Passive Voice In English Grammar: Form, Use, and Examples


Passive voice in English grammar: form, use, and examples

Definition

passive voicePassive voice is a structure where the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performs it.

Example:

  • They were invited to the party. (The subject "they" receives the action of the passive verb "were invited.")

The passive vs. the active voice

The main difference between the active and passive voice is that the subject in the active voice performs the action while in the passive voice, it receives the action. In the following sentence, the subject "they" receives the action of the passive verb "were given ."

  • They were given enough time to finish the task.

Compare the above sentence with its alternative active form.

  • The teacher gave them enough time to finish the task. (The subject "the teacher " does not receive the action of the verb "gave."Instead, it performs it.)

Here are some examples of active and passive voice:

Active Voice Passive Voice
Most countries in Latin America speak Spanish. Spanish is spoken in most countries in Latin America.
William Shakespeare wrote "Hamlet". "Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.
Scientists conducted the experiment in a controlled environment. The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment by scientists.
Someone had stolen the car. The car had been stolen.
Most people believe that the earth is round. It is widely believed that the earth is round.
The intern has written the report. The report has been written by the intern.
The company is hiring a new employee. A new employee is being hired by the company.

Form of the passive voice

Subject + the appropriate form of to be + Past Participle

NOTE: The appropriate form of to be = To be is put in the tense of the active voice main verb.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

  • The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
  • The form of the verb is the appropriate form of to be (the tense of the active voice main verb) + the past participle.
  • The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the preposition "by" in the passive sentence (or is dropped.)

Example:

Active Nancy makes tea
subject verb object
Passive Tea is made (by Nancy)
object becoming subject verb Subject becoming the object of the preposition "by" (or is dropped)

Use of the passive voice

  1. Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
    Example: "A letter was written."
    The focus, here, is on the fact that a letter was written. We don't know, however, who wrote it.
  2. It is also used when we don't know the doer of the action.
    Example:
    My bike was stolen,
  3. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite (or less accusative) than in active voice, as the following example shows:
    Example: A vase was broken.
    The focus, here, is on the fact that a vase was broken, but we don't blame anyone. Compare this to: "You broke the vase."
  4. It is used when we want to appear more objective:
    Example:
    The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.

(For the use of the passive voice in writing click here)

Examples of the passive voice

Tense Subject Verb Object
Simple Present Active: Nancy makes tea.
Passive: Tea is made by Nancy.
Present Progressive Active: Nancy is making tea.
Passive: Tea is being made by Nancy.
Simple Past Active: Nancy made tea.
Passive: Tea was made by Nancy.
Past Progressive Active: Nancy was making tea.
Passive: Tea was being made by Nancy.
Present Perfect Active: Nancy has made Tea.
Passive: Tea has been made by Nancy.
Past Perfect Active: Nancy had made tea.
Passive: Tea had been made by Nancy.
Future simple Active: Nancy will make tea.
Passive: Tea will be made by Nancy.
Future perfect Active: Nancy will have made tea.
Passive: Tea will have been made by Nancy.
Conditional Active: Nancy would make tea.
Passive: Tea would be made by Nancy.
Modals Active: Nancy can make tea.
Passive: Tea can be made by Nancy.

Passive voice sentences with two objects:

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, and the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put focus on.

Active/Passive
Subject
Verb
Object 1
Object 2
Active:
Nancy
offered
a flower
to me.
Passive:
A flower
was offered
to me
by Nancy.
Passive:
I
was offered
a flower
by Nancy.

Impersonal Passive Voice

Study these examples:

  • They say that the planet is in danger.
  • It is said that the planet is in danger.

This type of passive is called impersonal because we use the impersonal form "it is..." This is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know ...)

Examples:    

  • It is said that...
  • It is thought that...
  • It is believed that...
  • It is known that...                      

It is also common that we start the passive form of these sentences with the subject of the that-clause:

Examples:

  • They say that the planet is in danger.= The planet is said to be in danger.
  • They think that women live longer than men. = Women are thought to live longer.

Conclusion

Passive voice is a structure where the subject receives the action instead of performing it. It is used when we don't know the doer of the action, when we don't want to appear accusative, or when we want to be objective. This structure is often used in scientific texts or news stories.

Related Pages

FAQs

1. What tense is used in passive voice?

The passive voice is formed by using the appropriate form of the verb "to be" (depending on the tense of the active voice main verb) and adding the past participle of the main verb. For example, the active verb "speak" in "they speak Spanish" is in the simple present. So, in the passive voice, the verb "to be" must be in the simple present (is or are) followed by the past participle of the main verb "spoken": "Spanish is spoken".

2. Is passive voice bad?

Using the passive voice is a question of style; there is nothing "wrong" with it in terms of grammar. Nonetheless, passive voice is often discouraged because it frequently results in unclear, indirect, and wordy phrases as opposed to active voice's simpler, more concise ones.

3. Is passive voice formal or informal?

It is sometimes considered formal because it sounds more objective, especially in scientific texts.

4. When to use the passive voice?

Passive voice is used if you want to sound more formal or professional in certain contexts. It is also used to appear less accusative or to avoid assigning blame or responsibility.