100 Examples of Active and Passive Voice in English
Table of Contents
Active Voice
In everyday life, we often prefer to build sentences that have an active voice. When we describe the situations and actions we will tell from the perspective of the person or object that acts, it is often correct to use active voice verbs. In such sentences, the subject is usually the person who performs the action. Usually, the entity affected by the action is referred to as an object.
Beginners learn English with active voice sentences. Because unlike other sentence types, active voice sentences have a simpler structure.
The most important features of active voice sentences are that they reflect a clearer, harder and stronger meaning to the reader.
Sentences built with an active voice make the person feel the effect of the action directly. This is why we use active voice in our daily conversations in general. Now, let’s take a look at a few dialogs that can be given as examples of active voice sentences.
Passive Voice
Passive Voice is used in sentences in which the object affected by the action or situation becomes the subject. Such sentences often reflect a more literary ambiance.
You can often come across such objects, especially in literary texts. The structure of these sentences is different from the others. The words that should be used in sentences may change according to different time structures. Let’s see an example of a passive voice!
100 Examples of Active and Passive Voice
Active Voice
- They gave a term paper to all the students and asked for them to be delivered in the best way.
Passive Voice
- All students were given a term paper and asked to deliver them in the best way.
Active Voice
- We frequently encounter such situations in our school and take some precautions to ensure discipline.
Passive Voice
- These kinds of situations are frequently encountered in our school and some measures are taken to ensure discipline.
Active Voice
- I understand the difficulty of your situation, but people should share with others what they feel in such situations.
Passive Voice
- I understand the difficulty of the situation, but what is felt in such situations should be shared with others.
Active Voice
- After preparing the meals, we wanted to drink a delicious coffee, but they said that we should go to the market because we could not find coffee at home.
Passive Voice
- After the meals were prepared, we were asked to drink a delicious coffee, but since there was no coffee at home, we were told that we should go to the market.
Active Voice
- Monkeys really like banana, and by using this fact, scientists have organized many experimental environments.
Passive Voice
- Bananas are really loved by monkeys, and many experimental environments have been organized by scientists using this fact.
Active Voice
- Our work was really successful, but we could not prevent a small error at the end of the work. It was very sad for everyone to experience this situation.
Passive Voice
- The work done was really successful, but a small error could not be prevented at the end of the work. Everyone was very upset by this situation.
Active Voice
- If you think there is any problem with this issue, you can contact me. If you can use communication tools such as e-mail, telephone or fax for this, I can provide you with faster feedback.
Passive Voice
- If it is thought that there is a problem with this issue, I can be contacted. For this, if some communication tools are used such as e-mail, telephone or fax, faster return can be provided by me.
Active Voice
- After counting the money, he turned to me and said that he did not want to talk more about this issue.
Passive Voice
- After the money was counted, I was contacted and was told not to talk more about this subject.
Active Voice
- After finishing his homework, he quickly checked and managed to upload his homework to the system. That’s why his friends expect the teacher to give him a really high grade.
Passive Voice
- After the assignment was finished by him, it was quickly checked and uploaded to the system. Therefore, it is thought by his friends that a high grade will be given to him by the teacher.
Active Voice
- If you want to use the TV smoothly after repairing it, you should periodically maintain it and contact the technical support team if you have a problem.
Passive Voice
- In order for the television to be used without any problems after it is repaired, it should be periodically maintained and the technical support team should be contacted in case of a problem.
Active Voice
- Did they tell you that we were talking to him?
Passive Voice
- Have you been told that we are talking to him?
Active Voice
- I pay the bills every month and after this process you do not thank me in any way. Such behavior is breaking me.
Passive Voice
- The bills are paid by me every month and after this process, I am not thanked by you in any way. I am broken by these behaviors.
Active Voice
- Since the people I speak to ask me not to raise this issue any more, you will never hear this sentence from me anymore.
Passive Voice
- This sentence will certainly not be heard from me, as I am asked to not raise this issue further by the people I am talking to.
Active Voice
- I don’t think the responsibilities you gave me are easy, so I have a discussion with you, but you still expect me to be understanding and patient.
Passive Voice
- I don’t think the responsibilities given to me are easy, so I have a discussion with you, but I am still expected to be understanding and patient with me.
Active Voice
- You are now saying that all of the things I have done in this workplace are useless, but I see that you are using all the projects I have done.
Passive Voice
- Right now, it is said by you that all of the things I do in this workplace are useless, but it seems that all the projects I do are being used by you.
Active Voice
- Drinking coffee is something that many professionals recommend because it makes it possible to study in a more energetic and concentrated way thanks to coffee. This is exactly what we all need.
Passive Voice
- Drinking coffee is recommended by many professionals because more energetic and concentrated work is made possible by coffee. This is exactly the thing needed by all of us.
Active Voice
- By drinking approximately 2.5 or 3 liters of water a day, you can make your body healthier because the water makes the digestive system to work better and the skin to be beautiful.
Passive Voice
- By drinking approximately 2.5 or 3 liters of water a day, your body can be made healthier by you, because the digestive system is worked better and the skin can be made beautiful by water.
Active Voice
We’ve been calling her phone for a long time but we still haven’t found it, I think she forgot her phone somewhere and she doesn’t tell us.
Passive Voice
Her phone is called by us for a long time but the phone still not found by us, I think the phone was forgotten by her and she doesn’t tell us.
Active Voice
After talking to me, some things about my life became clearer.
Passive Voice
After I was talked by you, some things have been clarified about my life.
Active Voice
The information we share about our daily life on the Internet often violates the privacy of personal life. In short, it makes us naked on the Internet.
Passive Voice
Information shared about daily life on the Internet often results in a violation of the privacy of personal life. In short, we are getting naked by the internet.
Here are Tenses, Active and Passive Voice Table Chart;
| Tense | Active | Passive |
| Present simple | Reporters write news reports |
News reports are written by reporters |
| Present continuous | Michael is baking a brownie | A brownie is being baked by Michael. |
| Past simple | The company hired new workers last year. |
New workers were hired by the company last year. |
| Past Continuous | The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. |
The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. |
| Present perfect | They have already discussed the book. |
The book has already been discussed. |
| Past perfect | He had delivered the letters. |
The letters had been delivered. |
| Future simple | The company will hire new workers. | New workers will be hired by the company. |
| Infinitive | She has to deliver the letters. | The letters have to be delivered. |
| Modals | She must deliver the letters. |
The letters must be delivered. |
