how to get rid of passive sentences

Daniel Parker

3 min read

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12-01-2025

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Passive voice can make your writing sound weak and unclear. It often buries the subject of the sentence, leaving the reader wondering who or what is actually doing the action. This article will show you how to identify and eliminate passive sentences, transforming your writing into something more active, direct, and engaging. Learning to write in active voice will make your writing more concise and impactful.

What is Passive Voice?

Before we dive into fixing passive sentences, let's understand what defines them. Passive voice occurs when the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than performing it. The sentence structure typically includes a form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, been, being) followed by a past participle.

Example of Passive Voice: The ball was thrown by the boy.

Notice how the ball (the subject) is acted upon, not acting. The sentence focuses on the ball being thrown, not the boy's action of throwing.

Identifying Passive Sentences: A Simple Test

The easiest way to identify a passive sentence is to look for the structure described above. However, a quicker test is to ask: "Who or what is doing the verb?" If the answer isn't clear or easily identifiable, you're likely dealing with passive voice.

Let's look at a few more examples:

• Passive: The report was completed by the team. (Who completed it? The team, but the sentence doesn't emphasize that.)
• Passive: Mistakes were made. (By whom? This lacks clarity and accountability.)
• Passive: The cake was baked. (By whom? Again, the actor is missing.)

How to Convert Passive Sentences to Active Voice

The process of converting passive sentences to active voice involves rearranging the sentence to focus on the actor (the one performing the action). Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Identify the actor: Determine who or what is performing the action in the passive sentence. This might be hidden or implied.
2. Find the action: Identify the verb (often hidden after "was," "were," "is," etc.).
3. Re-arrange the sentence: Make the actor the subject of the sentence and put the verb in its active form.

Let's rework the examples above:

• Passive: The report was completed by the team.

• Active: The team completed the report.

• Passive: Mistakes were made.

• Active: Someone made mistakes. (or: The team made mistakes – adding specificity is often helpful)

• Passive: The cake was baked.

• Active: Sarah baked the cake. (Adding a specific actor makes it stronger)

When Passive Voice Might Be Acceptable

While active voice is generally preferred, there are a few situations where passive voice might be suitable:

• When the actor is unknown: "The window was broken." (We don't know who broke it.)
• When the actor is unimportant: "The experiment was conducted three times." (The focus is on the experiment, not the researcher.)
• To emphasize the action, not the actor: "The patient was carefully monitored." (The monitoring is important, not necessarily the person doing it.)
• To be more formal or objective: In scientific writing or legal documents, passive voice is sometimes used to maintain objectivity.

Practicing Active Voice: Tips and Tricks

Mastering active voice takes practice. Here are some strategies to improve your writing:

• Read widely: Pay attention to how different authors construct their sentences. Notice how often they use active voice.
• Rewrite your own work: Take existing pieces of writing and deliberately rewrite passive sentences into active voice.
• Use a grammar checker: Many grammar checkers will identify passive voice constructions.
• Seek feedback: Ask someone else to review your work and point out instances of passive voice.

By consistently practicing these techniques and focusing on the subject performing the action, you'll significantly improve the clarity, strength, and overall impact of your writing. Eliminating passive sentences will make your writing more direct, engaging, and confident.