When the action matters more than who did it. The voice of news, science, and formal writing.
“Most of the time you speak in ACTIVE voice: 'I made tea.' Sometimes the doer does not matter, or you do not know who it was. That is when you switch to PASSIVE voice: 'The tea was made.' Same event, different focus.”
Active: 'The thieves stole the painting last night.' (Focus on the thieves.)
Passive: 'The painting was stolen last night.' (Focus on the painting. The thieves are unknown or unimportant.)
Newspapers use passive a lot. So does science. So do polite refusals: 'Your application was not accepted' sounds gentler than 'We did not accept your application'.
Active: subject + verb + object.
Passive: object becomes subject + form of 'to be' + past participle.
Examples:
Active: She wrote the letter. → Passive: The letter was written (by her).
Active: They build cars here. → Passive: Cars are built here.
Active: He will deliver the package. → Passive: The package will be delivered.
Use 'by + agent' only when you want to mention who did it. Often, you do not.
1. The doer is unknown: 'The window was broken last night.'
2. The doer is not important: 'English is spoken in many countries.'
3. You want to be diplomatic/polite: 'A mistake was made.' (instead of 'You made a mistake.')
4. Formal writing, science: 'The water was heated to 100 degrees.'
5. To put focus on the object: 'The painting was stolen.' (the painting is the news, not the thieves).
Simple present: 'is/are made'. ('Cars are made here.')
Simple past: 'was/were made'. ('The cake was made yesterday.')
Present perfect: 'has/have been made'. ('A decision has been made.')
Future: 'will be made'. ('The decision will be made tomorrow.')
Modal: 'can be made', 'must be made', 'should be made'.
Click “Translate” below if you need any word in your own language.
Simple past passive.
The cake was made by my sister.
Simple present passive.
This car is built in Germany.
Future passive.
The work will be done by Friday.
Present perfect passive.
The book has been written.
Used in passive to introduce the doer (when needed).
Built by hand.
Some languages use passive less than English (e.g. Russian, Hindi). Others use it more (e.g. Japanese). English uses it medium. Do not avoid it: it is part of natural English. Just do not overuse it either.
Try these on paper or out loud. Mr. Gee's rule: practice today, do not save it for tomorrow.
Passive = subject is RECEIVING the action, not doing it. Form: object becomes subject + to-be + past participle. Use when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or when you want to be polite or diplomatic.
Read aloud every day. Even if it sounds funny. Your tongue needs practice.
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