Active vs. Passive Voice Examples

Understand the difference between active and passive voice with these simple examples and improve your English writing skills.

In English writing, choosing between active and passive voice can significantly impact the clarity and effectiveness of your sentences.

Active voice emphasizes the subject performing the action.Passive voice emphasizes the action being performed on the subject. 

Here are 6 examples in both active and passive voice.

Active Voice	Passive Voice
He is playing tennis.	Tennis is being played (by him).
She was playing tennis.	Tennis was being played (by her).
They will play tennis.	Tennis will be played (by them).
He has played tennis.	Tennis has been played (by him).
We had played tennis.	Tennis had been played (by us).
I can play tennis.	Tennis can be played (by me).

Using active voice often makes your writing clearer and more direct, while passive voice can be useful to emphasize the action or when the doer is unknown or unimportant. Understanding when and how to use each voice can enhance your writing, making it more effective and engaging.

Practice these examples and see how shifting between active and passive voice changes the focus and clarity of your sentences.