What Is the Passive Voice?
In active voice, the subject does the action:
The teacher explained the lesson.
In passive voice, the subject receives the action:
The lesson was explained by the teacher.
How to Form the Passive
Structure: Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle (+ by agent)
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars in Germany. | Cars are made in Germany. |
| Present Continuous | They are building a new bridge. | A new bridge is being built. |
| Past Simple | Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. | Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. |
| Past Continuous | They were repairing the road. | The road was being repaired. |
| Present Perfect | Someone has stolen my bike. | My bike has been stolen. |
| Past Perfect | They had completed the project. | The project had been completed. |
| Future (will) | They will announce the results. | The results will be announced. |
| Modal verbs | You must finish this today. | This must be finished today. |
When to Use the Passive
1. When the agent is unknown or unimportant
My car was stolen last night. (We don't know who did it.)
2. When the action is more important than the agent
The pyramids were built thousands of years ago.
3. In formal or academic writing
The experiment was conducted over a period of six months.
4. In news reports
Three people were injured in the accident.
5. For processes and instructions
First, the ingredients are mixed together. Then the dough is shaped into balls.
When NOT to Use the Passive
-
When the active is clearer and more natural
- Weak passive:
A good time was had by everyone. - Better active: Everyone had a good time.
- Weak passive:
-
When you know the agent and it's important
- Weak:
The window was broken.(by whom?) - Better: Tom broke the window.
- Weak:
The "By" Agent
We include "by + agent" only when the agent is important or surprising:
- The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. (important information)
- English is spoken all over the world. (no "by" needed — obvious)
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Forgetting the verb "be"
- Wrong:
The letter written yesterday. - Correct: The letter was written yesterday.
Mistake 2: Using the wrong form of "be"
- Wrong:
The cars is made in Japan. - Correct: The cars are made in Japan.
Mistake 3: Overusing the passive The passive is a tool, not a default. If the active voice sounds more natural, use it:
- Stiff: "The ball was kicked by the boy into the goal."
- Natural: "The boy kicked the ball into the goal."
Practice Tips
- Look for passive voice in news articles and scientific texts. It's everywhere!
- Convert sentences: Take active sentences and rewrite them in passive voice, and vice versa.
- Describe a process: Write about how something is made (coffee, bread, a website). Use passive voice.
- Pay attention to tenses: The passive exists in every tense. Practice forming it in present, past, and future.