What is the main difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice, the subject performs the action; in passive voice, the subject receives the action.

Change the following sentence from active to passive voice: 'The chef baked the cake.'

The cake was baked by the chef.

Because formal writing often focuses on actions, and the doer of the action is not always important.

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When you don't know who performed the action.

Grade 10th Grade · ELA · 60 min

I can use passive voice to talk about how things are made or done

BBC Learning English · 2:37

What's the passive voice? Ask BBC Learning English

3 key concepts

1
In the passive voice, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
2
The passive voice is often used in formal writing to focus on actions rather than the person doing them, or when the actor is unknown.
3
To form the passive voice, use the verb 'be' in the appropriate tense plus the past participle of the main verb.

12 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Quick comprehension check

“Describe how paper is recycled using the passive voice. Give at least three steps.”

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