100 examples of Active and Passive voice

Active and passive voice are two different ways to present information in a sentence. In an active voice sentence, the subject performs the action. In a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action. Here are 100 examples of active and passive voice sentences to help you understand the difference.

See also 50 sentences of active and passive voice.

Active voice

Active voice is a grammatical construction in English where the subject of a sentence performs the action of the verb. In other words, the focus of the sentence is on the subject that is performing the action, rather than on the object or the thing that is being acted upon.

To form an active sentence, you need to use a subject, a verb, and an object. For example, consider the following sentence: “John kicked the ball.” Here, “John” is the subject, “kicked” is the verb, and “the ball” is the object. The sentence is in active voice because the subject “John” is performing the action of the verb “kicked” on the object “the ball.”

The active voice is used in situations where the speaker wants to emphasize the person or thing performing the action, rather than the object of the sentence. It is also used to make writing more concise and direct, and to create sentences that are more engaging and dynamic.

By using active voice, sentences can be made more straightforward, and readers can quickly understand who or what is performing the action. For example, “The teacher graded the papers” is a much more concise and direct sentence than “The papers were graded by the teacher” which is in passive voice.

Overall, active voice is an important tool for effective communication in English, allowing writers to create clear, concise, and engaging sentences that convey their intended message in a direct and effective way.

100 examples of Active Voice:

1. John eats pizza.
2. The dog chased the cat.
3. The teacher graded the exam.
4. We visited the museum.
5. The kids played outside.
6. Sarah sings beautifully.
7. The bird flew away.
8. The baby cried all night.
9. The chef cooked dinner.
10. The students read books.
11. The athlete ran the race.
12. The waiter brought the food.
13. My friend wrote a letter.
14. The farmer harvested the crops.
15. The doctor examined the patient.
16. The mechanic fixed the car.
17. The artist painted a picture.
18. The child drew a picture.
19. The musician played the guitar.
20. The police officer arrested the thief.
21. The fireman put out the fire.
22. The athlete lifted weights.
23. The teacher taught the lesson.
24. The coach trained the team.
25. The actor performed on stage.
26. The singer recorded a song.
27. The dancer practiced the routine.
28. The construction worker built the house.
29. The engineer designed the bridge.
30. The writer wrote a book.
31. The scientist conducted experiments.
32. The astronaut went to space.
33. The businessman made a deal.
34. The model walked down the runway.
35. The carpenter built a table.
36. The swimmer broke the record.
37. The gardener planted flowers.
38. The plumber fixed the leak.
39. The cashier rang up the sale.
40. The chef prepared the meal.
41. The driver drove the car.
42. The teacher assigned homework.
43. The student completed the assignment.
44. The doctor prescribed medication.
45. The artist sketched a portrait.
46. The musician composed a song.
47. The athlete competed in the event.
48. The lawyer defended the client.
49. The journalist wrote an article.
50. The electrician fixed the wiring.
51. The photographer took a picture.
52. The pilot flew the plane.
53. The sailor navigated the ship.
54. The soldier defended the country.
55. The dentist cleaned the teeth.
56. The hairdresser cut the hair.
57. The waiter took the order.
58. The gardener trimmed the hedges.
59. The librarian checked out a book.
60. The athlete kicked the ball.
61. The speaker gave a speech.
62. The baby ate the food.
63. The children built a sandcastle.
64. The painter painted the house.
65. The musician played the piano.
66. The chef baked a cake.
67. The teacher explained the lesson.
68. The coach motivated the team.
69. The writer edited the manuscript.
70. The scientist discovered a new species.
71. The astronaut orbited the Earth.
72. The model posed for a photo shoot.
73. The carpenter cut the wood.
74. The swimmer won the race.
75. The gardener watered the plants.
76. The plumber installed a faucet.
77. The cashier gave change.
78. The chef seasoned the dish.
79. The driver parked the car.
80. The teacher corrected the test.
81. The student learned the lesson.
82. The doctor diagnosed the illness.
83. The artist sculpted a statue.
84. The musician sang a song.
85. The athlete scored a goal.
86. The lawyer filed a lawsuit.
87. The journalist interviewed
88. The electrician installed a light fixture.
89. The photographer developed the film.
90. The pilot landed the plane.
91. The sailor docked the ship.
92. The soldier fought in the war.
93. The dentist filled a cavity.
94. The hairdresser styled the hair.
95. The waiter served the food.
96. The gardener planted a tree.
97. The librarian shelved a book.
98. The athlete threw the ball.
99. The speaker gave a presentation.
100. The baby slept through the night.

Passive voice

Passive voice is a grammatical construction in English where the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb, rather than performing the action itself. In other words, the focus of the sentence is on the object or the thing that is being acted upon, rather than on the subject that is performing the action.

To form a passive sentence, you need to use the auxiliary verb “be” followed by the past participle form of the main verb. For example, consider the following active sentence: “John kicked the ball.” In passive voice, this sentence would be rephrased as “The ball was kicked by John.” Here, the subject of the sentence “the ball” receives the action of the verb “was kicked” instead of “John” performing the action.

The passive voice is used in situations where the speaker wants to emphasize the object of the sentence, rather than the subject. It is also used when the subject is unknown or unimportant, or when the focus is on the action itself rather than on the person or thing performing the action. For example, in a scientific report, it may be more appropriate to use passive voice to describe the results of an experiment, rather than using an active voice sentence that focuses on the researcher who performed the experiment.

However, it is important to note that overuse of the passive voice can make sentences seem wordy, unclear, and lacking in energy. Therefore, it is generally recommended to use the active voice when possible, as it is more concise and direct, and allows for more engaging and dynamic sentences.

100 examples of Passive Voice:

1. Pizza is eaten by John.
2. The cat was chased by the dog.
3. The exam was graded by the teacher.
4. The museum was visited by us.
5. Outside was played by the kids.
6. Beautifully is sung by Sarah.
7. Away was flown by the bird.
8. All night was cried by the baby.
9. Dinner was cooked by the chef.
10. Books were read by the students.
11. The race was run by the athlete.
12. The food was brought by the waiter.
13. A letter was written by my friend.
14. Crops were harvested by the farmer.
15. The patient was examined by the doctor.
16. The car was fixed by the mechanic.
17. A picture was painted by the artist.
18. A picture was drawn by the child.
19. The guitar was played by the musician.
20. The thief was arrested by the police officer.
21. The fire was put out by the fireman.
22. Weights were lifted by the athlete.
23. The lesson was taught by the teacher.
24. The team was trained by the coach.
25. A song was performed on stage by the actor.
26. A song was recorded by the singer.
27. The routine was practiced by the dancer.
28. The house was built by the construction worker.
29. The bridge was designed by the engineer.
30. A book was written by the writer.
31. Experiments were conducted by the scientist.
32. Space was visited by the astronaut.
33. A deal was made by the businessman.
34. The runway was walked down by the model.
35. A table was built by the carpenter.
36. The record was broken by the swimmer.
37. Flowers were planted by the gardener.
38. The leak was fixed by the plumber.
39. The sale was rung up by the cashier.
40. The meal was prepared by the chef.
41. The car was driven by the driver.
42. Homework was assigned by the teacher.
43. The assignment was completed by the student.
44. Medication was prescribed by the doctor.
45. A portrait was sketched by the artist.
46. A song was composed by the musician.
47. The event was competed in by the athlete.
48. The client was defended by the lawyer.
49. An article was written by the journalist.
50. The wiring was fixed by the electrician.
51. A picture was taken by the photographer.
52. The plane was flown by the pilot.
53. The ship was navigated by the sailor.
54. The country was defended by the soldier.
55. The teeth were cleaned by the dentist.
56. The hair was cut by the hairdresser.
57. The order was taken by the waiter.
58. The hedges were trimmed by the gardener.
59. A book was checked out by the librarian.
60. The ball was kicked by the athlete.
61. The speech was given by the speaker.
62. The food was eaten by the baby.
63. A sandcastle was built by the children.
64. The house was painted by my friend.
65. The TV was watched by the family.
66. The clothes were folded by the laundry worker.
67. The trees were planted by the conservationist.
68. The car was washed by the car washer.
69. The film was directed by the director.
70. The artwork was exhibited by the artist.
71. The cake was baked by the baker.
72. The game was won by the team.
73. The decision was made by the committee.
74. The route was mapped by the cartographer.
75. The dish was cooked by the home cook.
76. The book was translated by the translator.
77. The medicine was dispensed by the pharmacist.
78. The document was translated by the interpreter.
79. The contract was signed by the parties involved.
80. The proposal was approved by the board.
81. The land was surveyed by the surveyor.
82. The software was developed by the software engineer.
83. The show was produced by the producer.
84. The sculpture was crafted by the sculptor.
85. The meal was served by the caterer.
86. The car was parked by the driver.
87. The house was cleaned by the cleaner.
88. The picture was hung by the picture hanger.
89. The music was composed by the composer.
90. The fire was started by the camper.
91. The gift was wrapped by the gift wrapper.
92. The speech was delivered by the speaker.
93. The luggage was carried by the porter.
94. The design was created by the designer.
95. The message was conveyed by the messenger.
96. The software was installed by the IT technician.
97. The job was completed by the contractor.
98. The presentation was made by the presenter.
99. The parcel was delivered by the courier.
100. The cake was decorated by the cake decorator.

In conclusion, using active and passive voice is important for communication clarity and variety in sentence structure. While the active voice is generally preferred for its clarity and brevity, the passive voice has its own uses and can be helpful in certain contexts. By being aware of the difference between active and passive voice, you can effectively convey your intended message and enhance the readability of your writing.