Table of Contents
- Introduction
- What is Active Voice?
- Why it matters to Write in Active Voice
- How To Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice
- Let’s Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice, with 10 Examples
Introduction
Have you ever read a sentence that just feels… flat?
You know, like it lacks energy or just doesn’t pop?
Chances are, that sentence was written in the passive voice.
Writing in the active voice, on the other hand, gives your writing life. It’s direct, clear, and engaging—exactly what you want your readers to experience.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have all the tools you need to make your writing stronger, clearer, and more compelling.
What is Active Voice?
Let’s start with the basics. In the English language, sentences can be written in either active or passive voice.
Active Voice:
The subject of the sentence performs the action.
Passive Voice:
The subject of the sentence receives the action.
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Here’s a quick comparison:
Active Voice: The dog chased the cat.
Passive Voice: The cat was chased by the dog.
In the active voice example, the dog (the subject) is doing the chasing (the action) to the cat (the object).
In the passive voice, the cat (the subject) is receiving the action of being chased by the dog.
Active voice tends to be more concise and engaging because it’s clear who is doing what. Passive voice, on the other hand, can sometimes make your writing vague or unnecessarily wordy.
Why it matters to Write in Active Voice
1. Clarity and Directness
Active voice makes your writing clear and straightforward. Instead of forcing readers to wade through convoluted sentences, you present the information directly.
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Example:
Active: “She sings beautifully.”
Passive: “Beautiful singing is done by her.”
Notice how the active sentence is more concise and easier to understand.
2. Creates Stronger Connections
Writing in an active voice strengthens the connection between ideas by clearly showing who is doing what. This helps convey your message more effectively
3. Active Voice Saves Words
One of the biggest advantages of using active voice is that it often requires fewer words than passive voice. By putting the subject first and making it clear who’s doing what, you can convey your message more directly. This helps you keep your writing concise and to the point.
Example:
Active: “The author writes engaging blog posts.”
Passive: “Engaging blog posts are written by the author.”
4. Improves SEO
Search engines prefer content that’s clear and to the point. Active voice contributes to better readability, which can enhance your SEO performance.
How To Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice
1. Identify the Passive Sentence
The first step in converting passive voice to active voice is recognizing when a sentence is in passive voice.
How can you do it?
Let’s see!
This can be tricky because passive sentences can sometimes sound natural, especially in formal writing.
Here’s how you can spot them:
Key Indicators of Passive Voice
1. A Form of “To Be”:
Passive voice sentences almost always include a form of the verb “to be.” These can be words like is, am, are, was, were, be, being, or been.
Was;
He shot the dog (Active Voice)
The dog was shot (Passive Voice)
They molested her (Active Voice)
She was molested (Passive Voice)
Were;
They stole my clothes (Active Voice)
My clothes were stolen (Passive Voice)
These verbs are paired with a past participle (a verb form typically ending in -ed, -en, or another irregular ending).
2. Past Participle:
After the form of “to be,” look for a past participle. For example, written, eaten, taken, etc. This verb indicates that something is being done to the subject rather than the subject doing something.
Written;
Jack wrote the letters ( Active Voice)
The letters were written by Jack ( Passive Voice)
Eaten;
Nzube ate the cake ( Active Voice)
The cake was eaten by Nzube ( Passive Voice)
3. “By” (Optional):
Many passive sentences include a “by” phrase, indicating who or what is performing the action, such as “by Jack,” or “by Nzube.” However, this is not always present.
4. Add a “By phrase” and see if the sentence still makes sense
If there is no ‘’by phrase’ in the sentence, try adding one .
If you add this “by phrase” and it still makes sense , then it is a passive sentence. But if it doesn’t make sense, it is active sentence
This is another way to identify passive sentences
Examples
1. The security man was fired
Let’s add a ‘’by phrase ‘’
The security man was fired by the boss.
It makes sense right?
It’s a passive sentence.
2. Zenith bank hired a security man
Let’s add a “by phrase”
Zenith bank hired a security man by the boss.
Does it make sense? No
3. The hunter shot a leopard
Add a By phrase and see it still makes sense
2. Rearrange the words
After you have identified a passive sentence, the next thing to do to convert it to an active sentence is to rearrange the words.
In Rearranging The Words, Ensure That:
- The subject performed the action and the object received the action
- Any “by phrase” is removed
- The Subject is known.
In every active sentence you would notice that the subject is known. When the subject is not known, it is in the passive sentence. Try to introduce a subject.
Example;
I wrote a blog post where I needed to say that the Head of Department told the students to go home.
Then I wrote;
“The students were asked to go home”
Object: The students
Subject: Unknown
Who asked the students to go home?
You see, the subject is not known
That’s a passive sentence.
To convert it to an active voice, I would have to introduce a subject.
“The Head of Department told the students to go home’
Let’s Convert Passive Voice to Active Voice, with 10 Examples
Sentence 1:
“The letter was written by Tom”
Convert to Active Voice by rearranging the words to ensure that the subject performs the action
“Tom wrote the letter”
Sentence 2:
“The cookies were eaten”
( Remember, the subject is not known)
Convert to Active Voice by introducing the subject
“Michelle ate the cookies”
Sentence 3:
“The decision was made by the CEO”
Convert to Active Voice by removing the “by phrase”, and ensuring that the subject performs the action
“The CEO made the decision”
Sentence 4:
“The project was handled by our team”
To Active Voice,
“Our team handled the project
Sentence 5:
“The final decision regarding the construction project was postponed by the board of directors due to unexpected financial constraints”
Convert to Active Voice
“The board of directors postponed the final decision regarding the construction project due to unexpected financial constraints”
Sentence 6:
“The implementation of the new policies was delayed by the management team in response to feedback from employees and stakeholders”
Convert to Active Voice
“The management team delayed the implementation of the new policies in response to feedback from employees and stakeholders”
Sentence 7:
“The detailed report on the environmental impact was submitted by the research team after months of extensive data collection and analysis”
Convert to Active Voice
“The research team submitted the detailed report on the environmental impact after months of extensive data collection and analysis”
Sentence 8:
“The resolution to address the traffic congestion was considered by the local government after numerous complaints were received from residents”
Convert to Active Voice
“The local government considered the resolution to address the traffic congestion after receiving numerous complaints from residents”
Sentence 9:
“The educational reform proposal was carefully reviewed by the committee before being presented to the Ministry of Education for approval.”
Convert to Active Voice
“The committee carefully reviewed the educational reform proposal before presenting it to the Ministry of Education for approval.”
Sentence 10:
“The presentation on the company’s expansion strategy was prepared by the marketing department in collaboration with the business development team.”
Convert to Active Voice
“The marketing department, in collaboration with the business development team, prepared the presentation on the company’s expansion strategy.”
Conclusion
The key to mastering this skill is practice. When you’re reading or editing, ask yourself: Is the subject doing something, or is something being done to the subject?
If it’s the latter, you’re dealing with passive voice.
Once you’ve identified a passive sentence, you can move on to rearranging it into active voice, making your writing stronger and more impactful.
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