50 Passive Voice Examples (And How We Fixed Them)

Does your content suffer from vague passive voices?

This common habit hides the action, leaving readers confused and hurting your search rankings. Direct, active sentences command attention and build immediate trust.

Use this swipe file to spot the signs and fix your writing instantly.

Key Takeaways

• What Is Passive Voice: The subject receives the action instead of doing it, creating weak sentence structures.
• Why It Matters: Search engines favor clear text, while passive phrasing inflates reading grade levels.
• The Zombie Test: Insert “by zombies” after the verb, if it makes sense, the sentence is passive.
• Business Impact: Active writing sounds confident and accountable, while passive writing often sounds defensive.
• The Quick Fix: Shift the “doer” to the start of the sentence for instant clarity.

What is Passive Voice? (A Quick Refresher)

Passive voice occurs when the subject of your sentence receives the action rather than performing it. While it is not grammatically incorrect, relying on it effectively hides the ‘doer’ of the action.

This creates vague, scholarly-sounding text that often confuses readers. In content marketing and SEO, using too many passive voice examples can inflate your readability score, making your content harder to rank and digest.

How to Spot It: The Formula and The Zombie Test

• The Mathematical Formula: Look for a form of “to be” (is, are, was, were, be, being, been) followed by a past participle (e.g., was decided, is written).
• The “By Zombies” Test: A classic trick for quick detection. If you can insert “by zombies” after the verb and the sentence still makes grammar sense, it is passive.
  • Passive: “The project was cancelled… [by zombies].” (Grammatically correct).
  • Active: “We cancelled the project… [by zombies].” (Nonsense).

The “Swipe File”: 50 Passive Voice Examples Classified by Category

This section is your practical database of passive vs active sentences examples. We have categorized them by industry so you can access the most relevant context for your writing immediately.

Each example demonstrates the “Before” (Passive) and “After” (Active) states, applying the conversion principles to improve impact.

Category 1: Business & Corporate Communications

In business, clarity equals currency. Ambiguity leads to errors, and errors cost money, specifically research indicates that poor communication costs U.S. businesses approximately $1.2 trillion annually in lost productivity.

Passive voice is a frequent offender in corporate documentation because it obscures the ‘doer,’ creating potential legal liabilities and confusion in strategic alignment. By shifting to active voice, you clarify who is responsible for what, fostering a culture of accountability.

• Example 1 (Reporting):
  • Passive: “Mistakes were made regarding the Q3 budget.”
  • Active: “We made mistakes in the Q3 budget.”
  • Why it works: Taking ownership of errors builds accountability and trust, whereas the passive voice sounds evasive and defensive.
• Example 2 (Process):
  • Passive: “Your application is being processed by our team.”
  • Active: “Our team is processing your application.”
  • Why it works: Highlighting the human team actively working on the task reassures the client that real progress is happening.
• Example 3 (Policy):
  • Passive: “A strict dress code is required to be followed by all employees.”
  • Active: “All employees must follow a strict dress code.”
  • Why it works: Using “must” with an active subject eliminates wiggle room and makes the expectation immediate and clear.
• Example 4 (Operations):
  • Passive: “New security protocols were implemented last week.”
  • Active: “We implemented new security protocols last week.”
  • Why it works: It clarifies exactly who is responsible for the change, demonstrating proactive management.
• Example 5 (Admin):
  • Passive: “The Monday morning meeting was cancelled.”
  • Active: “The manager cancelled the Monday morning meeting.”
  • Why it works: Identifying the decision-maker prevents confusion about whether the cancellation was accidental or intentional.
• Example 6 (Strategy):
  • Passive: “It was decided that the project timeline should be extended.”
  • Active: “The board decided to extend the project timeline.”
  • Why it works: It attributes a major strategic shift to a specific governing body, lending the decision more weight and authority.
• Example 7 (Feedback):
  • Passive: “Your detailed feedback is appreciated.”
  • Active: “We appreciate your detailed feedback.”
  • Why it works: It sounds sincere and personal, creating a genuine connection rather than a robotic acknowledgment.

Pro Tip: In “bad news” scenarios (like Example 1 above), using active voice (“We made a mistake”) builds trust faster than hiding behind passive voice (“Mistakes were made”). Leadership requires directness.

Category 2: Blog Posts & Content Marketing

In content marketing, your goal is to keep readers glued to the page. Passive voice acts as a speed bump, slowing down reading flow and inflating cognitive load.

Search engines prioritize user signals, and data shows that high readability, achieved by keeping passive voice usage below 10%, directly correlates with better engagement metrics. Use active voice to drive action, not just description.

• Example 8 (Introductions):
  • Passive: “In this article, 50 examples will be explored.”
  • Active: “In this article, we will explore 50 examples.”
  • Why it works: It immediately establishes a relationship between the writer (“we”) and the reader, signaling a guided journey.
• Example 9 (Instructional):
  • Passive: “The ‘Publish’ button should be clicked.”
  • Active: “Click the ‘Publish’ button.”
  • Why it works: Imperative active verbs act as direct commands, reducing the cognitive load for users following instructions.
• Example 10 (Strategy):
  • Passive: “SEO best practices are being prioritized in 2024.”
  • Active: “We are prioritizing SEO best practices in 2024.”
  • Why it works: It positions the brand as a current, active participant in industry trends rather than a passive observer.
• Example 11 (Value Proposition):
  • Passive: “Readers are helped by these actionable tips.”
  • Active: “These actionable tips help readers.”
  • Why it works: It puts the value (tips helping) front and center, making the benefit obvious and punchy.
• Example 12 (Social Proof):
  • Passive: “The post was shared by thousands of users.”
  • Active: “Thousands of users shared the post.”
  • Why it works: Emphasizing the “thousands of users” as the subject amplifies the scale of the social proof.
• Example 13 (User Experience):
  • Passive: “Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.”
  • Active: “You can cancel subscriptions at any time.”
  • Why it works: Direct address (“You”) empowers the user, making them feel in control of their account management.
• Example 14 (Advice):
  • Passive: “It is recommended to use clear headers.”
  • Active: “We recommend using clear headers.”
  • Why it works: It establishes the writer’s authority and expertise, turning a general suggestion into professional advice.

Pro Tip: Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60-70. Writing in the active voice is the fastest way to hit this SEO readability benchmark without dumbing down your ideas.

Category 3: Academic & Technical Writing

For decades, the passive voice was the gold standard in academia to maintain ‘objectivity.’ That standard has evolved. Major style guides like APA 7 now explicitly encourage active voice to eliminate ambiguity.

When you write “We analyzed the data” instead of “The data was analyzed,” you take ownership of the methodology. In technical writing, this precision is critical, ambiguity can lead to operational failures.

• Example 15 (Methodology):
  • Passive: “The data was analyzed using Python scripts.”
  • Active: “We analyzed the data using Python scripts.”
  • Why it works: It accurately attributes the scientific work to the researchers, fulfilling modern APA style guidelines for transparency.
• Example 16 (Hypothesis):
  • Passive: “It is believed that the trend will continue.”
  • Active: “Researchers believe the trend will continue.”
  • Why it works: It clarifies exactly whose opinion is being stated, distinguishing proven fact from specific expert consensus.
• Example 17 (Abstracts):
  • Passive: “A significant reduction in server latency was observed.”
  • Active: “We observed a significant reduction in server latency.”
  • Why it works: It frames the result as a direct outcome of the experimenters’ work, making the abstract more compelling.
• Example 18 (Operations):
  • Passive: “The server was rebooted manually.”
  • Active: “The system admin rebooted the server manually.”
  • Why it works: In technical documentation, knowing who performed an action (admin vs. script) is critical for debugging.
• Example 19 (Quality Assurance):
  • Passive: “Stress tests were conducted on the API.”
  • Active: “The QA team conducted stress tests on the API.”
  • Why it works: It assigns clear responsibility for testing, ensuring that the quality assurance process is auditable.
• Example 20 (Development):
  • Passive: “The legacy code was optimized for performance.”
  • Active: “Developers optimized the legacy code for performance.”
  • Why it works: It highlights the human effort and skill involved in the optimization process.
• Example 21 (Results):
  • Passive: “The complete results are shown in Figure 1.”
  • Active: “Figure 1 shows the complete results.”
  • Why it works: It anthropomorphizes the figure slightly to make it an active agent of information, which is punchier and shorter.

Pro Tip: Beware of ‘zombie nouns’ (nominalizations). Instead of writing “Measurement of the resistance was conducted,” write “We measured the resistance.” It saves space and reduces cognitive load, a key principle in technical communication standards.

Category 4: Creative Writing & Storytelling

In storytelling, passive voice is often a sign of ‘timid’ writing. Stephen King, in his guide On Writing, warns that safe, passive verbs rob the narrative of tension.

By defaulting to active voice, you make the reader feel the action rather than just observing it. These passive voice examples help demonstrate how active sentences drive the plot forward and strengthen character agency.

• Example 22 (Action Scenes):
  • Passive: “He was hit by a sudden thought.”
  • Active: “A sudden thought struck him.”
  • Why it works: It makes the thought feel like a physical impact, increasing the visceral tension of the scene.
• Example 23 (Description):
  • Passive: “The room was filled with the smell of coffee.”
  • Active: “The smell of coffee filled the room.”
  • Why it works: It leads with the sensory detail (the smell), pulling the reader immediately into the atmosphere.
• Example 24 (Plot Twists):
  • Passive: “The buried treasure was found by the pirates.”
  • Active: “The pirates found the buried treasure.”
  • Why it works: It focuses on the characters driving the plot (the pirates) rather than the static object (the treasure).
• Example 25 (Character):
  • Passive: “She was loved by everyone in the village.”
  • Active: “Everyone in the village loved her.”
  • Why it works: It emphasizes the collective emotion of the community, making the character’s impact feel more tangible.
• Example 26 (Atmosphere):
  • Passive: “The silence was broken by a terrifying scream.”
  • Active: “A terrifying scream broke the silence.”
  • Why it works: The scream becomes an active force that shatters the calm, creating immediacy and shock.
• Example 27 (Setting):
  • Passive: “Dinner was served late that evening.”
  • Active: “The host served dinner late that evening.”
  • Why it works: It keeps the characters present in the scene, rather than having events happen by ‘magic’.
• Example 28 (Suspense):
  • Passive: “He was chased by shadows down the alley.”
  • Active: “Shadows chased him down the alley.”
  • Why it works: It personifies the shadows, turning them into active antagonists that heighten the sense of danger.

Pro Tip: Break this rule for mystery. “The safe was cracked” creates suspense by hiding the intruder, whereas “John cracked the safe” gives the game away immediately.

Category 5: Legal, HR & Official Documents

Legal and HR documents have a reputation for being impenetrable, but that is a bug, not a feature. In fact, Columbia Law School guidelines explicitly state that modern legal writing prioritizes plain English to reduce liability.

The danger of passive voice here is ambiguity regarding obligation. When a policy states “The form must be signed,” it fails to legally bind a specific person. By shifting to active voice (“The Manager must sign”), you eliminate loopholes and clarify exactly who is responsible.

• Example 29 (Contracts):
  • Passive: “The contract must be signed by both parties.”
  • Active: “Both parties must sign the contract.”
  • Why it works: It clearly identifies the ‘obligor’ (the person required to act), removing any legal ambiguity about who must sign.
• Example 30 (Terms):
  • Passive: “Liability is limited to the cost of the service.”
  • Active: “We limit liability to the cost of the service.”
  • Why it works: It explicitly states that the company (‘We’) is the entity enforcing the limitation, which is legally more robust.
• Example 31 (Employee Handbook):
  • Passive: “Employees are expected to arrive on time.”
  • Active: “We expect employees to arrive on time.”
  • Why it works: It establishes a direct relationship between employer expectations and employee behavior.
• Example 32 (Updates):
  • Passive: “Changes were made to the privacy policy.”
  • Active: “We changed the privacy policy.”
  • Why it works: It signals transparency, showing that the company takes ownership of the modifications.
• Example 33 (Admin):
  • Passive: “Your request has been denied.”
  • Active: “Management denied your request.”
  • Why it works: It attributes the difficult decision to a specific authority figure rather than a faceless system.
• Example 34 (Billing):
  • Passive: “Payment must be made by the 30th.”
  • Active: “You must pay by the 30th.”
  • Why it works: It creates a clear, direct instruction that is harder to ignore or misunderstand than a general statement.
• Example 35 (Governance):
  • Passive: “The new law was passed by Congress.”
  • Active: “Congress passed the new law.”
  • Why it works: It correctly identifies the legislative body responsible for the action, necessary for accurate record-keeping.

Pro Tip: Specificity prevents litigation. Research highlights that overly complex contracts lead to expensive disputes. Use active voice to clearly define the “obligor” (the person required to act) in every clause.

Category 6: Emails & Daily Conversation

Email communication thrives on immediacy. Research into digital correspondence shows that emails written in the active voice generate noticeably fewer misunderstandings and higher engagement.

In fact, comparative studies suggest that active outreach can boost response rates by 20-30% compared to passive phrasing, which often creates psychological distance between the sender and recipient. When you write actively, you sound ready to help, whereas passive voice can make you sound like you are avoiding a paper trail.

• Example 36 (Follow-up):
  • Passive: “The email was sent to you yesterday.”
  • Active: “I sent the email to you yesterday.”
  • Why it works: It confirms personal action (‘I sent’), reassuring the recipient that the task wasn’t automated or forgotten.
• Example 37 (Scheduling):
  • Passive: “Meeting invitations were sent to the team.”
  • Active: “I sent meeting invitations to the team.”
  • Why it works: It clearly identifies the organizer, so team members know exactly who to contact for questions.
• Example 38 (Hearsay):
  • Passive: “I was told that the deadline moved.”
  • Active: “John told me the deadline moved.”
  • Why it works: It cites a specific source (‘John’), transforming a vague rumor into verifiable information.
• Example 39 (Requests):
  • Passive: “It would be appreciated if you could reply.”
  • Active: “I would appreciate if you could reply.”
  • Why it works: It makes the request personal and polite, increasing the social pressure to respond favorably.
• Example 40 (Bad News):
  • Passive: “The deadline was missed due to delays.”
  • Active: “We missed the deadline due to delays.”
  • Why it works: It admits fault directly (‘We missed’), which paradoxically builds more trust than trying to deflect blame.
• Example 41 (Invitations):
  • Passive: “You are invited to the gala.”
  • Active: “We invite you to the gala.”
  • Why it works: It sounds like a warm, personal welcoming from a group rather than a cold, automated notification.
• Example 42 (Apology):
  • Passive: “Confusion was caused by my previous email.”
  • Active: “My previous email caused confusion.”
  • Why it works: It owns the outcome (‘caused confusion’) without using convoluted grammar to hide it.

Pro Tip: Clarity beats politeness. While “It would be appreciated if you could…” feels softer, it often signals a lack of authority. Active requests like “Please submit by 5 PM” respect the recipient’s time by being unambiguous.

Category 7: Sales & Customer Support

In sales and support, passive voice is often interpreted as indifference. Data from customer service surveys indicates that using passive voice in support interactions can lower Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores by 2-5 points.

Customers want to know that a human being is handling their issue, not a system. Active voice (“I fixed your issue”) conveys empathy and capability, while passive voice (“The issue has been fixed”) sounds robotic and defensive.

• Example 43 (Support):
  • Passive: “Your concern has been noted by our team.”
  • Active: “Our team noted your concern.”
  • Why it works: It reassures the customer that specific people (‘Our team’) are paying attention to them.
• Example 44 (Refunds):
  • Passive: “A full refund was issued to your card.”
  • Active: “We issued a full refund to your card.”
  • Why it works: It confirms that the company has taken action, making the financial transaction feel more secure and immediate.
• Example 45 (Sales):
  • Passive: “Discounts are offered to new users.”
  • Active: “We offer discounts to new users.”
  • Why it works: It sounds like a generous gift from the brand (‘We offer’), rather than a generic policy statement.
• Example 46 (Shipping):
  • Passive: “The package was delivered safely.”
  • Active: “The courier delivered the package safely.”
  • Why it works: It specifies exactly who completed the action, which is helpful if there are delivery disputes.
• Example 47 (Guarantee):
  • Passive: “Satisfaction is guaranteed.”
  • Active: “We guarantee satisfaction.”
  • Why it works: It creates a personal pledge from the company, which is far more persuasive than a catchy slogan.
• Example 48 (Help Center):
  • Passive: “Questions can be answered by our bot.”
  • Active: “Our bot can answer your questions.”
  • Why it works: It clarifies the channel of support immediately, managing the customer’s expectations about who they will talk to.
• Example 49 (Security):
  • Passive: “The account was suspended for suspicious activity.”
  • Active: “We suspended the account for suspicious activity.”
  • Why it works: It creates a firm, authoritative stance on security, showing the company is actively protecting the platform.
• Example 50 (Brand Trust):
  • Passive: “Trust is earned through transparency.”
  • Active: “We earn trust through transparency.”
  • Why it works: It transforms a philosophical statement into a direct brand promise and operational value.

Pro Tip: Passive voice distances you from the solution. Customers want partners, not observers. Changing “Your feedback has been recorded” to “I recorded your feedback” proves you are personally invested in their success.

Faster Fix: The Orwellix Passive to Active Converter

Manually hunting down “to be” verbs in a 2,000-word article is not just tedious, it is a drain on your creative energy. While the manual swipe file above is excellent for learning, high-volume content production requires speed. This is where AI-assisted editing bridges the gap between quality and efficiency.

• Time Savings: Research on technical writing indicates that AI-powered assistants save reputable writers approximately 1.8 hours per report, freeing up time for high-value strategic thinking.
• Error Reduction: Corporate studies show that using advanced writing tools reduces grammatical and stylistic errors by 20% per day, equating to 30-70 fewer mistakes per user.
• Productivity Gains: By handling mechanical fixes like passive voice conversion, writers spend 71% fewer idle minutes hesitating, which can boost overall word output by up to 40%.

Enhancing Your Workflow with Orwellix

• Context-Aware Analysis: The tool analyzes sentence structure to distinguish between necessary passive voice and weak phrasing, ensuring high accuracy.
• SEO Scoring: It proactively checks your text against readability algorithms, helping you maintain the recommended <25% passive voice density for optimal search ranking.
• Instant Rephrasing: Get one-click suggestions to flip sentences from passive to active without losing your original nuance.

Try our free Passive to Active Voice Converter to stop editing manually and start writing with impact.

Conclusion

In reviewing 50 examples across distinct industries, from Business and Marketing to Legal and Customer Support, we have seen how active voice consistently outperforms passive phrasing. Business leaders use it to clarify accountability, while marketers leverage it to lower cognitive load and boost SEO. In technical and legal fields, the shift reduces liability and error, whereas in creative writing, sales, and email communication, it builds the psychological closeness necessary to truly engage and convert readers.

While mastering these principles is essential, integrating an intelligent assistant like Orwellix can accelerate your workflow, ensuring consistency without sacrificing speed. Whether you edit by hand or with AI, the goal remains the same: stop hiding behind your words and start leading with them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is passive voice always a grammatical error?

No, it is a stylistic choice, not a grammatical mistake. It becomes a problem only when used excessively, as it obscures the subject and makes sentences harder to read. We recommend using it sparingly, typically in less than 10% of your sentences.

2. How does active voice actually help with SEO?

Active voice creates shorter, punchier sentences that are easier to digest. This improves your “dwell time” (how long readers stay) and lowers your bounce rate, signaling to search engines that your content is high-quality. It also helps you rank for voice search queries, which tend to use natural, active language.

3. When is it acceptable to use passive voice?

Passive voice is useful when the “doer” is unknown or irrelevant. For instance, “The store was robbed” is appropriate because the robber’s identity is unknown. It is also standard in some scientific writing to maintain objectivity (e.g., “The solution was heated”).

4. Can I use passive voice in legal or technical documents?

Yes, but modern guidelines increasingly favor active voice to reduce ambiguity. In legal contracts, active voice clearly defines who is responsible (the “obligor”), preventing costly loopholes. In technical manuals, it ensures users know exactly who needs to perform a task (e.g., “System admin must reset…“).

5. Does the Passive to Active Converter change the meaning of my text?

No, sophisticated tools like Orwellix focus on structural modification without altering the core message. They identify the “hidden” subject and reposition it to the front of the sentence, ensuring the original intent is preserved while enhancing clarity and impact.