Active and Passive Voice

Overview

Voice is the relationship between the action and the participants in a clause.

In the active voice, the subject usually performs the action:

• The technician repaired the server.

In the passive voice, the subject receives the action:

• The server was repaired.

Many learners first meet the passive as a transformation exercise, but the real question is not “Can I change active to passive?” The real question is:

“Which version serves the message better?”

This chapter teaches passive voice as a choice of focus and information management.

Chapter Map

1. First, you will study the basic contrast between active and passive.
2. Then, you will learn how the passive is formed in different tenses.
3. After that, you will learn when the passive is useful and when the active is better.
4. Finally, you will study special passive patterns and common errors.

Full Definitions

Active voice

A clause in which the subject typically performs the action.

Passive voice

A clause in which the subject receives the action, and the doer may be omitted or expressed in a by-phrase.

Agent

The agent is the doer of the action.

Patient

The patient is the thing or person affected by the action.

Learning Objectives

• Form passive structures accurately in major tense patterns.
• Decide when active or passive voice is more natural.
• Use or omit the agent thoughtfully.
• Recognize passive patterns in formal, academic, and everyday English.
• Avoid awkward or incomplete passives.

The Big Idea

Use the active voice when the doer matters most. Use the passive voice when the receiver, result, process, or unknown agent matters more.

Section 1: The Basic Contrast

Active

• The chef prepared the meal.

Passive

• The meal was prepared by the chef.

The event is the same, but the focus changes.

Example 1

• Active: The committee approved the proposal.
• Passive: The proposal was approved by the committee.

Example 2

• Active: Someone stole my bicycle.
• Passive: My bicycle was stolen.

In the second example, the passive is natural because the agent is unknown or unimportant.

Section 2: How the Passive Is Formed

Basic pattern:

• be + past participle

The tense is carried by be.

Core rule

• active object -> passive subject
• correct form of be -> shows the tense
• past participle -> stays the main passive form

Examples:

• Active: The company delivers the parcels.

• Passive: The parcels are delivered.

• Active: The company delivered the parcels.

• Passive: The parcels were delivered.

Present simple passive

• is made
• are delivered

Rule:

• singular subject + is + past participle
• plural subject + are + past participle

Examples:

• The report is checked.
• The reports are checked.

Past simple passive

• was built
• were chosen

Rule:

• singular subject + was + past participle
• plural subject + were + past participle

Examples:

• The bridge was built.
• The bridges were built.

Present continuous passive

• is being repaired

Rule:

• singular subject + is being + past participle
• plural subject + are being + past participle

Examples:

• The road is being repaired.
• The roads are being repaired.

Present perfect passive

• has been completed
• have been completed

Rule:

• singular subject + has been + past participle
• plural subject + have been + past participle

Examples:

• The form has been completed.
• The forms have been completed.

Modal passive

• must be submitted
• can be seen

Rule:

• subject + modal + be + past participle

Examples:

• The application must be submitted.
• The results can be seen online.

Example 3

• Sentence: The forms are checked every morning.

Example 4

• Sentence: The bridge was opened in 2015.

Example 5

• Sentence: The road is being repaired this week.

Example 6

• Sentence: The documents have been signed.

Example 7

• Sentence: The application must be submitted by Friday.

Section 3: When the Passive Is Useful

When the agent is unknown

• My phone was taken.

When the agent is obvious

• The suspect was arrested.

The agent may be understood from context.

When the result matters more than the doer

• The report has been completed.

In formal, scientific, or process-focused writing

• The samples were analyzed under controlled conditions.

Example 8

• Sentence: The laboratory results were reviewed carefully.
• Why: process and result are more important than naming the reviewer.

Example 9

• Sentence: Several errors were found in the final draft.
• Why: emphasis on the errors and discovery, not the finder.

Section 4: When the Active Is Better

The passive is not always the best choice.

Use the active when:

• the doer matters
• the sentence becomes too long or vague in passive form
• the writing needs energy, clarity, or accountability

Example 10

• Weak passive: Mistakes were made in the budget report.
• Stronger active: The finance team made mistakes in the budget report.

Example 11

• Weak passive: The decision was taken to postpone the launch.
• Clearer active: The board decided to postpone the launch.

The active often sounds more direct and responsible.

Section 5: Keeping or Omitting the Agent

Use a by-phrase only when the agent adds useful information.

Example 12

• Useful: The novel was written by Toni Morrison.

Example 13

• Unnecessary: The floor was cleaned by the cleaner.

If the agent is obvious, repetitive, or unimportant, omit it.

Section 6: Passive in Different Contexts

Instructions and notices

• Helmets must be worn.
• Bags should not be left unattended.

Academic writing

• Data were collected over a six-month period.

News reports

• Three people were injured in the accident.

Example 14

• Sentence: Visitors are requested to remain seated.
• Meaning: polite formal notice

Example 15

• Sentence: The vaccine was developed after years of research.
• Meaning: process-focused factual statement

Section 7: Verbs That Can and Cannot Be Passivized

Only transitive verbs, or verbs with an object, usually form a normal passive.

Example 16

• Active: They solved the puzzle.
• Passive: The puzzle was solved.

Example 17

• Active: She arrived late.
• No normal passive: Late was arrived.

Because arrive has no object, it does not form a normal passive.

Section 8: Two-Object Verbs

Some verbs take two objects:

• give
• send
• offer
• teach
• show

Either object may sometimes become the passive subject.

Example 18

• Active: They gave me a certificate.
• Passive 1: I was given a certificate.
• Passive 2: A certificate was given to me.

Example 19

• Active: The school offered students extra guidance.
• Passive 1: Students were offered extra guidance.
• Passive 2: Extra guidance was offered to students.

Section 9: Get Passive

English also uses get + past participle, especially in informal speech.

Example 20

• Sentence: He got promoted last month.

Example 21

• Sentence: The window got broken during the storm.

The get passive can sound more dynamic, informal, or event-focused than the be passive.

Section 10: Common Transformation Logic

To change an active sentence to passive:

1. find the object
2. move the object into subject position
3. choose the correct tense of be
4. add the past participle
5. keep or omit the agent

Example 22

• Active: The editor corrected the article.
• Passive steps:
  • object = article
  • tense = past simple
  • passive = was corrected
• Result: The article was corrected by the editor.

Example 23

• Active: The team is testing the software.
• Passive: The software is being tested by the team.

Example 24

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

Common Mistakes and Why They Happen

Mistake 1

• WRONG: The work was finished by yesterday.
• BETTER: The work was finished yesterday. / The work had been finished by yesterday.

Why learners make it:

• They mix passive form with a time expression that needs different tense logic.

Mistake 2

• WRONG: The problem was happened yesterday.
• RIGHT: The problem happened yesterday.

Why learners make it:

• They try to make an intransitive verb passive.

Mistake 3

• WRONG: The report has completed.
• RIGHT: The report has been completed.

Why learners make it:

• They forget the auxiliary been in the present perfect passive.

Mistake 4

• WRONG: English is spoken by many people in the world by them.
• BETTER: English is spoken by many people around the world.

Why learners make it:

• They add unnecessary or repeated agent phrases.

Practice Plan

1. Convert ten active sentences to passive and explain whether the agent should stay.
2. Convert ten passive sentences to active and decide whether the active is stronger.
3. Sort twenty verbs into those that can form a passive and those that normally cannot.
4. Rewrite a short formal paragraph using more natural passive choices.
5. Rewrite a vague passive paragraph into clearer active sentences where responsibility matters.

Story Lab

”Story Lab: The Damaged Exhibition”

“Two days before the art exhibition opened, a large display panel was damaged during transport. The panel had been painted by a local artist, and several final details were still being added when the accident happened. At first, no one knew who had caused the damage.”

“By evening, however, the problem had been solved. A replacement frame was found, the surface was repaired, and the opening schedule was not changed. In the final report, the organizers wrote that the exhibition had been prepared under unusual pressure but had still been completed on time.”

What to notice

• the passive keeps focus on the exhibition objects and process
• the agents are omitted because the result matters more than the doers
• several passive tense patterns appear naturally: was damaged, had been painted, were being added, had been completed

Final Summary

Voice is a choice of emphasis. Use the active voice when the doer deserves attention. Use the passive voice when the result, receiver, or process deserves attention, or when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. Good writers do not fear the passive; they use it purposefully.

Mastery Checklist

You are ready to move on when you can do all of the following:

• form passive structures across major tenses
• decide when the passive is more natural than the active
• include or omit the agent with a reason
• recognize verbs that do not form a normal passive
• move between active and passive without losing meaning