Passive Voice
Passive Voice is used when we want to focus on the action or the object, not on who is doing it.
Before this, learn: Irregular Verbs Part Ito be - Present Simple
1.Structures
1.1Structures of Sentences
To form the Passive Voice, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
Verb(III) = the past participle form of the verb → Irregular Verbs List (3rd column)
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + be (the form depends on the tense) + Irregular Verb (III)/Regular Verb+ed + ... | The book was written by my brother. The car is washed every week. |
| - Negative | S + be (the form depends on the tense) + not + Irregular Verb (III)/Regular Verb+ed + ... | The test isn't finished yet. Your work wasn't completed yesterday. |
| ? Question | (QW) + be (the form depends on the tense) + S + Irregular Verb (III)/Regular Verb+ed + ...? | When was the task completed? Is the project finished? Who was the book written by? |
Test yourself
1.2Active vs Passive
When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does. When we use a passive verb, we say what happens to the subject.
The person who performs an action in a passive sentence is called the Agent, introduced by by. So, if we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by.
An object which causes something to happen is called an Instrument, introduced by with. So, if we want to say what tool or object was used to do the action, we use with.
| Active Subject = Agent active verb = what the subject does |
Passive Subject ≠ Agent passive verb = what happens to the subject. |
|---|---|
| Somebody built this house in 2022. | This house was built in 2022. |
| The company employs two hundred people. | Two hundred people are employed by the company.(agent) |
| The teacher explains the lesson. | The lesson is explained by the teacher.(agent) |
| The dog ate the cake. | The cake was eaten by the dog. (agent) |
| Somebody cut the cake with a knife. | The cake was cut with a knife. (instrument) |
Test yourself
1.3Verb + Verb Combinations
In verb + verb combinations we put the second verb into its passive form.
| Pattern | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb1 + Verb2 | → be + Ir. Verb(III)/ Reg. Verb+ed | Active: I can complete the task. Passive: The task can be completed. |
| Verb1 + to Verb2 | → to be + Ir. Verb(III)/ Reg. Verb+ed | Active: He wants people to hear him. Passive: He wants to be heard. |
| Verb1 + Verb2+ing | → being + Ir. Verb(III)/ Reg. Verb+ed | Active: We don't like it when someone keeps us waiting. Passive: We don't like being kept waiting. |
Test yourself
1.4Tenses
Although it is possible to form a wide range of passive tenses, the most used are presented here:
| Tense/Verb Form | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | He often cleans the houses. He cleans the house every day. |
The houses are often cleaned. The house is cleaned every day. |
| Present Progressive | He is washing the dishes now. He is cleaning the house now. |
The dishes are being washed now. The house is being cleaned now. |
| Present Perfect | He has already cleaned the houses. He has already cleaned the house. |
The houses have already been cleaned. The house has already been cleaned. |
| Past Simple | He cleaned the houses yesterday. He cleaned the house yesterday. |
The houses were cleaned yesterday. The house was cleaned yesterday. |
| Past Progressive | He was washing the dishes at 5 PM yesterday. He was cleaning the house at 5 PM yesterday. |
The dishes were being washed at 5 PM yesterday. The house was being cleaned at 5 PM yesterday. |
| Past Perfect | He had already cleaned the houses by the time they arrived. | The houses had already been cleaned by the time they arrived. |
| Future Simple | He will clean the house tomorrow. | The house will be cleaned tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | He will have cleaned the house by 5 PM tomorrow. | The house will have been cleaned by 5 PM tomorrow. |
| to be going to - Structure | He is going to clean the houses. He is going to clean the house. |
The houses are going to be cleaned. The house is going to be cleaned. |
Test yourself
2.Use
2.1Unknown / Unimportant Agent
When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant.
The agent is not mentioned if unknown. In this case, there is no point in adding 'by somebody'. The agent is not mentioned if unimportant.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| My wallet has been taken. | It's unknown who took it; the focus is on the absence of the wallet. |
| The cookies were eaten before dinner. | It's unknown who ate them; the focus is on the absence of cookies. |
| The package was delivered this morning. | It doesn't matter who delivered it; the focus is on the package. |
| The painting was removed from the wall. | It's unknown who removed it; the focus is on the painting. |
| I was advised to obtain a visa in advance. | It is not important who advised it to me; the focus is on the result, advice itself. |
| The decision was made quickly. | It's unimportant who made the decision; the focus is on the result. |
| The car was damaged in the parking lot. | It's unknown who damaged it; the focus is on the car and the damages. |
| The movie was filmed in Italy. | It doesn't matter who filmed the movie; the focus may be on the place here. |
Test yourself
2.2Obvious or Generalised Agent / Impersonality
If the subject is 'people in general' or 'you', we can use the Passive without mentioning the agent.
We don't mention the agent if it is obvious or has already been mentioned.
Using the passive is a way of avoiding the naming of a specific person who is responsible for an action.
In description of processes, there is emphasis on the actions performed rather than on the people who perform them.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| English is spoken all over the world. | It's obvious that 'people' speak English, the agent isn't needed. |
| The instructions must be followed carefully. | It's implied that 'you' or 'people' must follow them. |
| The thief has been arrested. | It's obvious that the police arrested the thief, so the agent isn't needed. Focus is on the fact of the arrest. |
| The new law was passed last week. | It's obvious that the government passed the law, so the agent isn't mentioned. Here we can focus on the time. |
| It has been decided to cancel the meeting. | The focus is on the decision, not on who made it. Here we don't want to name the person. |
| Lots of mistakes were made during the project. | The focus is on the mistakes, not on who made them. I don't want to name the person who made the mistakes. |
| The coffee beans are harvested, roasted, and then ground into powder. | The focus is on the process, not on the people performing it. |
| The data is collected, analyzed, and then presented in a report. | The focus is on the steps, not on who does them. |
Test yourself
2.3Change of Focus
The Passive can change the emphasis (focus) of a sentence. The passive voice shifts the focus from the doer (agent) to the action or the object of the action.
| Active(Focus) | Passive (Focus) |
|---|---|
| Jack won the prize.(focus on Jack) | The prize was won by Jack. (focus on the prize) |
| The chef cooked the meal. (Focus is on the chef - the doer of the action.) | The meal was cooked by the chef. (Focus shifts to the meal - the result of the action.) |
| The company launched a new product. (Focus is on the company - the doer of the action.) | A new product was launched by the company. (Focus shifts to the product - the result of the action.) |
| The storm damaged the house. (Focus is on the storm - the cause of the action.) | The house was damaged by the storm. (Focus shifts to the house - the object affected by the action.) |
Test yourself
3.Frequently asked questions
When do you use the passive voice in English?
You use the passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious, or when you want to focus on the action or its result. For example: "My wallet has been taken" (we don't know who took it), "English is spoken all over the world" (people in general speak it) and "The thief has been arrested" (obviously by the police). The passive is also common when describing a process: "The coffee beans are harvested, roasted and then ground."
Active vs passive voice: what is the difference?
In the active voice the subject does the action; in the passive voice the action happens to the subject. Compare "The dog ate the cake" (active: the dog does something) with "The cake was eaten by the dog" (passive: something happens to the cake). To make an active sentence passive, the object becomes the subject, the verb becomes be plus the past participle, and the doer, if you keep it, goes after "by".
By or with in the passive voice: which one do you use?
Use "by" for the person or thing that does the action (the agent) and "with" for the tool used to do it (the instrument). Say "The cake was eaten by the dog" but "The cake was cut with a knife", not "by a knife". Causes such as a storm also take "by": "The house was damaged by the storm." Don't use "for" or "from" for the doer: say "He was arrested by the police", not "for the police".
Is it correct to say "The letter was been sent" in the passive voice?
No, "was been sent" is wrong: in the past simple passive, "was" goes straight to the past participle, so say "The letter was sent". "Been" appears only in perfect tenses, after have, has or had: "The letter has been sent." "Being" is used in continuous tenses: "The house is being cleaned now." After modal verbs, use "be": "The task can be completed", not "The task can been completed".
Is it correct to say "The book was wrote" in the passive voice?
No: the passive uses the past participle (the third form of the verb), not the past simple, so say "The book was written". With regular verbs both forms end in -ed, as in "The car is washed every week", but irregular verbs often have a different third form. Say "He was given two weeks", not "He was gave two weeks", and "My dog was stolen", not "My dog was stole". Don't add -ed to an irregular verb either: "was stealed" is wrong.
