It is when the subject is doing the action.
The last cookie was eaten by whom?
Who ate the last cookie?
Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter.
Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry.
Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah.
DAILY DOUBLE!!!
Penn State won the National Championship in 1982 and 1986.
The sentence is in active voice.
The victory will be celebrated by the team tomorrow.
The team will celebrate their victory tomorrow.
The science class viewed the comet.
The comet was viewed by the science class.
The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew.
The metal beams were eventually corroded by the saltwater.
The saltwater eventually corroded the metal beams.
We are going to watch a movie tonight.
A movie is going to be watched by us tonight.
The staff is required to watch a safety video every year.
The following sentence is using active voice.
Thousands of tourists view the Grand Canyon every year.
Sugar cane is raised by some people in Hawaii.
Some people raise sugar cane in Hawaii.
DAILY DOUBLE!!!!
The teacher always answers the students’ questions.
The students’ questions are always answered by the teacher.
When the subject receives the action it is called...
In our writing, we mostly use passive writing.
Instructions will be given to you by the director.
The director will give you instructions.
The critic wrote a scathing review.
A scathing review was written by the critic.