Reading and Writing · 14 · Grammar Foundations
Active and Passive Voice
Notes
Key points
- Active: the subject does the action. “The chef cooked the meal.”
- Passive: the subject receives it — be + past participle. “The meal was cooked.”
- Passive is grammatical — not automatically wrong on the SAT.
- Passive fits when the doer is unknown or unimportant: “The tomb was found in 1922.”
- Opening modifier? The doer must come right after the comma — usually the active choice.
Rules
Passive needs a form of “be” plus a past participle.
The letters were written in 1850.
The letters written in 1850.
After an opening modifier, name the doer immediately.
Having studied the fossils, the team identified a new species.
Having studied the fossils, a new species was identified by the team.
Common traps
- Eliminating a choice just because it is passive — check grammar and modifiers first.
- After “Using new data,” picking a subject that can't be the one using it.
SAT tip
Opening phrase + blank? The answer starts with whoever performed that action — often the active-voice choice.
Test yourself
10 official SAT questions on Active and Passive Voice, easiest first.