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Passive voice stops my students in their tracks. They understand that it exists, but they freeze when they try to use it — they worry it’s “wrong” or “lazy,” or they simply cannot remember when it’s appropriate. Here’s the truth: the passive voice is not a grammar mistake. It’s a choice. And when you choose it wisely, it makes your writing clearer, more professional, and more focused.
I’ll walk you through exactly when to use the passive voice, how to build it correctly with different tenses, the one formula you need, and the mistakes my students make most often. By the end you’ll recognize passive voice in wild English and know whether to keep it or switch back to active.
Key Takeaways
- Passive voice is not “wrong” — it’s a deliberate choice to focus on the receiver of an action rather than who performs it.
- Formula: Be verb (conjugated) + past participle of main verb.
- When to use it: Agent unknown, obvious, unnecessary, too general, or when you want to emphasize the receiver or result.
- Interrogative form: Question words stay at the front; invert subject and be-verb (e.g., “Was the report written by him?”).
- Common learner error: Using “weared” or “maked” instead of recognizing the irregular past participle forms.
What Is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is a sentence structure where the focus shifts from the person or thing performing an action to the person or thing receiving that action. Instead of saying “Carlos wrote the report,” you say “The report was written by Carlos.” The subject and object have swapped roles.
Active voice: The subject performs the action.
Example: The hurricane destroyed the coastal villages.
Passive voice: The subject receives the action.
Example: The coastal villages were destroyed by the hurricane.
Passive voice formula: be verb (conjugated for tense) + past participle of the main verb.
Examples: “is studied” (present simple), “was written” (past simple), “will be completed” (future simple), “has been approved” (present perfect).
Four Main Reasons to Use the Passive Voice
1. The Agent Is Unknown or Obvious
When you don’t know who performed the action, or it’s clear from context, the passive voice lets you skip the agent entirely.
Example: Her passport was stolen. (We don’t know who stole it, and it doesn’t matter.)
Example: Oranges are grown in California. (It’s obvious that farmers grow them; we focus on the oranges and the location.)
2. The Agent Is Known But Not Important to Mention
Sometimes you want to de-emphasize the person doing the action because the focus belongs elsewhere.
Example: A mistake has been made. (We care about the error, not who made it.)
Example: She was given bad advice. (The receiver of the advice matters more than who gave it.)
3. The Agent Is Very General (Someone, People, Everybody)
When the agent is so vague it would weaken your sentence, passive voice is cleaner.
Example: English is spoken here. (Safer than “People speak English here” — who exactly?)
Example: The door should be locked at all times. (Better than “You should lock the door” if you’re writing general instructions.)
4. You Want to Emphasize the Receiver or Result
Passive voice puts the receiver at the front of the sentence, making it the psychological focus. This is powerful for highlighting impact or consequence.
Compare these two versions of the same event:
Active: The earthquake killed 7,000 people.
Passive: Seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake.
Notice: The passive version emphasizes the scale of human suffering by leading with “7,000 people.”
How to Form the Passive Voice: Tense by Tense
| Tense | Formula | Example (Affirmative) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | am / is / are + past participle | The report is written every Monday. |
| Present Continuous | am / is / are being + past participle | The report is being written right now. |
| Present Perfect | have / has been + past participle | The report has been written. |
| Past Simple | was / were + past participle | The report was written yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | was / were being + past participle | The report was being written when he arrived. |
| Past Perfect | had been + past participle | The report had been written before the meeting. |
| Future Simple | will be + past participle | The report will be written tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | will have been + past participle | The report will have been written by Friday. |
Key rule: The be-verb always changes to match tense and subject, but the past participle of the main verb stays the same.
Passive Voice in Present Tense
In present simple passive, the formula is: am/is/are + past participle.
| Active Tense | Passive Form | Example (Passive) |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple: “write” | am/is/are + written | The book is written in English. |
| Present continuous: “is writing” | am/is/are + being + written | A novel is being written by her. |
| Present perfect: “has written” | has/have + been + written | The letter has been written. |
Example 1 (present simple): The dog chases the cat.
→ The cat is chased by the dog.
Example 2 (present continuous): She is writing an article.
→ An article is being written by her.
Example 3 (present perfect): They have painted the house.
→ The house has been painted by them.
Passive Voice in Past Tense
In past passive, the formula shifts to was/were + past participle (for simple past) or was/were + being + past participle (for past continuous).
| Active Tense | Passive Form | Example (Passive) |
|---|---|---|
| Past simple: “wrote” | was/were + written | The report was written last week. |
| Past continuous: “was writing” | was/were + being + written | The bridge was being built for two years. |
| Past perfect: “had written” | had + been + written | The letter had been written before he arrived. |
Example 1 (past simple): The teacher graded the papers.
→ The papers were graded by the teacher.
Example 2 (past continuous): They were building the bridge.
→ The bridge was being built by them.
Example 3 (past perfect): She had finished her work.
→ Her work had been finished by her. (Note: this sounds awkward — see “When NOT to use passive” below.)
Passive Voice in Future Tense
In future passive, the formula is: will be + past participle (simple future) or will be + being + past participle (future continuous — rare).
| Active Tense | Passive Form | Example (Passive) |
|---|---|---|
| Future simple: “will write” | will be + written | The decision will be announced tomorrow. |
| Future continuous: “will be writing” | will be + being + written | The proposal will be being reviewed during the meeting. |
| Future perfect: “will have written” | will have + been + written | The contract will have been signed by Friday. |
Example 1 (future simple): He will finish the project.
→ The project will be finished by him.
Example 2 (future perfect): They will have completed the work.
→ The work will have been completed by them.
Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative Forms
Affirmative (Positive)
Structure: Subject + be-verb + past participle + (by agent).
Example 1: The exercises must be done by Jose.
Example 2: The letter will be written tonight.
Example 3: A hard day’s night was written by the Beatles.
Negative
Structure: Subject + be-verb + not + past participle + (by agent).
Example 1: The exercises must not be done by Jose.
Example 2: The letter will not be written tonight.
Example 3: The keys have not been read by my son.
Interrogative (Questions)
Structure: Be-verb + subject + past participle + (by agent)?
Example 1: Was the letter written by him?
Example 2: Has the assignment been completed ?
Example 3: Will the building be demolished next year?
With question words (what, why, who, when): The question word stays at the front, then invert the subject and be-verb.
Example: What was destroyed by the storm?
Example: Why has the project been delayed ?
Three Critical Passive Voice Rules
Rule 1: Use the Third Form of the Verb (Past Participle)
The main verb in passive voice must always be in past participle form. This is true even if the sentence is about the present or future.
✓ Correct: The hall is being decorated. (past participle: decorated)
✗ Incorrect: The hall is being decorate. (present participle: decorate)
Rule 2: Match the Be-Verb to Singular and Plural Subjects
The be-verb changes shape based on the subject. In present simple: “is” for singular, “are” for plural. In past simple: “was” for singular, “were” for plural.
✓ Correct: The exercises are done. (plural)
✗ Incorrect: The exercises is done. (should be “are”)
Rule 3: Prepositions Stay Attached
When a phrasal verb or a verb with a preposition becomes passive, the preposition stays with the verb.
Active: Please listen to him.
Passive: He should be listened to. (preposition “to” stays)
Active: He turned down my proposal.
Passive: My proposal was turned down. (preposition “down” stays)
Passive Voice with Two Objects
Some verbs (like give, send, show, tell) have two objects in the active voice. When you convert to passive, you can choose which object becomes the main subject.
Active: Hari gave me an apple.
Passive Option 1 (person as subject): I was given an apple by Hari.
Passive Option 2 (thing as subject): An apple was given to me by Hari.
Both are correct. The first is more common in English because it places focus on the receiver (person).
Intransitive Verbs Cannot Be Passive
Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object, so they cannot form passive voice. There is no “receiver” for the action.
Intransitive verb: go
Active: I go to school. (correct)
Passive attempt: School is gone to by me. (awkward and wrong)
Other intransitive verbs: arrive, happen, sleep, laugh, run, sit, stand, swim.
If you need to use these ideas in passive form, restructure the sentence entirely rather than forcing a passive that doesn’t exist.
Common Mistakes Learners Make
✗ Incorrect: The building had been restored.
✓ Correct: The building has been restored. (if recent) OR The building was restored. (if you know when)
Why: “Had been restored” suggests the restoration was completed before another past event — use “had been” only when you’re showing a sequence in the past. If you just mean “it is restored now,” use “has been.”
✗ Incorrect: The old library is going to be knocked. (incomplete)
✓ Correct: The old library is going to be knocked down .
Why: “Knock down” is a phrasal verb. The particle “down” must stay attached in passive voice.
✗ Incorrect: News reports are written by reporters in the active voice.
✓ Correct: News reports are written by reporters.
Why: You don’t need to say “in the passive voice” — the sentence itself shows it. If you want to comment on the structure, do it separately: “News reports are written by reporters. This is passive voice.”
Sample Dialogue
Teacher: Why did you write “The email was sent by me”? Why not just “I sent the email”?
Maria: I thought passive was more formal?
Teacher: It can be, but not always. Passive is useful when the receiver is more important than the sender. Think: who cares more — that YOU sent it, or that the email WAS SENT? If you’re a secretary handling dozens of emails, you’d say “The email was sent” because the action happened, not who did it.
Maria: Ah, so active “I sent it” is more personal?
Teacher: Exactly. Active puts YOU front and center. Passive puts the email in focus. Choose based on what you want your reader to think about.
Quick Quiz
- Convert to passive: “The company hired 50 new employees.”a) 50 new employees are hired by the company.
b) 50 new employees were hired by the company.
c) 50 new employees have been hired by the company.
- Which sentence is correct passive voice?a) The report is writing by him.
b) The report is written by him.
c) The report is wrote by him.
- Fill the gap: “The door __________ at all times.”a) should lock
b) should be locking
c) should be locked
- Which intransitive verb cannot be made passive?a) give
b) arrive
c) break
- Convert to interrogative passive: “Did they finish the project?”a) Was the project finished by them?
b) Has the project been finished by them?
c) Will the project be finished by them?
Answers: 1. b (past simple: were hired) · 2. b (correct past participle: written) · 3. c (should be locked) · 4. b (arrive is intransitive) · 5. a (Was the project finished by them?)
Related Articles
- ↑ Master Pillar: English Grammar
- Present Perfect Tense: Usage and Examples
- Future Tense: Will vs. Going To
- ↑ Back to pillar: English Tenses (Pillar)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is passive voice wrong or bad English?
What is the agent in passive voice?
Can you use passive voice with the present continuous?
How do I know when to use passive vs. active?
Why do intransitive verbs have no passive form?
What is a quasi-passive verb?
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