Active and Passive Voice

HOW TO MAKE PASSIVE VOICE?

USING THE AUXILIARY VERB “BE”

VERB TENSES USED IN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

The following is a summary of active and passive forms of all verb tenses.

Remember that in active forms the subject of the sentence is the person or thing that does the
action.

In passive constructions, the verb is performed by someone or something other than the subject;
often, the action is done to the subject by someone else.

Present Time

• Simple Present

Use the simple present tense to make a generalization, to present a state of being, or to
indicate a habitual or repeated action.

Active Passive
base form or “-s/-es” form am/is/are + past participle

Professor Brown teaches at Hunter. Sonia is taught by Professor

Brown.
All humans are equal.
All humans are created equal.

Maria eats in the cafeteria. The cafeteria is cleaned

• Present Progressive
Use the present progressive to describe an ongoing activity or a temporary action.

Active Passive
am/is/are + -ing am/is/are + being + -ed/-en

The students are learning Spanish. Classes are being conducted in

Spanish.

He is being hired to work at

McDonald’s.
I am working at McDonald’s until I finish
school.
 • Present Perfect
Use the present perfect to describe an action occurring in the past but relevant to the
present, or extending to the present.
Active Passive
has/have + -ed/-en has/have + been + -ed/-en
Hunter has opened a language institute in The language institute has been opened to
East Harlem. relocate students off the main campus.
Hunter has offered E.S.L courses for E.S.L. courses have been offered since the
twenty years. beginning of Open Admissions

• Present Perfect Progressive

Use the present perfect progressive to describe an ongoing action beginning before now
and is still relevant to the present.

Active Passive
has/have + been + -ing has/have + been + being + -ed/-en Hunter has
been awarding BA and MA diplomas for over one hundred years.

Note: Because of awkward construction, the perfect progressive form is not used in the passive
voice. Instead, an adverb may be used to show continuing action: “We have been repeatedly
scolded for being late.”

Past Time

• Simple Past
Use the simple past to indicate a general or habitual action occurring in the past or at a
specific time in the past.
Active Passive
base + -ed or irregular form was/were + -ed/-en

Our family bought all our clothes at Sears The clothes were bought by my mother
when I was young.

On my fifteenth birthday, my uncle gave The money was given to me to buy new
me one hundred dollars clothes.

When I was in high school, my friends We were always driven to the mall by
and I drove to the mall on weekends. my friend's older brother.

In informal conversation, speakers of English often express habitual behavior in the past using
the modal “would.”

Active Passive
would + base would + be + -ed/-en
 We would usually eat burgers in the food Most of the french fries would be eaten
court. before we got to the table.

• Past Progressive
Use the past progressive to indicate an ongoing action in the past or an action continuing
through a specific past time.
Active Passive
was/were + -ing was/were + being + -ed/-en

Mary and Paul were dating in those days. One afternoon, Mary was being kissed by
Paul when her mother passed by.

• Past Perfect
Use the past perfect to indicate an action completed prior to a particular time or before
another action in the past.
Active Passive
had + -ed/-en had + been + -ed/-en

Completed:

Mary's mother was shocked because she Mary had been kissed many times
had forbidden her daughter to date. before that day.

• Past Perfect Progressive

Use the past perfect progressive to indicate a continuing action that began before a past
action or time.
Active Passive
had + been + -ing had + been + being + -ed/-en

Mary had been trying to tell her mother about

Paul for a long time.

Future Time

• Simple Future
Use the future to indicate an action that is expected to take place at a future time.
Active Passive
will + base will + be + -ed/-en

Paul and Mary will marry in June. They will be married by a priest and
a rabbi.
or or
am/is/are going to + base am/is/are + going to be + -ed/-en

Mary is going to wear her grandmother's The gown is going to be adjusted to

gown. fit Mary.

• Future Progressive
 Use the future progressive to indicate an action in future with emphasis on continuing
action.
Active Passive
will + base + -ing will + be + being + -ed/en

Mary and Paul will be spending lots of Note: Not used in the passive voice.
time on the beach.

• Future Perfect
Use the future perfect to indicate a future action expected to be completed before another
future action or time.
Active Passive
will + have + -ed/-en will + have + been + -ed/en

By their wedding date, they will have Note: Not used in the passive voice.
saved enough money to buy a house.

• Future Perfect Progressive

Use the future perfect progressive to indicate an action projected to have been going on
for a while before a time in the future.
Active Passive
will + have + been + -ing will + have + been + being + -ed/-en

When they celebrate their first Note: Not used in the passive voice.
anniversary, they will have been living
together for a full year.

WHEN TO USE PASSIVE VOICE

Although active voice is generally preferred in academic writing, passive voice is acceptable
under certain conditions.

Use passive voice

• to emphasize the receiver of the action instead of the doer

• to keep the focus on the same subject through several sentences or paragraphs

My sister and I grew up and went to school in Jamaica. We were

educated according to the British system. In 1997 we were given
the opportunity to come to the United States. We decided to finish
high school before leaving our own country. We were concerned
 that the education in this country might not be as good as the one
we had there, and we wanted to improve our English too.

• when we do not know who performed the action:

Ray's calculator was made in Germany.

The answers have been filled in.

• when we do not wish to mention the doer of the action:

Many problems have been ignored for too long.

I was given some bad advice.

• when we want to sound objective or avoid using the subject “I”

Studies have shown . . .

It is well-known . . .

Hamlet is considered . . .

It can be assumed . . .

It has been established . . .