Passive Voice
B1 Passive Voice
Section titled “ Passive Voice”Active voice: The chef cooked the meal. Passive voice: The meal was cooked (by the chef).
Same event. Different spotlight. Active puts the doer center stage. Passive puts the receiver of the action front and center — and optionally shoves the doer into the background with by.
Active vs. passive: same movie, different camera angle
Section titled “Active vs. passive: same movie, different camera angle”The company launched the product in March.
→ We care about who did it. The company is the star.
Someone stole my bike.
→ We don’t know who, but the structure still assumes a doer exists.
Researchers discovered a new species.
→ Classic academic active. Scientists front and center.
The product was launched in March.
→ The launch date matters. Who launched it? Maybe irrelevant, maybe unknown.
My bike was stolen.
→ The bike (and your feelings) are the focus. The thief is a mystery.
A new species was discovered.
→ Science news default. The discovery matters; the lab team is secondary.
The passive isn’t “better” or “worse.” It’s a framing choice — like choosing whether to photograph the chef or the plated dish.
How to build the passive: be + past participle
Section titled “How to build the passive: be + past participle”The formula is stupidly consistent across tenses:
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars here | Cars are made here |
| Past Simple | Someone stole my wallet | My wallet was stolen |
| Present Continuous | They are building a bridge | A bridge is being built |
| Past Continuous | They were repairing the road | The road was being repaired |
| Present Perfect | They have finished the report | The report has been finished |
| Future Simple | They will send the email | The email will be sent |
| Modal | They must approve this | This must be approved |
Notice: the main verb always becomes past participle (V3), and be carries the tense.
Subject + be (conjugated for tense) + past participle (V3) + by + agent (optional)
The Great Wall was built over many centuries.
This email will be sent tomorrow.
The window has been broken since Monday.
When to USE passive voice
Section titled “When to USE passive voice”1. The doer is unknown or unimportant
Section titled “1. The doer is unknown or unimportant”My car was stolen. (Who stole it? No idea.) The window was broken. (By whom? Doesn’t matter right now.)
2. Formal, academic, and scientific writing
Section titled “2. Formal, academic, and scientific writing”Science doesn’t want personality. It wants facts.
The experiment was conducted at 25°C. The data were analyzed using SPSS. English is spoken in many countries.
Mandarin academic writing also uses 被/由 constructions, but English passives are more frequent and less emotionally loaded.
3. Processes and instructions
Section titled “3. Processes and instructions”The rice is washed, then cooked for 20 minutes. Applications must be submitted by Friday. The form can be downloaded from the website.
The steps matter. The chef/administrator/website designer is irrelevant.
4. You want to avoid blaming someone (politics!)
Section titled “4. You want to avoid blaming someone (politics!)”Mistakes were made. (Classic non-apology.) The deadline was missed. (Not: “You missed the deadline.”)
Passive = tactful dodge. Use responsibly.
When NOT to use passive voice
Section titled “When NOT to use passive voice”1. You need clarity about who did what
Section titled “1. You need clarity about who did what”2. Casual conversation (usually)
Section titled “2. Casual conversation (usually)”❌ “The movie was liked by me.” → ✅ “I liked the movie.” ❌ “Dinner was eaten by us at 7.” → ✅ “We ate dinner at 7.”
Nobody talks like a legal document at brunch. Active is shorter, clearer, human.
3. The verb can’t take an object (intransitive verbs)
Section titled “3. The verb can’t take an object (intransitive verbs)”This is the big one. More below.
The agent with “by”: when to include it
Section titled “The agent with “by”: when to include it”| Include by + agent | Omit the agent |
|---|---|
| The agent is surprising or important | Agent is unknown |
| The novel was written by a 16-year-old. | My bike was stolen. |
| You need to name someone | Agent is obvious or irrelevant |
| The photo was taken by Annie Leibovitz. | English is spoken here. |
| Legal/scientific precision | Process descriptions |
| The contract was signed by both parties. | The rice is washed and cooked. |
Passive across tenses — worked examples
Section titled “Passive across tenses — worked examples”Present Simple passive
Section titled “Present Simple passive”Rice is grown in many Asian countries.
Past Simple passive
Section titled “Past Simple passive”The email was sent yesterday.
Present Perfect passive
Section titled “Present Perfect passive”The work has been completed.
Future passive
Section titled “Future passive”The results will be announced tomorrow.
Modal passive
Section titled “Modal passive”This form must be submitted by Friday.
Continuous passive (yes, it exists)
Section titled “Continuous passive (yes, it exists)”The road is being repaired this week.
Continuous passive = be + being + past participle. Clunky but correct. “The road is being repaired” = repair work is in progress.
Practice: active ↔ passive transformations
Section titled “Practice: active ↔ passive transformations”Get-passive: the casual cousin
Section titled “Get-passive: the casual cousin”English also uses get + past participle for passive-ish meaning — often more informal, sometimes with a sense of change or misfortune:
| Be-passive (neutral) | Get-passive (informal / change) |
|---|---|
| The window was broken. | The window got broken. (emphasis on it becoming broken) |
| He was fired. | He got fired. (more dramatic) |
| She was married. (state) | She got married. (event/change) |
Get-passive is common in speech. Be-passive dominates formal writing. Both are real English.
Core: Subject + be (tense) + past participle
With agent: … + by + doer
Continuous passive: is/are/was/were + being + V3
Perfect passive: has/have/had + been + V3
Modal passive: must/can/should + be + V3
No passive for: happen, occur, exist, appear, disappear, die, fall (intransitive)
Try this right now
Section titled “Try this right now”Take three sentences you wrote recently in English. Rewrite one as passive (formal). Rewrite one as get-passive (casual). Leave one active.
Notice which version sounds natural for the context. Email to your professor? Passive might work. Text to your friend? Probably not.
Related pages:
- B1 — Tense System — passive uses the same tense grid
- Relative Clauses — “The man who was hired…” combines both
- Reported Speech — “He said the report was finished”
- Mandarin Speaker Guide — 被 and other L1 transfer traps