Passive Voice with Modals

The passive voice focuses on the action and the receiver of the action, not the doer. With modals (can, should, must, may, might, could, will, would), the structure is: modal + be + past participle

1) Form & Meaning

Modal	Passive Structure	Example (Passive)	Why Passive?
can / could	can/could + be + V₃	The mountains can be seen from here.	Focus on possibility/result.
should	should + be + V₃	Phones should be turned off in class.	Polite rules/recommendations.
must	must + be + V₃	Assignments must be submitted by Friday.	Requirement/obligation.
may / might	may/might + be + V₃	You might be contacted later.	Uncertainty/possibility.
will / would	will/would + be + V₃	The results will be announced tomorrow.	Future plan or schedule.

Active → Passive (with modals)

Active: People can see the mountains. → Passive: The mountains can be seen.
Active: They must finish the project. → Passive: The project must be finished.
Active: Someone might call you later. → Passive: You might be called later.

2) When to Use Passive with Modals

Action/result is more important than the doer: “The rules must be followed.”
Impersonal / formal tone: “Documents should be submitted online.”
Doer is unknown/obvious: “The problem can be solved.”

3) Common Mistakes

❌ The homework should finished. → ✅ The homework should be finished.
❌ The report must completed today. → ✅ The report must be completed today.
❌ The winner will announced soon. → ✅ The winner will be announced soon.

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