What’s the difference between Passive and Active voice?

This rule applies to American English and follows The Chicago Manual of Style. New Hart’s Rules, Oxford Style Guide, doesn’t address voice explicitly, but British English generally follows this rule too.

“Avoid the passive voice” is one of the most commonly repeated pieces of writing advice and one of the most misunderstood. Voice tells us whether the subject of a sentence performs the action (active) or receives it (passive), and the passive can be a valuable tool when used well. The Chicago Manual of Style notes that passive voice is often inferior to active voice as a matter of style, but it also points out that good writing uses the passive regularly and that cutting it out as a blanket policy would be a mistake. So how do we get the balance right?

What’s the difference?

In the active voice, the subject performs the action.

Example: The dragon scorched the village.

In contrast, passive voice indicates that the subject receives the action. It’s built from a form of “be” (or sometimes “get”) plus a past participle. The doer either appears in a “by” phrase or disappears entirely.

Example (with the doer): The village was scorched by the dragon.

Example (without the doer): The village was scorched.

Spotting the passive

Plenty of sentences get labeled passive when they aren’t.

• Past tense alone: She hid the letter (active).

• “Was” plus an -ing verb: She was running (not passive).

• “There was”: There was a scream (not passive).

One popular check is the zombie test—try adding “by zombies” after the verb. If the sentence still makes sense, it’s passive.

Example (passive): The door was locked (by zombies).

Example (active): She was trembling (by zombies).

Why active voice usually works better

Active voice is direct. It puts characters in charge of their actions, it’s often shorter, and it keeps action scenes moving.

Example (passive): The sword was drawn, and the guard was struck down.

Example (active): Kai drew his sword and struck down the guard.

Where passive voice shines

The passive voice is particularly useful when the doer is unknown, which is perfect for mystery and suspense, or when the doer doesn’t matter.

Example (doer is unknown): The body had been moved.

Example (doer doesn’t matter): The prisoners were fed at dusk.

Using the passive voice is also helpful if you want the focus on the character receiving the action. This is especially powerful for your point-of-view characters, as it keeps them at the front of the sentence.

Example: Mara was pulled from the river, half drowned.

Another option is to use the passive voice for a character who is dodging blame.

Example: Mistakes were made (instead of “I made mistakes”).

Practical tips

• Opt for active voice as your default to let characters act rather than be acted upon.

• Ask whether the reader needs to know who did it. If not, the passive voice may be the better choice.

• One passive sentence rarely hurts, but a run of them can make a scene feel distant and sluggish, so watch for clusters.

Active voice brings energy and clarity, while passive voice brings focus, mystery, and evasion. The best prose uses both, deliberately.