Passive Voice

Welcome to the guide on Passive Voice in English grammar! Understanding when and how to use the passive voice is essential for advanced English learners. While the active voice is generally preferred for its directness, the passive voice has specific uses that can make your writing more formal, objective, or simply more appropriate for certain contexts.

What is Passive Voice?

In English, sentences are typically in either **active voice** or **passive voice**.

• In the active voice, the subject performs the action. The focus is on the doer of the action.

  Active: The student wrote the essay.

  (The student is the doer of the action "wrote".)

• In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The focus shifts to the action itself or the receiver of the action, rather than the doer.

  Passive: The essay was written by the student.

  (The essay is the receiver of the action "was written".)

Forming the Passive Voice

The basic structure of the passive voice is always:

Subject + form of "to be" + Past Participle (V3)

The "form of 'to be'" changes depending on the tense of the sentence. The past participle of the main verb remains constant.

Passive Voice in Different Tenses:

1. Simple Present

• Active: People eat rice all over the world.
• Passive: Rice is eaten all over the world.

2. Simple Past

• Active: The company built this bridge in 1990.
• Passive: This bridge was built by the company in 1990.

3. Present Perfect

• Active: Someone has stolen my bicycle.
• Passive: My bicycle has been stolen.

4. Simple Future (with 'will')

• Active: The government will announce the new policy tomorrow.
• Passive: The new policy will be announced tomorrow.

5. Modals (can, must, should, etc.)

• Active: You must complete the report by Friday.
• Passive: The report must be completed by Friday.

When to Use Passive Voice

While the active voice is generally more direct and vigorous, the passive voice is useful and often necessary in specific situations:

1. When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant:

   My car was stolen last night. (We don't know who stole it.)

   The new hospital is being built. (The specific builders are not important.)

2. When you want to emphasize the action or the receiver of the action, not the doer:

   America was discovered by Columbus. (Emphasis on America's discovery, not just Columbus.)

   Thousands of trees were planted by volunteers. (Emphasis on the trees and the planting, not just the volunteers.)

3. In formal, scientific, or academic writing: The passive voice often creates a more objective and impersonal tone.

   The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.

   Further research is required to confirm these findings.

4. To avoid naming the doer (e.g., to be polite or to avoid blame):

   Mistakes were made. (Instead of "I made mistakes.")

The "by + agent" Phrase

If you need to mention the doer of the action in a passive sentence, you can use the phrase "by + agent" (the agent is the doer). This is typically used only when the agent provides important or new information.

However, if the agent is obvious, unknown, or unimportant, it is usually omitted.

Understanding the passive voice adds flexibility and sophistication to your English. Practice converting sentences from active to passive and vice versa to become comfortable with its structure and appropriate usage!