but I can't figure out why The details matter here. Took long enough..

The official docs gloss over this. That's a mistake.

Active and passive voice — it's one of those grammar topics that everyone thinks they understand until they try to explain it. Is "The ball was thrown by John" passive? Still, then it gets messy fast. But what about "The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday"? Yes. Also passive, but it doesn't feel as obviously so, does it?

Here's the thing — understanding active versus passive voice isn't just about sounding smarter. It's about making your writing clearer, punchier, and more engaging. And honestly, once you start noticing these patterns everywhere, you'll wonder how you ever missed them Which is the point..

Let's dive into 100 examples that show you exactly what active and passive voice look like in practice.

What Is Active and Passive Voice?

At its core, this is about who's doing the action in your sentence.

Active Voice: The Doer Leads

In active voice, the subject performs the action. The structure is simple: Subject + Verb + Object. You know who did what, and you know it immediately Took long enough..

Take this sentence: The chef prepared dinner.

The chef (subject) did the preparing (verb). Still, dinner (object) got prepared. Clear, direct, no mystery.

Passive Voice: The Doer Steps Back

In passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of performing it. The structure flips: Subject + Verb + By + Doer (though "by" and the doer are often omitted entirely).

Same scenario, passive version: Dinner was prepared by the chef.

Now dinner is the subject, but dinner didn't do anything — it just sat there getting prepared. The chef is still in the sentence, but they're pushed to the background, introduced by "by."

And here's where it gets interesting — sometimes we don't even mention who did the action:

Dinner was prepared.

We know something happened, but we have no idea who did it. That's passive voice too.

Why It Matters More Than You Think

Real talk — most people think grammar rules are just stuffy old conventions that don't apply to modern writing. But voice? That actually changes how people read and respond to what you write Simple as that..

Clarity Is King

When you use active voice, readers don't have to work as hard. They can follow the action without backtracking or re-reading. That matters whether you're writing an email, a blog post, or a novel Turns out it matters..

Consider these two versions:

• The policy was changed by management after months of debate.
• Management changed the policy after months of debate.

The second one flows better, right? You don't have to untangle the sentence to figure out who did what No workaround needed..

Authority and Engagement

Active voice makes your writing sound more confident and decisive. Passive voice can make you sound wishy-washy or evasive — even when that's not your intention No workaround needed..

Compare:

• We decided to postpone the event.
• It was decided to postpone the event.

The first version sounds like leadership. The second sounds like corporate speak Still holds up..

When Passive Actually Works

Don't write off passive voice entirely, though. * Maybe the doer doesn't matter: *The report was completed.Still, maybe you don't know who did something: *The window was broken. Sometimes it's the right tool for the job. * Maybe you want to point out the receiver of the action: *The Nobel Prize was awarded to her.

But here's the thing — most of the time, you probably want active voice. It's more direct, more engaging, and more honest.

How It Works: 100 Clear Examples

Let's get into the nitty-gritty. Here are 100 examples that show you exactly what active and passive voice look like across different contexts.

Simple Present Tense

1. Active: The sun rises in the east. Passive: The sun is risen in the east.

2. Active: She teaches mathematics. Passive: Mathematics is taught by her.

3. Active: The company launches new products regularly. Passive: New products are launched by the company regularly.

4. Active: Birds sing in the morning. Passive: Songs are sung by birds in the morning.

5. Active: He speaks three languages fluently. Passive: Three languages are spoken fluently by him.

Simple Past Tense

6. Active: The cat chased the mouse. Passive: The mouse was chased by the cat Not complicated — just consistent..

7. Active: She wrote a letter yesterday. Passive: A letter was written by her yesterday.

8. Active: They built a new bridge last year. Passive: A new bridge was built by them last year No workaround needed..

9. Active: The storm damaged many houses. Passive: Many houses were damaged by the storm.

10. Active: He forgot his keys at home. Passive: His keys were forgotten by him at home Easy to understand, harder to ignore..

Present Continuous Tense

11. Active: She is reading an interesting book. Passive: An interesting book is being read by her Practical, not theoretical..

12. Active: They are constructing a new mall. Passive: A new mall is being constructed by them.

13. Active: The children are playing in the park. Passive: The park is being played in by the children.

14. Active: He is fixing his car. Passive: His car is being fixed by him.

15. Active: We are watching a movie tonight. Passive: A movie is being watched by us tonight.

Past Continuous Tense

16. Active: The students were studying for their exams. Passive: The exams were being studied for by the students That's the whole idea..

17. Active: She was cooking dinner when I called. Passive: Dinner was being cooked by her when I called.

18. Active: They were renovating the kitchen. Passive: The kitchen was being renovated by them.

19. Active: The workers were repairing the road. Passive: The road was being repaired by the workers It's one of those things that adds up..

20. Active: He was writing a letter to his friend. Passive: A letter was being written to his friend by him Less friction, more output..

Present Perfect Tense

21. Active: She has finished her homework. Passive: Her homework has been finished by her.

22. Active: They have completed the project. Passive: The project has been completed by them.

23. Active: The company has launched a new app. Passive: A new app has been launched by the company.

24. Active: He has broken his leg. Passive: His leg has been broken by him.

25. Active: We have visited Paris twice. Passive: Paris has been visited by us twice And it works..

Past Perfect Tense

26. Active: She had eaten breakfast before leaving. Passive: Breakfast had been eaten by her before leaving Worth keeping that in mind..

27. Active: They had finished the work before noon. Passive: The work had been finished by them before noon Most people skip this — try not to..

28. Active: The guests had arrived before we got there. Passive: We had been arrived at by the guests before we got there.

29. Active: He had written the report before the deadline. Passive: The report had been written by him before the deadline Worth knowing..

30. Active: The team had won the championship before the season ended. Passive: The championship had been won by the team before the season ended And that's really what it comes down to. Turns out it matters..

Future Tense

31. Active: I will call you tomorrow. Passive: You will be called by me tomorrow.

32. Active: She will give a presentation next week. Passive: A presentation will be given

by her next week It's one of those things that adds up. Surprisingly effective..

33. Active: They will build a new bridge over the river. Passive: A new bridge will be built over the river by them.

34. Active: The chef will prepare a delicious meal. Passive: A delicious meal will be prepared by the chef.

35. Active: We will organize a surprise party for her. Passive: A surprise party will be organized for her by us.

Modal Verbs

36. Active: You must complete the assignment by Friday. Passive: The assignment must be completed by you by Friday It's one of those things that adds up..

37. Active: He can speak three languages. Passive: Three languages can be spoken by him Small thing, real impact..

38. Active: We should protect the environment. Passive: The environment should be protected by us.

39. Active: They might cancel the flight due to bad weather. Passive: The flight might be cancelled by them due to bad weather Which is the point..

40. Active: You ought to follow the rules. Passive: The rules ought to be followed by you And that's really what it comes down to..

Conclusion

Mastering the transition between active and passive voice is essential for achieving variety and emphasis in your writing. Plus, while the active voice is generally preferred for its directness, clarity, and energy, the passive voice serves a vital purpose when the action itself or the recipient of the action is more important than the person performing it. By understanding the structural shifts required across different tenses—from the simple present to the complex perfect forms—you can manipulate your sentences to control focus, maintain objectivity, or create a more sophisticated tone in both academic and creative writing.

This changes depending on context. Keep that in mind.