Which sentence uses active voice?

Which sentence uses active voice?

• A. The ball was thrown by John.
• B. John threw the ball.
• C. The ball is throwing by John.
• D. The ball was throwing by John.

Answer: (B)

Active voice means the subject performs the action. In this sentence, John is the one doing the throwing, so the subject comes first and the verb shows the action directly: John threw the ball. It’s direct, concise, and clearly identifies who is doing what to whom. The other options shift focus to the ball or use an incorrect form. The ball was thrown by John uses a passive structure, where the ball is the focus and the action is done by John. The remaining two are not proper constructions for English tense and voice, so they don’t express the action with the subject as the doer.

Active voice means the subject performs the action. In this sentence, John is the one doing the throwing, so the subject comes first and the verb shows the action directly: John threw the ball. It’s direct, concise, and clearly identifies who is doing what to whom.

The other options shift focus to the ball or use an incorrect form. The ball was thrown by John uses a passive structure, where the ball is the focus and the action is done by John. The remaining two are not proper constructions for English tense and voice, so they don’t express the action with the subject as the doer.