What Is the Passive Voice?
In most English sentences, the subject performs the action. We call this the active voice: "The architect designed the building." But sometimes, the focus of the sentence is not on who performed the action, but rather on what happened or who received the action. When we shift this focus, we use the passive voice: "The building was designed by the architect." The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, and the original doer — the agent — either moves to the end of the sentence with "by" or is omitted entirely.
The passive voice is one of the most versatile structures in English grammar. It appears in academic writing, news reports, scientific papers, and everyday conversation. Mastering the passive voice across all tenses is essential for learners who want to express ideas with precision and flexibility. Throughout this article, we will explore how the passive is formed in present, past, and future tenses, and we will learn exactly when and why to use it.
In the active voice, the subject does the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The formula for passive is always: subject + form of "be" + past participle (V3). The agent (the doer) may be added with "by" or may be left out.
When Do We Use It?
The passive voice is not just an alternative way to say the same thing. It is used deliberately in specific situations where the active voice would be less effective, less natural, or even impossible. Here are the most common reasons for choosing the passive voice:
| Reason | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown agent | We do not know who did the action. | My car was stolen last night. |
| Obvious agent | Everyone knows who does it, so naming the agent is unnecessary. | Taxes are collected every year. |
| Formal writing | Academic and scientific texts prefer an impersonal tone. | The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment. |
| Emphasis on the action | The action or result is more important than the doer. | The Mona Lisa was painted in the early 16th century. |
| Processes & instructions | Describing how things are made or done step by step. | The ingredients are mixed together and then baked for 30 minutes. |
Ask yourself: "Is the doer of the action important, or is the action itself and its receiver more important?" If the answer is the action and its receiver, the passive voice is likely the better choice.
Passive in Present Tenses
The present tenses — Present Simple, Present Continuous, and Present Perfect — each have their own passive construction. The core pattern remains the same: a form of "be" plus the past participle (V3). What changes is the form of "be" used in each tense.
Present Simple Passive:
Subject + am / is / are + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They deliver the mail every morning. | The mail is delivered every morning. |
| People speak Portuguese in Brazil. | Portuguese is spoken in Brazil. |
| The company employs over 500 workers. | Over 500 workers are employed by the company. |
Present Continuous Passive:
Subject + am / is / are + being + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They are building a new hospital in Tokyo. | A new hospital is being built in Tokyo. |
| The mechanic is repairing my car right now. | My car is being repaired right now. |
| The committee is reviewing the applications. | The applications are being reviewed by the committee. |
Present Perfect Passive:
Subject + have / has + been + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Someone has broken the window. | The window has been broken. |
| They have completed the project. | The project has been completed. |
| The government has approved the new law. | The new law has been approved by the government. |
Passive in Past Tenses
Just as the present tenses have their passive forms, the past tenses follow the same logical pattern. We change the form of "be" to match the past tense, while the past participle (V3) remains unchanged.
Past Simple Passive:
Subject + was / were + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928. | Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. |
| They built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. | The Eiffel Tower was built in Paris. |
| The police arrested three suspects yesterday. | Three suspects were arrested yesterday. |
Past Continuous Passive:
Subject + was / were + being + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Workers were renovating the museum when I visited. | The museum was being renovated when I visited. |
| The chef was preparing dinner at eight o'clock. | Dinner was being prepared at eight o'clock. |
| They were filming a documentary in Istanbul last week. | A documentary was being filmed in Istanbul last week. |
Past Perfect Passive:
Subject + had + been + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They had finished the bridge before the storm arrived. | The bridge had been finished before the storm arrived. |
| Someone had already cleaned the room. | The room had been cleaned already. |
| The teacher had corrected all the exams by Friday. | All the exams had been corrected by Friday. |
Passive in Future Tenses
The future tense in English can be expressed with "will" or "be going to". Both of these have passive forms that follow the same core pattern: a form of "be" plus the past participle.
Future Simple Passive (will):
Subject + will + be + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They will announce the results tomorrow. | The results will be announced tomorrow. |
| The company will open a new branch in Berlin. | A new branch will be opened in Berlin. |
| Someone will repair the road next month. | The road will be repaired next month. |
Future Passive (be going to):
Subject + am / is / are + going to + be + past participle (V3)
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They are going to demolish the old building. | The old building is going to be demolished. |
| The city is going to plant 10,000 trees in Seoul. | 10,000 trees are going to be planted in Seoul. |
| We are going to invite all the neighbours. | All the neighbours are going to be invited. |
Use "will be + V3" for predictions, promises, and spontaneous decisions. Use "be going to be + V3" for planned actions and intentions that have already been decided. The passive form does not change this difference in meaning.
How to Convert Active to Passive
Converting an active sentence to a passive one is a systematic process. Once you understand the steps, you can transform any active sentence — in any tense — into its passive equivalent. Follow these four steps carefully:
Step 1: Find the object of the active sentence.
Step 2: Move the object to the subject position.
Step 3: Change the verb to the correct passive form (be + V3).
Step 4: Add "by" + the original subject (the agent) if it provides useful information. Omit it if the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
| Step | Active: "Picasso painted Guernica." |
|---|---|
| 1. Find the object | Guernica |
| 2. Move to subject | Guernica... |
| 3. Change the verb | Guernica was painted... |
| 4. Add the agent | Guernica was painted by Picasso. |
Here is another example showing the conversion across a different tense:
| Step | Active: "They are cleaning the streets." |
|---|---|
| 1. Find the object | the streets |
| 2. Move to subject | The streets... |
| 3. Change the verb | The streets are being cleaned. |
| 4. Add the agent | The streets are being cleaned. (Agent "they" is unknown/unimportant — omit.) |
Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, happen, sleep, die, go, come, exist do not have objects, so they cannot form passive sentences.
✘ The accident was happened yesterday.
✔ The accident happened yesterday.
✘ She was arrived at the airport.
✔ She arrived at the airport.
The passive voice does not hide the truth — it shifts the spotlight. It tells us that what was done matters more than who did it.
— The Grammar GazetteExample Sentences
By + Agent
The word "by" is used to introduce the agent — the person or thing that performs the action — in a passive sentence. However, the agent is not always included. Knowing when to include and when to omit it is an important part of mastering the passive voice.
| Include the Agent When... | Omit the Agent When... |
|---|---|
| The agent provides new or important information. | The agent is unknown. |
| The agent is a specific, named person or thing. | The agent is obvious from the context. |
| You want to give credit to the doer. | The agent is unimportant to the message. |
| The sentence would be incomplete without it. | The agent is a general word like "people," "someone," or "they." |
If removing the "by" phrase does not cause the sentence to lose essential meaning, you should probably omit it. In most passive sentences, the agent is left out. Including unnecessary agents makes sentences longer and less natural.
Common Mistakes with Passive
Even advanced learners sometimes make errors when forming or using the passive voice. Here are the most common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Always use the third form of the verb (past participle), not the base form or past simple form of irregular verbs.
✘ The letter was wrote by the manager.
✔ The letter was written by the manager.
✘ The glass was break during the party.
✔ The glass was broken during the party.
The auxiliary verb "be" must always be present in a passive construction. Without it, the sentence is not passive — it is incomplete.
✘ The homework done by the students.
✔ The homework was done by the students.
✘ The building designed by a famous architect.
✔ The building was designed by a famous architect.
Remember: only transitive verbs (verbs that have an object) can be made passive. Do not use the passive with verbs that cannot take an object.
✘ The accident was happened on Monday.
✔ The accident happened on Monday.
✘ The baby was cried all night.
✔ The baby cried all night.
✘ My grandfather was died in 2015.
✔ My grandfather died in 2015.
Active vs Passive — When to Choose
Both the active and passive voices are essential parts of English. Choosing the right voice depends on what you want to emphasise and the context of your writing or speech. Here is a clear comparison to help you decide:
| Feature | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | On the doer of the action | On the receiver of the action |
| Tone | Direct, personal, dynamic | Formal, impersonal, objective |
| Sentence length | Usually shorter and simpler | Often longer due to extra verb forms |
| Common in... | Everyday conversation, stories, emails | Academic writing, news, science, law |
| Agent | Always present as the subject | May be omitted with "by" |
| Example | Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. | Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. |
Use the active voice as your default. It is clearer, more direct, and easier to understand. Switch to the passive voice only when the action or the receiver is more important than the doer, when the doer is unknown, or when you need a formal and impersonal tone.
Using too many passive sentences in a row makes writing feel heavy, impersonal, and difficult to follow. A good piece of writing mixes both voices naturally. If you find yourself writing three or more passive sentences in a row, consider rewriting some of them in the active voice for clarity and variety.
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