When to Use Active vs Passive
Both voices are correct — the choice depends on what you want to emphasise. In academic writing, the passive is common because it focuses on the action or finding rather than the person doing it. In PTE and IELTS essays, using both voices shows grammatical range.
Forming the Passive
Formula: Object + be (in correct tense) + past participle (+ by + agent, if needed)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Scientists conduct experiments. | Experiments are conducted by scientists. |
| The government introduced the policy. | The policy was introduced (by the government). |
| Researchers have shown this. | This has been shown (by researchers). |
| They will publish the results. | The results will be published. |
When to Use Passive in Academic Writing
- When the agent is obvious, unknown, or unimportant: “The data was collected over six months.”
- When you want to emphasise the action or result: “Three key findings were identified.”
- To avoid overusing “I” in formal essays: “It is argued that…” / “It can be seen that…”
Common Errors
- ❌ “The problem was solved by using technology.” — grammatically correct but wordy. ✓ “Technology solved the problem.” (active is cleaner here)
- ❌ “The report was written by him last year very quickly.” — too many qualifiers after the passive verb. Restructure.
- Mixing active/passive randomly within a paragraph — be intentional about your choice.
Practice Drill
Convert to passive:
- “The committee approved the budget.” → ___
- “Experts have warned about the risks.” → ___
Answers: 1. The budget was approved (by the committee). | 2. The risks have been warned about by experts. / Warning about the risks has been issued by experts.