The short answer
Grammarly flags passive voice as a style warning — not a grammar error. It is not saying your sentence is wrong. It is saying your sentence could be clearer. Passive voice is sometimes the perfect choice. The trick is knowing when.
First — what is passive voice in plain English?
Every sentence has two main players: the doer (the person or thing doing the action) and the receiver (the person or thing the action happens to).
In an active sentence, the doer comes first. In a passive sentence, the receiver comes first — and the doer is pushed to the end or removed completely.
Active
“Amirul ate the mango.”
Doer (Amirul) → comes first. Short, clear, direct.
Passive
“The mango was eaten by Amirul.”
Receiver (the mango) → comes first. Doer is pushed to the end.
Passive (doer hidden)
“The mango was eaten.”
The doer is completely removed. We don't know who ate it.
So why does Grammarly flag it?
Think of it this way. When you read a passive sentence, your brain has to do extra work. It reads the whole sentence, reaches the end, finds the doer — and then mentally goes back to re-connect everything.
Active sentences are easier to read because the doer comes first. You know immediately who did what.
Grammarly's 3 reasons for flagging passive voice
It hides the doer
When you remove 'who did it', the sentence becomes vague. This is a problem in emails, reports, and exam writing.
It makes sentences longer
Passive sentences almost always have more words than their active version. More words = more effort for the reader.
It can sound weak
Active sentences sound confident. Passive sentences sound indirect — like someone is avoiding responsibility.
Passive → Active: before and after
Here are real examples of passive sentences and how Grammarly would suggest fixing them. Notice how the active version is always shorter and more direct.
Passive (Grammarly flags this)
Mistakes were made by the team.
Active (Grammarly prefers this)
The team made mistakes.
💡 The doer (the team) was buried at the end. Active puts it first.
Passive (Grammarly flags this)
The email was not replied to by anyone.
Active (Grammarly prefers this)
Nobody replied to the email.
💡 Passive needed 9 words. Active needed 5.
Passive (Grammarly flags this)
It has been decided that the meeting will be postponed.
Active (Grammarly prefers this)
We have decided to postpone the meeting.
💡 Passive hides who decided. Active is clear and direct.
Passive (Grammarly flags this)
Your application is being reviewed by our team.
Active (Grammarly prefers this)
Our team is reviewing your application.
💡 Active sounds more personal and confident.
Is Grammarly always right? No.
Grammarly flags every passive sentence — even the perfectly correct ones. There are situations where passive voice is the right choice and changing it to active would actually make your sentence worse.
“My phone was stolen.”
You cannot say 'Someone stole my phone' if you have no idea who. Passive is correct here.
“The Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century.”
We all know it was built by Shah Jahan's workers. The action matters more than the doer.
“The samples were tested at 37°C.”
In science reports, the method matters — not the person who did it. Passive is standard.
“Three arrested in Delhi robbery.”
News often uses passive when the doer is unknown or being investigated.
“The President was greeted by thousands of supporters.”
The President is the focus of the story — so the President comes first. Passive is intentional.
How to form passive voice — the simple formula
Every passive sentence follows one formula:
Subject + is / am / are / was / were / been + past participle
The form of “be” changes with the tense. The past participle (eaten, written, stolen) never changes.
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | She writes the report. | The report is written by her. |
| Simple Past | She wrote the report. | The report was written by her. |
| Present Continuous | She is writing the report. | The report is being written by her. |
| Past Continuous | She was writing the report. | The report was being written by her. |
| Present Perfect | She has written the report. | The report has been written by her. |
| Past Perfect | She had written the report. | The report had been written by her. |
| Simple Future | She will write the report. | The report will be written by her. |
| Modal (can/must/etc.) | She can write the report. | The report can be written by her. |
Exam tip — SSC CGL / CHSL / IBPS
These exams do not ask you to convert passive to active. They test whether you formed the passive correctly. The most common errors in exam questions are:
- The letter was wrote by him.The letter was written by him.
Wrong past participle — 'wrote' is simple past, not past participle.
- The work is been completed.The work has been completed.
Wrong auxiliary — 'is been' is not a valid form. Use 'has been' for present perfect passive.
- She was knowing the answer.She knew the answer.
Stative verbs like 'know' cannot be made continuous — active or passive.
- The song is being sang.The song is being sung.
Wrong past participle — 'sang' is simple past. Past participle of 'sing' is 'sung'.
🤖 AI writing tip
When Grammarly underlines your passive sentence, don't automatically change it. Ask yourself: “Do I know who did this? Does the reader need to know?” If yes — switch to active. If no — keep the passive. Grammarly is a tool, not a teacher. You make the final call.
Quick reference — active or passive?
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| You know who did it and it matters | Active ✓ |
| You don't know who did it | Passive ✓ |
| The doer is obvious or unimportant | Passive ✓ |
| Formal / scientific writing | Passive ✓ |
| Everyday emails and conversations | Active ✓ |
| You want to sound confident and direct | Active ✓ |
| The receiver is the focus of your sentence | Passive ✓ |
Read Next
Active & Passive Voice — 10 Rules
Deep chapter: causative passive, modal passive, intransitive verbs — 10 MCQs
Error Spotting Strategy Guide
How to spot passive voice errors in SSC CGL and IBPS questions
Stative Verbs — Why They Can't Be Passive Continuous
Know, understand, belong — the verbs that break passive continuous
Why Is 'More Better' Wrong?
Another Grammarly classic — the double comparative error explained