Passive Voice

The passive voice is used when we want to focus on the action or the receiver of the action rather than who performs it. It's commonly used in formal writing, scientific texts, and news reports.

Formation

Active: Subject + Verb + Object Passive: Object + be + Past Participle + (by + Agent)

Basic Structure

be + Past Participle

• Present Simple: The house is cleaned every week.
• Past Simple: The letter was written yesterday.
• Present Perfect: The work has been completed.
• Future: The meeting will be held tomorrow.

Tense Forms in Passive Voice

Present Tenses

• Simple: Coffee is grown in Brazil.
• Continuous: The road is being repaired.
• Perfect: The book has been published.

Past Tenses

• Simple: The castle was built in 1200.
• Continuous: The house was being painted.
• Perfect: The work had been finished before we arrived.

Future Tenses

• Simple: The results will be announced tomorrow.
• Perfect: The project will have been completed by June.

Modal Verbs

• The problem can be solved.
• The document must be signed.
• The meeting should be postponed.

When to Use Passive Voice

1. Unknown Agent

When we don't know who performed the action:

• My bike was stolen last night.
• The window has been broken.

2. Unimportant Agent

When who did the action is not important:

• Rice is grown in many countries.
• English is spoken worldwide.

3. Obvious Agent

When it's clear who performed the action:

• The criminal was arrested (by police).
• The patient was examined (by the doctor).

4. Formal or Scientific Writing

• The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
• The data has been analyzed.

5. To Avoid Responsibility

• Mistakes were made.
• The deadline has been missed.

The "By" Agent

We use "by" to show who or what performed the action:

• The novel was written by Shakespeare.
• The house was destroyed by the earthquake.

We often omit the "by" phrase when:

• The agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious
• It makes the sentence too long or awkward

Passive with Two Objects

Some verbs can have two objects. Either can become the subject in passive:

Active: They gave me a present. Passive 1: I was given a present. Passive 2: A present was given to me.

Common verbs: give, send, show, tell, teach, offer, pay, promise

Passive with Phrasal Verbs

Keep phrasal verbs together in passive constructions:

• Active: They put off the meeting.

• Passive: The meeting was put off.

• Active: Someone broke into our house.

• Passive: Our house was broken into.

Get Passives

We can use "get" instead of "be" for more informal situations:

• He got fired from his job.
• The car got damaged in the accident.
• We got invited to the party.

Passive Infinitives and Gerunds

Infinitive

• She wants to be promoted.
• The letter needs to be sent.

Gerund

• I enjoy being praised.
• He avoids being seen.

Impersonal Passive

Used with reporting verbs (say, think, believe, know, expect):

Pattern 1: It + passive verb + that clause

• It is said that he is very wealthy.
• It is believed that the company will close.

Pattern 2: Subject + passive verb + to infinitive

• He is said to be very wealthy.
• The company is believed to be closing.

Common Mistakes

1. Using passive unnecessarily

• Poor: The ball was kicked by John.
• Better: John kicked the ball.

2. Missing "by" when needed

• Incorrect: The book was written Shakespeare.
• Correct: The book was written by Shakespeare.

3. Wrong participle form

• Incorrect: The window was broke.
• Correct: The window was broken.

4. Using passive with intransitive verbs

• Incorrect: The accident was happened.
• Correct: The accident happened.

Active vs. Passive - When to Choose

Use Active When:

• The action is more important than the agent
• You want direct, clear communication
• Writing informally

Use Passive When:

• The receiver of the action is more important
• The agent is unknown or unimportant
• Writing formally or scientifically
• You want to be diplomatic or avoid blame

Interactive Practice Exercises

Transform these sentences between active and passive voice. Type your answers and get instant feedback: