Passive and Active Voices

Verbs are also said to be either active (The executive

committee approved the new policy) or passive (The new policy was
approved by the executive committee) in voice. In the active voice, the subject
and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a be-er or a do-er and the
verb moves the sentence along. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence
is neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some other agent or by
something unnamed (The new policy was approved). Computerized grammar
checkers can pick out a passive voice construction from miles away and ask you
to revise it to a more active construction. There is nothing inherently wrong with
the passive voice, but if you can say the same thing in the active mode, do so (see
exceptions below). Your text will have more pizzazz as a result, since passive
verb constructions tend to lie about in their pajamas and avoid actual work.
We find an overabundance of the passive voice in sentences created by selfprotective business interests, magniloquent educators, and bombastic military
writers (who must get weary of this accusation), who use the passive
voice to avoid responsibility for actions taken. Thus "Cigarette ads were
designed to appeal especially to children" places the burden on the ads
as opposed to "We designed the cigarette ads to appeal especially to children,"
in which "we" accepts responsibility. At a White House press briefing we might
hear that "The President was advised that certain members of Congress were
being audited" rather than "The Head of the Internal Revenue service advised the
President that her agency was auditing certain members of Congress" because the
passive construction avoids responsibility for advising and for auditing. One
further caution about the passive voice: we should not mix active and passive
constructions in the same sentence: "The executive committee approved the new
policy, and the calendar for next year's meetingswas revised" should be recast as
"The executive committee approved the new policy and revised the calendar for
next year's meeting."
Take the quiz (below) as an exercise in recognizing and changing passive
verbs.
The passive voice does exist for a reason, however, and its
presence is not always to be despised. The passive is particularly
useful (even recommended) in two situations:

When it is more important to draw our attention to the person or

thing acted upon: The unidentified victim was apparently struck during the
early morning hours.

When the actor in the situation is not important: The aurora borealis can be
observed in the early morning hours.

The passive voice is especially helpful (and even regarded as mandatory) in

scientific or technical writing or lab reports, where the actor is not really
important but the process or principle being described is of ultimate importance.
Instead of writing "I poured 20 cc of acid into the beaker," we would write
"Twenty cc of acid is/was poured into the beaker." The passive voice is also
useful when describing, say, a mechanical process in which the details of process
are much more important than anyone's taking responsibility for the action: "The
first coat of primer paint is applied immediately after the acid rinse."
We use the passive voice to good effect in a paragraph in which we wish to
shift emphasis from what was the object in a first sentence to what becomes
the subject in subsequent sentences.
The executive committee approved an entirely new policy for dealing with academic
suspension and withdrawal. The policy had been written by a subcommittee on student
behavior. If students withdraw from course work before suspension can take effect, the
policy states, a mark of "IW" . . . .

The paragraph is clearly about this new policy so it is appropriate

that policy move from being the object in the first sentence to being the subject of
the second sentence. The passive voice allows for this transition.

Passive Verb Formation

The passive forms of a verb are created by combining a form of the "to be
verb" with the past participle of the main verb. Other helping verbs are also
sometimes present: "The measure could have been killed in committee." The
passive can be used, also, in various tenses. Let's take a look at the passive forms
of "design."
Auxiliary
Plural

Past
Participle

The car/cars is

are

designed.

Present perfect

The car/cars has been

have been

designed.

Past

The car/cars was

were

designed.

Past perfect

The car/cars had been

had been

designed.

Tense

Subject

Present

Singular

Future

The car/cars will be

Future perfect

The car/cars will have been will have been designed.

Present progressive The car/cars is being

Past progressive

The car/cars was being

will be

designed.

are being

designed.

were being

designed.

A sentence cast in the passive voice will not always include an agent of the
action. For instance if a gorilla crushes a tin can, we could say "The tin can was
crushed by the gorilla." But a perfectly good sentence would leave out the gorilla:
"The tin can was crushed." Also, when an active sentence with an indirect object
is recast in the passive, the indirect object can take on the role of subject in the
passive sentence:

Active

Professor Villa gave Jorge an A.

Passive An A was given to Jorge by Professor Villa.

Passive Jorge was given an A.

Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be transformed into
passive constructions. Furthermore, active sentences containing certain verbs
cannot be transformed into passive structures. To have is the most important of
these verbs. We can say "He has a new car," but we cannot say "A new car is had
by him." We can say "Josefina lacked finesse," but we cannot say "Finesse was
lacked." Here is a brief list of such verbs*:
resemble look like equal agree with
mean

contain

hold

comprise

lack

suit

fit

become

Verbals in Passive Structures

Verbals or verb forms can also take on features of the passive voice.
An infinitive phrase in the passive voice, for instance, can perform various
functions within a sentence (just like the active forms of the infinitive).

Subject: To be elected by my peers is a great honor.

Object: That child really likes to be read to by her mother.
Modifier: Grasso was the first woman to be elected governor in her own right.

The same is true of passive gerunds.

Subject: Being elected by my peers was a great thrill.

Object: I really don't like being lectured to by my boss.
Object of preposition: I am so tired of being lectured to by my boss.

With passive participles, part of the passive construction is often omitted, the
result being a simple modifying participial phrase.

[Having been] designed for off-road performance, the Pathseeker does not
always behave well on paved highways.

Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and
the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
Examples:

Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence
and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence.
You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more
important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do
not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the
action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Examples:

Active / Passive Overview

Tense

Active

Passive

Simple Present

Once a week, Tom cleans the house.

Once a week, the house is c

Present Continuous

Right now, Sarah is writing the letter.

Right now, the letter is bein

Simple Past

Sam repaired the car.

The car was repaired by Sam

Past Continuous

The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came
into the store.

The customer was being he

came into the store.

Present Perfect

Many tourists have visited that castle.

That castle has been visited

Present Perfect
Continuous

Recently, John has been doing the work.

Recently, the work has bee

Past Perfect

George had repaired many cars before he received his

mechanic's license.

Many cars had been repaire

mechanic's license.

Past Perfect
Continuous

Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic

dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.

The restaurant's fantastic d

Jones for two years before h

Simple Future
will

Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM.

The work will be finished b

Simple Future
be going to

Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.

A beautiful dinner is going t

Future Continuous
will

At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes.

At 8:00 PM tonight, the dish

Future Continuous
be going to

At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes.

At 8:00 PM tonight, the dish

Future Perfect
will

They will have completed the project before the deadline.

The project will have been

Future Perfect
be going to

They are going to have completed the project before the

deadline.

The project is going to have

Future Perfect
Continuous
will

The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six
months by the time it is finished.

The mural will have been b

six months by the time it is

Future Perfect
Continuous
be going to

The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for
over six months by the time it is finished.

The mural is going to have

for over six months by the t

Used to

Jerry used to pay the bills.

The bills used to be paid by

Would Always

My mother would always make the pies.

The pies would always be m

Future in the Past

Would

I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM.

I knew the work would be f

Future in the Past

Was Going to

I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.

I thought a beautiful dinner

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Passive Voice
Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not
known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not
know, however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the
following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame
anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)

the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is
dropped)

Examples of Passive
Tense

Simple Present

Subject

Active:
Passive:

Simple Past

Active:
Passive:

Present Perfect

Active:
Passive:

Future I

Active:

Verb

Object

writes

a letter.

is written

by Rita.

wrote

a letter.

A letter

was written

by Rita.

Rita

has written

a letter.

has been written

by Rita.

will write

a letter.

Rita
A letter
Rita

A letter
Rita

Passive:
Hilfsverben

A letter

Active:

Rita

Passive:

A letter

will be written

by Rita.

can write

a letter.

can be written

by Rita.

Examples of Passive
Tense

Present Progressive

Subject

Active:

Past Progressive

Active:
Passive:

a letter.

was being written

by Rita.

had written

a letter.

A letter

had been written

by Rita.

Rita

will have written

a letter.

will have been written

by Rita.

would write

a letter.

would be written

by Rita.

would have written

a letter.

would have been written

by Rita.

A letter

Active:

Rita

Passive:
Conditional II

was writing

Rita

Passive:

Conditional I

by Rita.

A letter

Active:

Future II

is being written

Rita

Passive:
Past Perfect

a letter.

A letter

Active:

A letter

Active:

Rita

Passive:

Object

is writing

Rita

Passive:

Verb

A letter

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of
the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which
object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.
Subject

Verb

Object 1

Object 2

Active:

Rita

wrote

a letter

to me.

Passive:

A letter

was written

to me

by Rita.

Passive:

was written

a letter

by Rita.

As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant.
Thats why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes
the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive
verb) can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal
passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the
passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you
need an impersonal construction therefore this passive is called Impersonal
Passive.
Example: he says it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g.
German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of
perception (e. g. say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. It is said that women live
longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. Women are said to live
longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the
sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence
is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs
and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect
object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

PASSIVE VOICE
FUNCTIONS OF THE PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather
than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or
person becomes the subject of the sentence.

EXAMPLES

The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are interested in the passive voice, not in who
uses it.)
The house was built in 1654. (= we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)
The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the road, not in the people who are
doing the repairs.)

Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't know or do not want to express who
performed the action.

EXAMPLES

I noticed that a window had been left open.

Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
All the cookies have been eaten.
My car has been stolen!

The passive voice is often used in formal texts. Switching to the active voice will make your writing
clearer and easier to read.

Passive

Active

A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words.

A few well-chosen words convey a gr

Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.

A mass of gases wrap around our pla

Passive

Active

Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways.

The city disposes of waste materials

If we want to say who or what performs the action while using the passive voice, we use the
preposition by. When we know who performed the action and are interested in him, it is always
better to switch to the active voice instead.

Passive

Active

"A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles.

The Beatles wrote "A Hard Day's N

The movie ET was directed by Spielberg.

Spielberg directed the movie ET.

This house was built by my father.

My father built this house.

Read more about the passive voice and active equivalents for all English verb tenses.

FORMING THE PASSIVE VOICE

The passive voice in English is composed of two elements:
the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + past participle

Affirmative

Negative

Interrogative

Nega

The house was built in 1899.

The house wasn't built in 1899.

Was the house built in 1899?

Wasn

These houses were built in 1899.

These houses weren't built in 1899.

Were these houses built in 1899?

Were

TO CLEAN, PASSIVE VOICE

Subject

+ to be (conjugated)

+ past participle

+ rest of sent

is

cleaned

every day.

is being

cleaned

at the momen

was

cleaned

yesterday.

was being

cleaned

last week.

has been

cleaned

since you left

had been

cleaned

before they a

will be

cleaned

next week.

Simple present

The house

Present continuous

The house

Simple past

The house

Past continuous

The house

Present perfect

The house

Past perfect

The house

Future

The house

Subject

+ to be (conjugated)

+ past participle

+ rest of sent

will be being

cleaned

tomorrow.

would be

cleaned

if they had vis

would have been

cleaned

if it had been

must be

cleaned

before we arr

Future continuous

The house

Present conditional

The house

Past conditional

The house

Inifinitive

The house

PASSIVE VOICE WITH INFINITIVES

The infinitive passive voice is used after modal verbs and other most verbs normally followed by an
infinitive.

EXAMPLES

You have to be tested on your English grammar.

John might be promoted next year.
She wants to be invited to the party.
I expect to be surprised on my birthday.
You may be disappointed.

PASSIVE VOICE WITH GERUNDS

Gerunds are used after prepositions and verbs normally followed by a gerund.

EXAMPLES

I remember being taught to drive.

The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.
The children are excited to be taken to the zoo.
Most film stars hate being interviewed.
Most film stars hate to be interviewed.
Poodles like to be pampered.
Poodles like being pampered.

USING "TO BE BORN"

"To be born" is an passive form and is most commonly used in the past tense. However, in some
cases, the present or future tense is appropriate.

EXAMPLES

I was born in 1976.

Where were you born?
Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be born.

Sometimes the passive is formed using the verb to get or to have instead of the verb to be. A
separate page deals with these alternative ways to form the passive voice.