---
title: "Active and passive voice"
description: "Use the passive voice to shift focus from the agent to the action or recipient, understanding how passive constructions affect the presentation of information in formal and objective writing"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/active-and-passive-voice-mt_gbTyzvnWzr
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/active-and-passive-voice-mt_gbTyzvnWzr.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Active and passive voice

Use the passive voice to shift focus from the agent to the action or recipient, understanding how passive constructions affect the presentation of information in formal and objective writing

Subject: English · Area: Grammar & Punctuation · Ages 10 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/active-and-passive-voice-mt_gbTyzvnWzr

## Ready when they can

- Convert active sentences to passive voice and explain the change in emphasis
- Identify passive constructions in news reports and scientific writing
- Choose between active and passive voice based on purpose and audience

## Lesson: Active and Passive Voice

In most sentences, the subject does the action. "The chef cooked the meal." Chef is the subject, and chef is doing the cooking. This is called active voice.

Sometimes you flip the sentence around so the thing that received the action comes first. "The meal was cooked by the chef." Now meal is the subject, but meal did not do the cooking. This is called passive voice.

*(drawing: In passive voice, the thing that got the action moves to the front of the sentence.)*

You can flip a passive sentence back to active too. "The kite was flown by Dad" becomes "Dad flew the kite." Find the doer after "by," move it to the front, and change the verb back.

**Example.** In a science report, a student could write "We carried out the experiment" (active) or "The experiment was carried out" (passive). Scientists often choose the passive version so the report stays focused on the experiment, not on who did it.

**Tip.** Use active voice when you want to be clear and direct about who did something. Use passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or you want your writing to sound more formal and objective, like in news reports or science reports.

**Recap.** Active voice starts with the doer of the action, and passive voice starts with the receiver of the action, often leaving the doer out altogether.

## Practice

24 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Past, Present and Progressive Tense](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/past-present-and-progressive-tense-mt_enj1sMcfOT)
- [Subject-verb agreement](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/subject-verb-agreement-mt_u7Jxjjatkh)

## Opens up

- [Grammar Terms: Voice and Punctuation](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/grammar-terms-voice-and-punctuation-mt_hzkNpp2PdV)
- [Verb Voice and Mood](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/verb-voice-and-mood-mt_N5tciHU8cE)