This sentence is in the passive voice: “The car was driven by Jim.” You can tell because the subject (Jim) is at the end, which shifts the focus of the sentence to its object (the car). This sentence is in the active voice: “Jim drove the car.” You can tell because Jim, the subject, is doing the action.

• A passive verb is foggier—it’s someone making an observation: “Roy is known to race Miatas.” • Active: “The Taliban captured