Active vs Passive Voice: A KS3 English Guide

In an active sentence, the subject performs the action: "The dog bit the postman." In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action: "The postman was bitten by the dog." Both sentences convey the same event, but they place the spotlight on different participants — and that choice shapes meaning.

What is an active sentence?

An active sentence has the structure Subject → Verb → Object. The subject is the doer; it performs the verb on the object.

Subject (doer) | Verb | Object (receiver)
The council | demolished | the old library.
Shakespeare | wrote | Macbeth in around 1606.
The pupil | submitted | the essay on time.

Active sentences tend to feel direct, energetic and clear. They make it immediately obvious who is responsible for an action. Most everyday writing — journalism, personal narratives, clear argument — defaults to the active voice because it is easier to read quickly.

What is a passive sentence?

A passive sentence reverses the typical subject-verb-object order. The structure is Subject (receiver) → to be + past participle → (optional: by + agent).

Passive sentence | Active equivalent
The old library was demolished. | The council demolished the old library.
Macbeth was written in around 1606. | Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in around 1606.
The essay was submitted on time. | The pupil submitted the essay on time.

Notice that the passive can omit the agent entirely — we no longer need to state who did the demolishing. That ability to hide the doer is one of the most important effects of the passive voice.

How do you spot a passive verb?

A passive verb always contains two parts: a form of the verb to be (is, are, was, were, will be, has been, and so on) followed by a past participle (usually ending in -ed or an irregular form like written, broken, stolen).

Quick test: find the main verb and ask, "Is the grammatical subject performing this action or receiving it?" If the subject is receiving it, the sentence is passive.

"The data was collected by researchers." → passive (data is receiving the action)

"Researchers collected the data." → active (researchers are performing the action)

For Year 8 and Year 9 students, being able to name the passive voice — and explain why a writer has chosen it — is one of the grammar skills the KS3 National Curriculum specifically requires under language analysis.

Why do writers choose the passive voice?

The passive is not simply "weaker" writing. Skilled writers choose it deliberately for several distinct purposes.

To hide or de-emphasise the agent

Politicians and official bodies often favour the passive when they want to avoid assigning blame or responsibility: "Mistakes were made" rather than "We made mistakes." In analytical writing, spotting this use is a sharp observation to make — it shows you understand how grammar serves purpose.

To foreground the receiver, not the doer

When the receiver of an action is more important than the person who did it, the passive puts that receiver first. "The Crown Jewels were stolen in 1671 by Colonel Blood" places the Crown Jewels (the more significant thing) in the subject position. A science report writes "The samples were heated to 80°C" because the procedure matters, not who held the Bunsen burner.

To create formality or distance

Academic and scientific writing uses the passive to sound objective and impersonal: "It was concluded that..." rather than "We concluded that..." Government documents, legal texts and formal reports do the same.

To vary sentence rhythm

Varying between active and passive sentences creates rhythm and prevents writing from feeling monotonous. A short active sentence following a longer passive construction can create a punchy, emphatic effect.

Annotated example: passive voice in a non-fiction text

Consider the following sentence from a formal report: "Three members of staff were dismissed following the inquiry."

Grammatical observation: This is a passive construction — "were dismissed" is to be + past participle, and the agent (whoever dismissed the staff) is omitted entirely.

Effect: By omitting the agent, the writer avoids identifying exactly who made the decision. The sentence places the consequence (the dismissal) centre-stage rather than the decision-maker. This gives the sentence a formal, institutional tone that implies the action was part of a process rather than a personal choice. In an analytical response, a student might write: "The passive verb phrase 'were dismissed' conceals the agent of the action, suggesting the organisation wants to present the dismissal as a systemic consequence rather than an individual decision, which distances the institution from accountability."

That is the level of analysis KS3 students are building towards in Years 8 and 9.

When should you use active vs passive in your own writing?

For most KS3 writing tasks, the active voice is the better default. It is clearer, more direct and more energetic. Use the passive deliberately when:

You want to omit the agent because they are unknown, unimportant, or better left unstated

You are writing a formal, scientific or impersonal piece where the action matters more than the doer

You want to place emphasis on the receiver of an action rather than the performer

Do not use the passive simply to sound more formal — if it is muddying your meaning, switch back to the active.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change a passive sentence to active?

Find the agent in the "by..." phrase (or infer it if it is hidden) and make it the new subject. Then rewrite: [agent] + [verb] + [original subject]. For example, "The ball was kicked by Marcus" becomes "Marcus kicked the ball." If the agent has been completely omitted, you may need to invent a plausible subject or accept that the sentence should stay passive.

Why do teachers say to avoid the passive voice?

Teachers often advise this because weak passive constructions can make writing vague and lifeless — especially when the agent is hidden unnecessarily. However, the aim is not to eliminate the passive but to use it purposefully. In analytical and persuasive writing, knowing when and why to use it is a sign of genuine grammatical sophistication.

Is the passive voice always wrong in essays?

No. In a literature analysis essay, using the passive is sometimes appropriate and effective. The problem arises when students use it to dodge commitment — for example, "It could be argued that..." instead of "I argue that..." In creative writing and narrative, however, the active voice usually creates more vivid, immediate prose.

What is the difference between passive voice and past tense?

These are completely different grammatical concepts. Tense tells you when an action happened. Voice tells you who is performing the action. You can have a passive sentence in any tense: "The letter is being written" (present passive), "The letter was written" (past passive), "The letter will be written" (future passive). Confusing the two is one of the most common grammar errors at KS3.

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