How to identify passive voice

PassiveVoiceChecker editorial · Updated November 10, 2026 · 2 min read

A sentence is in the passive voice when a form of *be* (or *get*) is followed by a past participle and the subject receives the action. Three quick tests find it: look for *be* + participle, add "by zombies" after the verb, and try "very" in front of the participle to rule out adjectives.

Test 1: be + past participle

Find the verb phrase. If it is a form of be — am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being — or a form of get, followed within a word or two by a past participle, the sentence is a candidate for passive. Past participles are the -ed forms (denied, reviewed, signed) and the irregular ones (written, taken, built, paid, done, seen, given, made).

Test 2: the zombie test

Rebecca Johnson, a professor at Marine Corps University, posted the rule in 2012: if you can insert “by zombies” after the verb, you have passive voice.

• “The invoice was paid by zombies.” Makes sense → passive.
• “The clerk paid the invoice by zombies.” Nonsense → active.
• “Mistakes were made by zombies.” Makes sense → passive (and now we know who to blame).

It fails in one direction: adjectives after be pass the test too. “I was tired by zombies” sounds almost plausible. That is what Test 3 is for.

Test 3: the “very” test for look-alikes

Many -ed words are adjectives that happen to be shaped like participles: interested, tired, excited, bored, worried, pleased, surprised, married, located. If you can put “very” in front of the word, it is an adjective and the sentence is not passive.

• “She was very interested.” Works → adjective → not passive.
• “The report was very written.” Does not work → participle → passive.
• “The store was very closed.” Does not work, but “closed” can still be a state. Ambiguous; our checker calls it “probably passive.”

Practice: which sentence is in passive voice?

Decide, then check the answers.

1. The committee postponed the vote.
2. The vote was postponed until Thursday.
3. The members were disappointed by the delay.
4. There were several objections.
5. The objections have been noted.
6. We are reviewing the objections now.
7. The minutes will be circulated on Friday.
8. The chair got outvoted.

Answers. 2, 5, 7 and 8 are passive (was postponed, have been noted, will be circulated, got outvoted). 1 and 6 are active. 4 is active — “there were” is a linking verb. 3 is an adjective: “very disappointed” works, so “disappointed” describes a state; the “by the delay” phrase names a cause, and the sentence can be rewritten actively as “The delay disappointed the members,” which is why our engine rates it “probably passive.”

For a longer set with instant feedback, take the passive voice quiz, or paste any text into the checker to see every passive marked.

Questions people ask

Which sentence is in passive voice?

The one where a form of be is followed by a past participle and the subject is acted upon. Of “The dog chased the ball” and “The ball was chased by the dog,” the second is passive.

What are the signs of passive voice?

A form of be (am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being) or get followed by a past participle (written, taken, -ed forms); a “by” phrase naming the doer; or a sentence where the thing acted on comes first and nobody is named as acting.

Is "was" always passive voice?

No. “Was” is passive only with a past participle after it. “She was happy” (adjective) and “She was running” (progressive) are active.

What is the zombie test?

Add “by zombies” after the verb. If the sentence still makes sense (“The report was written by zombies”), it is passive. Rebecca Johnson of Marine Corps University posted it in 2012 and it has spread to writing centres everywhere.

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Open the full checker for benchmarks and longer texts.

Sources

• Purdue OWL — Active versus passive voice
• Rebecca Johnson's 'by zombies' test (GalleyCat, 2013)