Passive Voice

Focus on the action or result, not who does it

What is Passive Voice?

The passive voice emphasizes the action or the receiver of the action rather than the doer. It's formed with "be" + past participle. The person/thing doing the action (the agent) can be mentioned with "by" or omitted entirely.

Compare: Active: "Shakespeare wrote Hamlet." → Passive: "Hamlet was written by Shakespeare."

When to Use Passive Voice

1. The Doer Is Unknown or Unimportant

My car was stolen yesterday. (we don't know who)
English is spoken in many countries. (doesn't matter who)
The window has been broken.
Coffee is grown in Brazil.

2. The Action Is More Important Than the Doer

The bridge was built in 1995. (focus on bridge)
The patient is being treated now. (focus on patient)
A new law has been passed.

3. Formal/Academic Writing

The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.
It is believed that climate change is accelerating.
Mistakes were made during the process.

4. To Be Tactful or Avoid Blame

A mistake was made. (not saying who made it)
The report hasn't been finished yet.

Formation by Tense

Simple Present: am/is/are + past participle

English is spoken here. (Active: They speak English here)
The doors are locked at 10 PM.

Present Continuous: am/is/are + being + past participle

The car is being repaired. (Active: They are repairing the car)
Dinner is being prepared now.

Present Perfect: has/have + been + past participle

The work has been completed. (Active: They have completed the work)
The letter has been sent.

Simple Past: was/were + past participle

The book was written in 1960. (Active: He wrote the book)
They were invited to the party.

Past Continuous: was/were + being + past participle

The house was being painted. (Active: They were painting it)
The roads were being repaired.

Past Perfect: had + been + past participle

The food had been eaten. (Active: They had eaten the food)
The message had been delivered.

Future Simple: will + be + past participle

The problem will be solved. (Active: They will solve it)
The results will be announced tomorrow.

Future Perfect: will + have + been + past participle

The project will have been finished by Friday.

Modals: modal + be + past participle

It can be done. (Active: We can do it)
The work should be completed soon.
It must be finished today.

Including the Agent (by + doer)

When to include "by":

Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. (important who)
The theory was discovered by Einstein.
The painting was stolen by thieves.

When to omit "by":

My car was stolen. (unknown/unimportant who)
English is spoken here. (doesn't matter by whom)
The door is locked at night.

Common Mistakes

❌ The book was wrote. → ✅ The book was written. (past participle)
❌ It is being build. → ✅ It is being built.
❌ The car has repaired. → ✅ The car has been repaired. (need "been")
❌ It done yesterday. → ✅ It was done yesterday. (need "was")
❌ The house is build. → ✅ The house is being built. (ongoing) or was built (complete)
❌ Mistakes were did. → ✅ Mistakes were made. (past participle of "make")

Practice Tips

📝 Formula: be + past participle. The "be" verb changes for tense/time. Master past participles!
⚖️ Active vs. Passive: Use active for clarity and directness. Use passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or you want to emphasize the action.
🎯 Continuous passive: be + being + past participle. "The house is being built," "It was being repaired."
💡 No passive with intransitive verbs: Can't make passive from: happen, occur, exist, die, arrive, etc. ❌ "It was happened."
🔍 Find the object: Only sentences with objects can become passive. "He ate pizza" (pizza = object) → "Pizza was eaten."