Passive voice in English

The passive voice is an essential part of English grammar. It is used to shift focus from the subject performing the action to the object receiving the action. In this guide, you'll learn what the passive voice is, when to use it, and how to form it, with plenty of examples to make it easy to understand.

What Is the Passive Voice?

In English, the passive voice is a sentence structure where the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence. Instead of focusing on who is doing the action, the sentence emphasizes what is being done or what is affected by the action.

Examples:

  • Active Voice: The chef cooked the meal.
  • Passive Voice: The meal was cooked by the chef.

Notice how the focus changes in the passive sentence. The subject (the chef) is now less important, and the object (the meal) takes the spotlight.

When to Use the Passive Voice

The passive voice is useful in several situations. Here are some common reasons to use it:

  • When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant:
    • The window was broken. *(We don’t know who broke it.)*
  • To emphasize the object or action:
    • The Eiffel Tower is visited by millions of people every year. *(Focus is on the Eiffel Tower, not the visitors.)*
  • In formal or scientific writing:
    • The experiment was conducted carefully.

How to Form the Passive Voice

To create a passive sentence, follow this formula:

Object + be (in the correct tense) + past participle (verb in third form)

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Identify the object of the active sentence.
  2. Use the appropriate form of the verb be based on the tense of the sentence.
  3. Add the past participle of the main verb.

Example:

  • Active: The teacher explains the lesson.
    Passive: The lesson is explained by the teacher.

Passive Voice in Different Tenses

The passive voice can be used in various tenses. Here are examples in some common tenses:

  • Present Simple:
    • Active: She writes the letters.
      Passive: The letters are written by her.
  • Past Simple:
    • Active: They cleaned the house.
      Passive: The house was cleaned by them.
  • Future Simple:
    • Active: He will deliver the package.
      Passive: The package will be delivered by him.
  • Present Continuous:
    • Active: She is painting the wall.
      Passive: The wall is being painted by her.
  • Present Perfect:
    • Active: They have finished the project.
      Passive: The project has been finished by them.

Common Mistakes with Passive Voice

Learning the passive voice can be tricky. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

1. Using the wrong form of "be"

The verb be must match the tense of the original sentence.

  • Incorrect: The book was write by her.
  • Correct: The book was written by her.

2. Forgetting the past participle

The main verb in the passive voice must always be in its past participle form.

  • Incorrect: The homework is do by him.
  • Correct: The homework is done by him.

3. Overusing the passive voice

While the passive voice is useful, overusing it can make sentences less direct and harder to read. Use it when it serves a purpose.

Examples of Passive Voice in Everyday English

Here are some practical examples of the passive voice in different contexts:

In Daily Life

  • The cake was baked by my mom.
  • The email was sent yesterday.

In News Headlines

  • The new policy was announced by the government.
  • A breakthrough was achieved in the study.

In Scientific Writing

  • The results were analyzed using advanced software.
  • The hypothesis was tested multiple times.

How to Practice the Passive Voice

To get comfortable with the passive voice, try these tips:

  • Convert active sentences to passive: Take any active sentence and rewrite it in the passive voice.
  • Use passive voice in writing: Write a paragraph about a topic using only passive voice.
  • Pay attention to real-life examples: Read news articles or instructions and notice how the passive voice is used.

Conclusion

The passive voice is an important tool in English grammar that allows you to focus on the action or object rather than the doer. By understanding how to form it, when to use it, and practicing with examples, you can easily master this grammatical structure. Remember to balance your use of the passive and active voices to make your communication clear and effective!

1. The passive of an active clause is formed by:

a) replacing the active construction by the construction of the auxiliary to be + the past participle of the active verb.
b) making the object of the active clause the subject of the passive clause
Active: They greeted him.
Passive: He was greeted.

The subject of the active clause can become the agent of the passive clause
He was greeted by the delegation.

However, in most passive clauses the agent is omitted
The fact is widely known.

The passive auxiliary be can sometimes be replaced by get (in informal style)
He got injured.

Exercises

Exercises - Passive voice
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