There was a feud between Kobe and Shaq, so the dynamic partners _____(break up) in 2004 Hi Jeremy, The separation was definitely in the past, as "was" is used in the sentence. There is nothing unnatural about using either active voice or active voice. It all depends on what you would like to emphasise (subject or object). For example, it would probably frustrate your readers if you wrote a recipe in passive voice all the time. Example: The salt is sprinkled on the soup before the soup is being served. VS Sprinkle some salt on the soup before serving. On the contrary, we may use passive voice to describe the plight of a victim in court. Example: The victim was violently kicked in the head. The entire altercation was witnessed by a large crowd. Back to your question, It is fine to use "broke up". If "were broken up", is acceptable, then there could be some indication of the circumstance which caused them to break up or some people who acted to break them up. It really depends on what the rest of the passage says. Hope this helps. Cheers, Lance