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[Career development](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development) 2. Active Voice vs. Passive Voice: What's the Difference? # Active Voice vs. Passive Voice: What's the Difference? Written by Indeed Editorial Team Updated March 26, 2025 In grammar, the term "voice" describes the connection between the subject, a verb and the object related to the subject. For writers or speakers, it's important to understand when it's appropriate to use active voice or passive voice. Using the proper voice to express ideas can increase the chances of your audience understanding you and could persuade them to take action.In this article, we compare passive voice versus active voice by providing a definition for each term, showing the steps for changing passive to active voice and offering examples of each voice. ## Find your next job faster with the Indeed app [Get the app](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/passive-vs-active-voice) Get the app ## What does “active voice” mean? Active voice is a form of writing that has the subject at the beginning of a sentence, and the verb and the object that receives the verb follow the subject. An active voice emphasizes a subject that engages in action. The subject of the sentence performs an action that influences the object.Example: "Jaguars explore the jungle.""Jaguars" is the subject, "explore" is the verb and "jungle" is the object. Related: [31 Common Grammar Mistakes (With Examples and Corrections)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/common-grammar-mistakes) ## When to use active voice Active voice is ideal for sharing direct, concise information with an audience. Because active voice identifies the action and who or what is performing the action, it can make it easier for the writer or listener to understand.For non-scientific writing, sentences may have an active voice. Creative writers might also use an active voice instead of a passive voice since it describes situations in a narrative form. Here are some other benefits of using active voice: - Makes work concise: An active voice can make the content feel less overwhelming by using shorter sentences and [action verbs](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/action-verbs) . - Provides clarity: The tone is informal and conversational, which can make it easier to understand for those who are not proficient in reading or for those who know English as a second language. - Increase audience engagement. It can help readers feel present and engaged with the content since an active voice uses direct sentences and can call the reader to action. - Delivers understanding. It can assist the readers with visualizing, processing and retaining information. Related: [The Creative Writing Process](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/creative-writing) ## What does “passive voice” mean? Passive voice tells you what an action is doing to someone or something. The subject is receiving the action. A passive sentence or phrase may lead with the object, and the verb and then the subject follow.Example: The cereal was eaten by my sister.In this sentence, "cereal" is the object, "eaten" is the verb and "my sister" is the subject.When using passive voice, you can also describe an action without knowing the subject. Sometimes the reader can assume the subject, or it may be unimportant to what the sentence is trying to convey.Example: The cereal was eaten.In this sentence, the subject is not present since it doesn't add value to the idea the writer wants to communicate. This sentence only explains what the action is doing. Related: [Writing Skills: Definition and Examples](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/writing-skills) ## When to use passive voice If you want to bring attention to an object that experiences an action, passive voice is a good choice. It can effective in sentences where the identity of who is performing the action is unknown. Passive language is also acceptable in academic settings to add depth to short and direct sentences. It can also be useful in general situations or statements and to avoid responsibility.For example, researchers use passive voice to emphasize the methods of an experiment instead of directly stating each step. Related: [Everything You Need To Know About Written Communication](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/written-communication) ## How to change passive voice to active voice Changing passive voice to active voice doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence, but it does place more emphasis on the subject. Writers may want to change passive language to active language to avoid wordiness and improve readability. To change a passive tone to an active tone, follow these steps: ### 1\. Look for instances of passive voice Review the entire piece of writing and identify each time you use passive voice. The preposition "by" is a good indicator of passive voice when it precedes a verb. Every time you notice passive voice, highlight the sentence or phrase to make it easier to edit. You can also look for verbs, such as: - Be - Have - Were - Am - Is - Are - Being Related: [How To Use Active Verbs in Resumes and Interviews](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/active-verbs) ### 2\. Identify the subject performing the action In each sentence, find the person, place or thing doing the action. In a sentence with a passive voice, the subject is likely at the end, if the writer states it at all. Understanding who or what is doing an action is critical for changing a sentence from passive to active, as that will become the subject of the sentence when you change it to active voice. Some passive sentences don't have a subject. In those cases, you can use a pronoun to describe the subject, such as “they” or “someone.” Related: [What Is an Article? (With Definite and Indefinite Examples)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/what-is-an-article) ### 3\. Locate the verb Next, identify the verb in the sentence so you understand the action your subject is performing. Think about how you can move the verb to a different part of the sentence to make the sentence more concise. You can also draw more attention to the action itself. Related: [4 Main Types of Sentences: When To Use Them and Why They Are Important](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-sentences) ### 4\. Find the object receiving the action Identify the object that the verb influences. In passive voice, the object is usually at the beginning of the sentence or phrase. Understanding what the object is and how a verb affects it can assist with changing passive voice to active voice. Related: [Writing Style Guides: The Main Types and Their Differences](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/writing-style-guide) ### 5\. Rearrange each element of the sentence Restructure the subject, verb and object to change the sentence from passive voice to active voice. Move the subject to the beginning of the phrase, then add the verb and finish the sentence with the object. Related: [How To Write a Topic Sentence (With Examples and Tips)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-topic-sentence) [Upgrade your resume](https://www.indeed.com/career-services/resume-help?collectorID=careerguidepromo-US&from=careerguidepromo-US) Showcase your skills with help from a resume expert ## Examples of changing a passive voice to an active voice After reviewing how to change a passive voice to an active voice, consider these examples of passive voice changing to active voice: ### Example 1 A writer composes the following sentence: "The air filter was changed by Clayton."The subject is "Clayton" since he performed the action "changed" on the object "air filter." This is a passive voice sentence since the subject doesn't appear until the end of the sentence and it is receiving the action instead of doing the action. To rewrite the sentence in an active voice, the writer changes the order of the subject, object and verb. The new sentence states, “Clayton changed the air filter.” Now readers can understand the impact that Clayton made to the air filter. Related: [Parallelism in Writing: Definition, Benefits and Examples](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/parallelism-in-writing) ### Example 2 A student writes an essay and submits it to the teacher. The teacher’s feedback requires the student to rewrite their sentences to display active voice instead of passive voice. The first sentence in the essay’s introduction reads, “A book is read.” While the sentence doesn’t have the object, the student uses a pronoun to change the writing to active voice. The new sentence reads, “They read a book.” Related: [How To Start an Essay and Engage a Reader](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-start-an-essay) ### Example 3 A sales representative drafts a pitch to a prospect. They notice they used passive voice instead of active to describe the product. The original sentence reads, “Consumers are benefited by the product.” When the representative changes the words to active voice, the new sentence reads, “The product benefits consumers.” \  The information on this site is provided as a courtesy and for informational purposes only. Indeed is not a career or legal advisor and does not guarantee job interviews or offers \  Technical writer Share: Is this article helpful? ## Related Articles  ### [Passive vs. Active Listening: What's the Difference?](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/passive-vs-active-listening)  ### [Persuasive Writing Tips (With Examples)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/persuasive-writing)  ### [Open vs. Closed Communication: What's the Difference?](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/open-vs-closed-communication) ## Explore more articles - [3 Types of Work-From-Home Jobs With No Fee](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/work-from-home-assembly-jobs-no-fee) - [12 Jobs That Use Calculus (Plus Average Salary)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/jobs-that-use-calculus) - [9 Strategies for How To Deal With Failure (Plus Tips)](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-deal-failure) - [Guide: Next Steps After You Got a Job Offer](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/starting-new-job/got-a-job-offer) - [15 Careers in Cybersecurity](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/career-in-cyber-security) - [60 Online Side Hustles](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/side-hustles-online) - [What Are the Best Skills for a Graphic Design Resume?](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/graphic-design-skills-for-resume) - [What Is a Market Development Strategy? 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