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Rules›Passive or Active
B1

Passive or Active

The passive moves the focus onto the receiver and can drop the doer; the active keeps the doer in front. A by + agent phrase is added only when the doer is worth naming.

  1. which voice fits

    When to use it
    The passive fits when the doer is unknown — the event matters, not the person: My bike was stolen.
    The passive also fits when the result matters more than the doer — common in notices and processes: Breakfast is served from 7 to 10.
    The active wins when the doer is the key information: Maria wrote the report.
    What comes first becomes the topic, so the receiver goes first in the passive: Coffee is grown in Brazil.

    Build an example

    Context
    Example
    My bikewasstolen

    My bike was stolen last night.

    Good choice: the doer is unknown, so passive puts the focus on the result.

    Signal words
    unknown doernot importantresultprocessformal noticenews report
    Common mistake
    Someone broke the window last night.The window was broken last night.
    The broken window is the news; the doer is unknown, so the passive fits better.
    ✗ The passive is always better because it sounds more formal.
    ✓ The passive helps with focus, not with every sentence. When the doer matters, the active is clearer and more natural.