100 passive voice examples

PassiveVoiceChecker editorial · Updated November 9, 2026 · 6 min read

Every example below pairs a passive sentence with its active rewrite. The first fifty are grouped by tense so you can see the *be* + past participle pattern change shape; the rest are grouped by the kind of writing they come from. The last ten are passives that should stay passive.

By tense

Simple present

1. The premium is calculated from payroll. → The carrier calculates the premium from payroll.
2. Claims are handled by a third-party administrator. → A third-party administrator handles claims.
3. Dinner is served at seven. → The kitchen serves dinner at seven.
4. The form is signed by both parties. → Both parties sign the form.
5. These parts are made in Vermont. → A factory in Vermont makes these parts.
6. The office is cleaned every evening. → A crew cleans the office every evening.

Present progressive

7. The claim is being processed. → We are processing the claim.
8. The road is being repaved this summer. → The county is repaving the road this summer.
9. Your request is being reviewed. → A supervisor is reviewing your request.
10. The samples are being tested now. → The lab is testing the samples now.

Present perfect

11. Your application has been received. → We have received your application.
12. The contract has been signed by both parties. → Both parties have signed the contract.
13. The results have been reviewed by counsel. → Counsel has reviewed the results.
14. All findings have been addressed. → We have addressed all findings.
15. The deadline has been extended. → The court has extended the deadline.

Simple past

16. The report was written by the manager. → The manager wrote the report.
17. The window was broken during the storm. → The storm broke the window.
18. The suspect was arrested by the police. → The police arrested the suspect.
19. Mistakes were made. → We made mistakes.
20. The decision was made by the board. → The board made the decision.
21. The bridge was built in 1932. → Workers built the bridge in 1932.
22. The letter was sent on Monday. → She sent the letter on Monday.
23. The kids were taken to school by their grandmother. → Their grandmother took the kids to school.
24. The invoice was paid late. → The client paid the invoice late.
25. The meeting was cancelled. → The chair cancelled the meeting.

Past progressive

26. The ledger was being examined by the auditors. → The auditors were examining the ledger.
27. The house was being painted when we arrived. → Painters were painting the house when we arrived.
28. The witnesses were being questioned separately. → Detectives were questioning the witnesses separately.

Past perfect

29. The letter had been sent before the deadline. → She had sent the letter before the deadline.
30. The evidence had been destroyed. → Someone had destroyed the evidence.
31. The tickets had been sold out for weeks. → The venue had sold out the tickets weeks earlier.

Future and future perfect

32. The policy will be issued next week. → The carrier will issue the policy next week.
33. Your refund will be processed within five days. → We will process your refund within five days.
34. The minutes will be circulated on Friday. → The secretary will circulate the minutes on Friday.
35. The work will have been completed by June. → The crew will have completed the work by June.

Modal passives

36. The form must be signed before Friday. → You must sign the form before Friday.
37. Receipts should be kept for seven years. → Keep receipts for seven years.
38. The claim can be filed online. → You can file the claim online.
39. Guards must be installed on all moving parts. → You must install guards on all moving parts.
40. The fee could be waived. → We could waive the fee.
41. The hearing may be postponed. → The judge may postpone the hearing.

Infinitive and gerund passives

42. The roof needs to be replaced. → We need to replace the roof.
43. The report is expected to be released Friday. → The agency expects to release the report Friday.
44. There is nothing to be done. → There is nothing we can do.
45. She hates being told what to do. → She hates it when people tell her what to do.

Get-passives

46. He got fired after the audit. → The company fired him after the audit.
47. She got promoted last spring. → Her manager promoted her last spring.
48. The window got broken. → Someone broke the window.
49. They got caught in the rain. → The rain caught them.
50. The package got lost in the mail. → The postal service lost the package.

By kind of writing

Business and customer emails

51. Your order has been shipped. → We have shipped your order.
52. Your feedback has been forwarded to the relevant team. → I have forwarded your feedback to the billing team.
53. The proposal was rejected. → The committee rejected the proposal.
54. A new CEO was appointed in March. → The board appointed a new CEO in March.
55. The error was quickly corrected. → Our engineers quickly corrected the error.
56. All employees are required to complete the training. → All employees must complete the training.
57. The invoice will be sent by the end of the month. → We will send the invoice by the end of the month.
58. Your account has been suspended. → We have suspended your account.
59. The meeting has been rescheduled for Monday. → I have rescheduled the meeting for Monday.
60. It was agreed that the fee would be waived. → We agreed to waive the fee.

Academic and scientific

61. The data were collected over six months. → We collected the data over six months.
62. The experiment was repeated three times. → We repeated the experiment three times.
63. Participants were asked to complete a survey. → We asked participants to complete a survey.
64. The samples were stored at −80 °C. → We stored the samples at −80 °C.
65. It is believed that the mechanism involves calcium. → Researchers believe the mechanism involves calcium.
66. The hypothesis was supported by the results. → The results supported the hypothesis.
67. The study was approved by the ethics committee. → The ethics committee approved the study.
68. Previous work has been criticised for small samples. → Reviewers have criticised previous work for small samples.
69. The theory was first proposed in 1905. → Einstein first proposed the theory in 1905.
70. The variables were controlled for age and income. → We controlled the variables for age and income.

Legal and insurance

71. The policy was issued on 1 March. → The carrier issued the policy on 1 March.
72. Coverage is excluded for intentional acts. → The policy excludes coverage for intentional acts.
73. The defendant was found guilty. → The jury found the defendant guilty.
74. Notice must be given within 30 days. → You must give notice within 30 days.
75. The loss was reported to the carrier the same day. → The insured reported the loss to the carrier the same day.
76. The contract was breached when payment was withheld. → The buyer breached the contract when it withheld payment.
77. The claim was denied for late notice. → The adjuster denied the claim for late notice.
78. The premium is determined by the classification code. → The classification code determines the premium.
79. The audit was conducted by an outside firm. → An outside firm conducted the audit.
80. Benefits are paid biweekly. → The carrier pays benefits biweekly.

News and public statements

81. The bill was passed by the Senate. → The Senate passed the bill.
82. Three people were injured in the crash. → The crash injured three people.
83. The building was destroyed by the earthquake. → The earthquake destroyed the building.
84. The mayor was criticised for the delay. → Residents criticised the mayor for the delay.
85. Shots were fired. → Someone fired shots.
86. The suspect has been identified. → Police have identified the suspect.
87. The town was evacuated. → Officials evacuated the town.
88. The film was directed by a first-time filmmaker. → A first-time filmmaker directed the film.
89. The record was broken twice this season. → Two athletes broke the record this season.
90. The deal was announced yesterday. → The two companies announced the deal yesterday.

Ten passives that should stay passive

91. My car was stolen last night. (Doer unknown.)
92. He was born in 1960. (Conventional; “born” is effectively an adjective.)
93. Penicillin was discovered in 1928. (The discovery is the topic.)
94. The suspect was arrested on Tuesday. (The arrester is obvious.)
95. The bridge was built in 1932 and was widened in 1978. (Keeps one subject across both clauses.)
96. Your application was not successful. (Deliberate tact.)
97. The samples were centrifuged for ten minutes. (Procedure matters; the technician does not.)
98. The rule is applied whenever payroll exceeds the threshold. (The law itself is the actor.)
99. The museum was founded in 1870. (Founder is in the next sentence.)
100. Rome was not built in a day. (Idiom; nobody rewrites proverbs.)

Paste any of these into the checker to see how the engine scores them, or try the quiz to test yourself on which sentences are passive, active or adjectival.

Questions people ask

What is an example of a passive voice sentence?

“The report was written by the manager.” The subject (the report) receives the action; the doer (the manager) comes after “by.” The active version is “The manager wrote the report.”

What are 5 examples of passive voice?

The claim was denied. The road is being repaved. The contract has been signed. The policy will be issued Monday. Mistakes were made.

What is an example of passive voice with no doer?

“The window was broken overnight.” No one is named. This is the agentless passive, the most common kind, and it is correct when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Can you give an example where passive voice is better?

“Penicillin was discovered in 1928.” The discovery is the topic; Fleming can wait for the next sentence. Or “My car was stolen” — the thief is unknown.

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Sources

• Purdue OWL — Active versus passive voice