How to Use Passive Voice: Explained in English

Passive voice means the subject receives the action.

• Active: Sam broke the window.

• Pattern: subject + verb + object

• Passive: The window was broken by Sam.

• Pattern1: be + past participle + by ____.

• Pattern2: be + past participle.

How to Use Passive Voice

• When the doer is unknown or unimportant: My bike was stolen.
• For a polite/neutral tone: A mistake was made.
• Focus on result: Payment has been received.
• Common in science/news: Samples were tested at 20 °C.

Avoid Passive voice when it makes longer, unclear sentences.

How to form (keep the original tense)

• Present simple: is/are + V3 → Reports are checked daily.
• Present continuous: is/are being + V3 → Files are being uploaded.
• Present perfect: has/have been + V3 → The issue has been fixed.
• Past simple: was/were + V3 → The show was canceled.
• Past continuous: was/were being + V3 → The road was being repaired.
• Future/modals: will/should/can be + V3 → The visa will be issued next week.

Key Points

• Can you add by ___? The cake was eaten (by the kids) — it is passive voice.
• Object-first test: If the thing matters more than the doer, use passive voice.

Bottom line: Passive isn't “bad.” Use it on purpose for results/politeness; use active for clear, strong ownership.

Examples

• A2: The classroom was cleaned last night.
• A2: The tickets will be sent tomorrow.
• B1: New rules are being tested before launch.
• B1: The package has been delivered, but the note was removed.
• B2: All interviews were recorded and later transcribed by the research team.
• B2: Your account can be restored after verification is complete.

FAQs

Q1: Is passive voice wrong?
A: No! It's a common English grammar pattern. It becomes a problem when it hides responsibility or makes sentences complicated.

Q2: How can I spot passive quickly?
A: Look for a form of “be” + past participle (is made, was chosen, has been opened) and optionally a by-phrase. If you can add a clear doer after by, it's likely passive.

Q3: Which should I teach first—active or passive?
A: Teach active as the default for clarity. Introduce passive once learners control basic tenses. Emphasize form (be + past participle), tense matching, and when it's useful (results, procedures, object focus).