You’re about to master one of the most useful aspects of English grammar. Don’t worry if the passive voice seems complex at first – we’ll tackle it together, step by step, with simplicity and kindness. By the end of this guide, you’ll know perfectly when and how to use it!
What is the passive voice in English?
Definition of the passive voice in English
The passive voice in English is a grammatical construction that allows you to emphasize the action or the object that receives this action, rather than the one who performs it. It’s like changing the camera angle in a movie: instead of filming the actor, we film what happens to them.
Simple example:
Active voice: “The director filmed the movie”
Passive voice: “The movie was filmed by the director”
Difference between active and passive voice in English
Don’t worry, the difference is simpler than it appears! Think of it as two ways of telling the same story:| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| The subject does the action | The subject receives the action |
| “John writes letters” | “Letters are written by John” |
| More direct and shorter | Emphasizes the object |
Simple examples of passive voice in English
Let’s start with examples you’ll easily recognize in everyday life:At home
“The dishes were washed”In the car
“The car was repaired”At school
“The lesson was taught”At the restaurant
“The pizza was delivered”How to form the passive voice in English?
Don’t worry, forming the passive voice follows a very clear rule! It’s like following a cooking recipe: respect the ingredients and the order, and the result will be perfect.Basic rule: BE + past participle
Here’s the magic formula you need to remember:Passive voice formula
SUBJECT + BE (conjugated) + PAST PARTICIPLE + (BY + agent)Example: “The book is read by students”
Kind advice
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes at first! Even native English speakers sometimes need to think. The important thing is to practice regularly.Conjugation of the verb BE according to tenses
The verb BE changes according to the tense, but the past participle stays the same. Here’s a table that will help you see it more clearly:| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | am/is/are + past participle | “The letter is written“ |
| Simple past | was/were + past participle | “The letter was written“ |
| Present perfect | have/has been + past participle | “The letter has been written“ |
| Simple future | will be + past participle | “The letter will be written“ |
| Present continuous | am/is/are being + past participle | “The letter is being written“ |
The agent in the passive voice in English
The agent is the one who performs the action. Sometimes we mention it with “by”, sometimes we deliberately omit it. Don’t worry, it’s completely normal!With the agent (when it’s important to know who)
“The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci”Without the agent (when it’s not important)
“My bike was stolen” (it doesn’t matter who stole it)Special case: GET instead of BE
In informal English, we sometimes use “GET” instead of “BE”. It’s more casual, like speaking in jeans instead of wearing a suit!- “I got fired” – more informal than “I was fired”
- “She got hired“
- “The window got broken“
When to use the passive voice in English?
You’re probably wondering: “But when should I use the passive voice?” Excellent question! Here are the situations where it becomes your best friend.Unknown or unimportant agent
Sometimes, we don’t know who performed the action, or it’s simply not important to specify:Examples of unknown agent
- “My wallet was stolen“
- “The window was broken“
- “Mistakes were made“
Emphasis on the action rather than the actor
When what’s important is what happened, not who did it:Examples focused on the action
- “A cure has been discovered“
- “The bridge will be built next year”
- “The results have been published“
Formal and scientific contexts
In official, scientific, or academic texts, the passive voice gives a more neutral and professional tone:Formal examples
- “The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions”
- “It has been determined that…”
- “Further research is needed“
Style and fluidity of English discourse
The passive voice allows you to create fluid links between sentences and avoid repetitions:
Without passive voice (repetitive):
“I wrote a letter. Then I sent the letter to my friend.”
With passive voice (more fluid):
“I wrote a letter. It was sent to my friend immediately.”
Advantages of the passive voice in English
You might be thinking: “Why complicate things with the passive voice?” Actually, it brings you numerous advantages! Let me present them to you.Improvement of writing style in English
The passive voice diversifies your sentence structures and makes your English richer and more varied. It’s like having more colors on your painter’s palette!Before / After
Monotonous style: “John built the house. John painted the house. John sold the house.” Varied style: “John built the house. It was painted blue. Later, it was sold to a young family.”Precision in English expression
The passive voice allows you to be precise about what really matters in your message:- Focus on the result: “The problem has been solved“
- Focus on the victim: “Three people were injured in the accident”
- Focus on the object: “This painting was created in 1889″
Professional and academic tone
In a professional or academic context, the passive voice brings a touch of seriousness and objectivity:In business
- “The project will be completed by Friday”
- “All employees are required to attend the meeting”
At university
- “The hypothesis was tested using statistical analysis”
- “Several factors were considered in this study”
Passive voice vs active voice in English: complete comparison
It’s time to take stock! Let’s understand together when to use one or the other. Don’t stress, there’s no wrong choice, only choices more appropriate according to the context.Grammatical structure: active vs passive
Active Voice
Structure: Subject + Verb + Object Example: “The chef (subject) cooks (verb) dinner (object)” Focus: On the one who performs the actionPassive Voice
Structure: Subject + BE + Past participle + (by + agent) Example: “Dinner (subject) is cooked (passive verb) by the chef (agent)” Focus: On what receives the actionTips for choosing the right voice
Choose the ACTIVE voice when:
- You want to be direct and concise
- The actor of the action is important
- You’re telling a personal story
- You’re giving instructions
Choose the PASSIVE voice when:
- The actor is unknown or unimportant
- You want to be diplomatic
- You’re writing a formal/scientific text
- You want to emphasize the result
Common mistakes with the passive voice in English
Don’t panic! Everyone makes mistakes when learning. The important thing is to identify them to better avoid them. Here are the most frequent traps and how to avoid them.Errors in forming the past participle
The confusion between the past participle and the simple past is very common. Breathe, it’s normal!Common mistake
“The book was wrote by Shakespeare”Correction
“The book was written by Shakespeare” Tip: The past participle of “write” is “written”, not “wrote”!Common irregular verbs
- Write → Written (not wrote)
- Take → Taken (not took)
- Break → Broken (not broke)
- Choose → Chosen (not chose)
Misuse of the verb BE
Forgetting to conjugate BE according to person and tense happens to everyone!Common mistake
“The letters was sent yesterday”Correction
“The letters were sent yesterday” Tip: “Letters” is plural, so we use “were”!Agent/subject confusion in passive voice
It’s easy to get confused about who does what in a passive sentence. Let’s take time to see it clearly:
Sentence: “The cake was eaten by the children”
- Subject: “The cake” (what receives the action)
- Agent: “The children” (those who perform the action)
- Action: “was eaten” (what happens)
Exercise on the passive voice in English
Transform the following sentences from active voice to passive voice. Click “Check” to see if you’re right!
Question 1
Active voice: “The teacher explains the lesson.”Passive voice:
Question 2
Active voice: “They built this house in 1990.”Passive voice:
Question 3
Active voice: “Someone has stolen my bicycle.”Passive voice:
Question 4
Active voice: “The company will launch the new product next month.”Passive voice:
Question 5
Active voice: “People are watching this movie all over the world.”Passive voice:
Idiomatic expressions with the passive voice in English
To finish with style, let’s discover some ready-made expressions that use the passive voice. These expressions will make you sound like a true English speaker!“It is said that…” and similar expressions
These impersonal expressions are very common in English and add a touch of elegance to your expression:- “It is said that…”
- “It is believed that…”
- “It is known that…”
- “It is reported that…”
- “It is rumored that…”
Examples in context
- “It is said that practice makes perfect“
- “It is believed that he will resign soon“
- “It is known that smoking is harmful“
Passive voice in English proverbs
Some English proverbs naturally use the passive voice. Knowing them will make you look like an expert!- “Rome wasn’t built in a day”
- “Easy come, easy go”
- “Well begun is half done”
- “What is done cannot be undone”
