Lesson 15: Passive
Voice
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence DOES the
action:
rote a letter.
• Jakew
subject / verb / object
In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted
upon:
l etter was written (by Jake).
• A
subject / verb
Notice that the object of the active sentence (letter) became the subject of
the passive sentence.
If we want, we can include "by Jake" to say who did the
action.
We do not include "by..."
when:
• The doer of the action is unknown:
The money was stolen.
• The doer of the action is "people in
general": Black cats are believed to bring bad
luck.
• The doer of the action is completely unimportant: This bridge
was built in 1889. (probably by a construction company)
Click here for more explanation and
examples).
The passive voice is formed by a form of the verb TO BE + past participle of
the main verb.
The form of the verb “to be” is the same as the form of the original main
verb:
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Structure of the passive voice
Let's see if you can guess how to form the passive voice for each tense. I'll show
you the active voice sentence, and you'll have 7 seconds to try to complete the
passive sentence before the answer appears.
Tense Active / Passive When to use it?
Simple Present
Factory workers test the products. General procedures &
processes; general The products are tested. thoughts & opinions Simple past
Actions
An interior design company renovated o ur facilities last month.
completed at a
specific time in the
Our facilities were renovated last past.
month.
Simple future
Everyone will exchange gifts at Christmas. The company is going to
implement the policy next month. Actions to be
completed in the Gifts will be exchanged at future Christmas. The policy is
going to be implemented next month.
Present continuous
Teachers are using the new book in their classrooms. Actions currently in
The new book is being used in progress
classrooms.
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I spoke up when I saw that my manager was ignoring the safety Past
regulations. Actions in progress at continuous
a time in the past I spoke up when I saw that the safety regulations were being
ignored.
Present perfect
Somebody has eaten the last piece of cake. Actions completed at
an unspecified time in The last piece of cake has been the past. eaten.
Past perfect
An action that
I discovered that someone had copied my brilliant idea.
happened before
I discovered that my brilliant
idea had been copied.
another action in the past. Future perfect
The store will have delivered the furniture by Friday. An action that will
happen before a date The furniture will have been in the future delivered by
Friday.
Note that the form of the verb "to be" is singular or plural depending on the new
subject of the sentence:
Teachers are using the new book in their classrooms. (teachers = plural, so we
use "are")
The new book is being used in classrooms. (the new book = singular, so we use
"is")
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My manager was ignoring the safety
regulations. (my manager = singular, so we use
"was")
The safety regulations were being
ignored. (regulations = plural, so we use
"were")
Modal Verbs + Passive
Voice
We can also add modal verbs to passive structures -
typically:
resent (modal + be + past participle)
• thep
To talk about things in the present or future
resent perfect (modal + have been + past participle)
• thep
To talk about things in the past
Possibility
:
• Present: This recipe can be made with margarine instead of butter.
• Past: He's very upset. He might have been fired f rom his
job.
• Past: That was very dangerous. You could have been
killed!
Impossibility
:
• Present: Crops can't be grown here because the soil is too
rocky.
The work couldn't have been finished in a day. It was at least a
• Past:
week's worth of work.
Permission
:
• Positive: Photos may be taken during the performance.
• Negative: Cell phones may not be used in the
classroom.
Requirement
:
• Positive: The shipment must be delivered before the
deadline.
These samples must not be exposed to
• Negative:
contamination.
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Advice
:
• Present: Something should be done about the
problem.
• Past: Something should have been done about the problem a long time
ago.
Criminals ought to be punished. (we don't usually use "ought to
• Present:
have been" in the past; we prefer "should have been")
When can/can't we use the passive
voice?
Some teachers and writers say that the passive voice should always be
avoided, but this is not true. Of course it is not good to use the passive voice too
much, but it is perfectly acceptable to use it - especially in these four situations:
1. When we don't know who did the
action
A laptop was stolen from the
classroom.
Three people have been killed in the park. Police are looking for clues to
the identity of the murderer.
2. When the person who does the action is "people in
general"
Tino's is considered the city's best
pizzeria.
Chinese is seen as a very difficult language to
learn.
It was once believed that the sun revolved around the
earth.
3. When the person who does the action is obvious or
unimportant
She is being treated for
cancer. (by doctors and nurses,
obviously)
Bill Clinton was elected president in
1993. (by the country's population,
obviously)
All articles are proofread before publication. ( who proofreads
them is not important... probably a team of editors)
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4. When we want to give MORE emphasis to the receiver of the
action than to the doer
Sometimes we do w ant to mention who did the action, because it is interesting
or important in some way... but we still want to keep the primary f ocus of
attention on the object of the action:
The Taj Mahal was built by the emperor
Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. (we
are learning primarily about the Taj
Mahal, so we keep the attention on it)
My mother is being treated for cancer by one of the best doctors in
the country. (the most important person in this sentence is my
mother, not the doctor)
This software has been used by more than 50,000 small businesses.
(we want to emphasize how great the software is; the small businesses
are a secondary detail)
We can't use the passive voice with intransitive verbs (verbs that have no
object):
He fixed the clock. (fixed = transitive;
the clock = the object) T he clock was
fixed.
He laughed. They're coming over. An accident has happened. (laugh,
come, happen = intransitive. There are no objects; therefore there is no
possibility of making these sentences into the passive voice)
With state verbs, some of them can be used in the passive voice and others
cannot.
Verbs that can be used in the passive voice include need, know, include,
involve, love, hate, see, hear, feel.
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We need new tools.
New tools are
needed.
Everyone in the country knows her name.
Her name is known throughout the
country.
The price includes tax.
Tax is included in the
price.
This job involves manual labor.
Manual labor is involved in this
job.
People love/hate the band's
music. The band's music is
loved/hated.
People often see birds in the
forest. Birds are often seen in the
forest.
Verbs that cannot be used in the passive voice include have (for possession),
belong to, lack, resemble, appear, seem, look, be.
I have a cat. A
cat is had by me.
The team lacked a leader. A
leader was lacked by the team.
That cloud resembles a dragon.
A dragon is resembled by that
cloud.
This task seems difficult.
(no passive sentence is
possible)
You can use the passive voice with transitive phrasal
verbs:
He took the files out of the archives.
The files were taken out of the
archives.
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Someone has put away the
tools. The tools have been put
away.
Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. It is not possible to create sentences in
the passive voice with these, because there is no object:
The car slowed
down. He is running
away.
Summar
y
• In
the active voice, the subject of the sentence DOES the action. In the
passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon.
• Thepassive voice is formed by a form of the verb TO BE + past
participle of the main verb. The verb TO BE can be conjugated in various
tenses.
can use a modal verb + be + past participle (for things in the
• You
present/future) - Ex) Something should be done about this problem.
• Youcan use a modal verb + have been + past participle (for things in the
past) - Ex) Something should have been done about this problem a long
time ago.
• The
passive voice is used when the person who did the action is
unknown, obvious/unimportant, "people in general," or less important
than the object.
• We
can include “by... (the doer)” if we know who did the action and want to
mention it because it is somewhat important.
• We an't use the passive voice with intransitive verbs and some state
c
verbs.
• We an use the passive voice with transitive phrasal
c
verbs.
You’ve finished Lesson 15! Now continue to the exercises to get more practice
with the passive voice.
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Quiz – Lesson 15 –
Passives
Exercise 1: Passive voice – various verb
tenses
Change these sentences to the passive voice, using a form of the verb be +
past participle of the main verb. Warning – three of them can’t be made
passive.
Ex) Somebody gave me a form to fill
out. Passive: I was given a form to
fill out.
1. Some people are having trouble understanding the
instructions.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
2. Someone will announce the winner of the contest
tomorrow.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
3. People report that the damage from the earthquake is
extensive.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
4. Hopefully, scientists will have cured cancer by the year
2050.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
5. I was surprised when I heard that they had approved my
scholarship
application
.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
6. People are debating this issue around the
world.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
7. Journalists were bombarding the actor with
questions.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
8. Nobody has painted these walls
yet.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
9. Somebody finally took down the office Christmas decorations in
February.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
10. The government has passed a new
law.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
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11. The course consists of 40
classes.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
12. We held the event in a conference
center.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
13. Farm workers harvest the crops in
October.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
14. This club has existed for the past five
years.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
15. I'm not very athletic. Other kids always chose me last for sports
teams.
___________________________________________________________
______________________________
Exercise 2: Passives with Modal
Verbs
Complete each sentence with a modal verb + be / have been + past
participle.
The modal verbs you can use are must, might, may, can, could, and
should
Ex) The laws _________________________ (obey) by everyone, regardless of
social status.
(obligation –
present)
Answer: The laws must be obeyed by everyone, regardless of social
status.
1. Karen hasn't come to work for the past week. She
__________________________
(fire) - I'm not sure. (uncertainty –
past)
2. This watch is so strong, it _______________________ (drop) f rom a
height of 40 feet
without breaking. (possibility –
present)
3. Cameras with flash ___________________ (use) during the
performance.
(prohibited –
present)
4. Papers ________________________________ (turn) i n by April 15. No
assignments will
be accepted after the deadline. (obligation –
present)
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5. Some people _______________________ (offend) by the strong
language in the
movie. (possibility –
present)
6. My air conditioner is broken. ___________ it __________________, or
will I have to
buy a new one? (ability –
present)
7. I think that new immigrants ________________________ (give)
more help and
support. (recommendation –
present)
8. I can't believe he got away with the crime!
He
_____________________________________ (punish).
(recommendation – past)
9. If we had known about this problem earlier, it
_______________________________
(resolve). (possibility –
past)
10. Some mysteries just ________________________ (solve).
(impossibility – present)
11. Why is my trash can still full? It ______________________________
y the
(empty) b
cleaning crew. (expectation –
past)
12. If you talk too fast, some of your words
_____________________________
(misunderstand). ( possibility –
present)
Writing
Task
Write about one significant historical or cultural event in your country.
When appropriate, you can use the passive voice. Send me your text at
shayna@[Link] for feedback!
Advanced English Grammar Course
45 Lessons - $45
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Answers – Quiz 15 -
Passives
Exercise
1:
1. Cannot be
passive
2. The winner of the contest will be announced
tomorrow.
3. It is reported that the damage from the earthquake is
extensive.
Or: The damage from the earthquake is reported to be
extensive.
4. Hopefully, cancer will have been cured by the year
2050.
5. I was surprised when I heard that my scholarship application had
been
approved
.
6. This issue is being debated around the
world.
7. The actor was being bombarded with
questions.
8. These walls haven't been painted
yet.
9. The Christmas decorations were finally taken down in
February.
10. A new law has been
passed.
11. Cannot be
passive
12. The event was held in a conference
center.
13. The crops are harvested in
October.
14. Cannot be
passive
15. I'm not very athletic. I was always chosen last for team
sports.
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Exercise
2:
1. Karen hasn't come to work for the past week. She might/may have
been
fired - I'm not
sure.
2. This watch is so strong, it can be dropped from a height of 40 feet
without
breaking
.
3. Cameras with flash may not / can’t be used d
uring the
performance.
4. Papers must be turned in by April 15. No assignments will be accepted
after
the
deadline.
5. Some people might/could/may be offended by the strong language in
the
movie
.
6. My air conditioner is broken. Can it be fixed, or will I have to buy a new
one?
7. I think that new immigrants should be given m
ore help and
support.
8. I can't believe he got away with the crime! He should have been
punished.
9. If we had known about this problem earlier, it could have been
resolved.
10. Some mysteries just can’t be
solved.
11. Why is my trash can still full? It should have been emptied by the
cleaning
crew. (expectation –
past)
12. If you talk too fast, some of your words might/could/may be
misunderstood
.
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