Passive Voice — Quick Reference
The Rule in 10 Seconds
Section titled “The Rule in 10 Seconds”Active = the subject does the action. Passive = the subject receives the action. Use passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The chef cooked the meal. | The meal was cooked (by the chef). |
| Someone stole my bike. | My bike was stolen. |
Passive Formation
Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle (V3) + (by agent)
Passive Across Tenses
Section titled “Passive Across Tenses”| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars here. | Cars are made here. |
| Past Simple | She wrote the report. | The report was written. |
| Present Perfect | They have built a bridge. | A bridge has been built. |
| Present Continuous | They are painting the wall. | The wall is being painted. |
| Future Simple | They will announce it. | It will be announced. |
| Past Perfect | They had finished it. | It had been finished. |
When to Use Passive
Section titled “When to Use Passive”| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Agent unknown | My wallet was stolen. (By whom? No idea.) |
| Agent obvious | He was arrested. (By police — duh.) |
| Agent unimportant | The building was completed in 2020. |
| Formal / academic | It is believed that… |
| Process descriptions | The data is collected, then analyzed. |
Advanced Passive Patterns
Section titled “Advanced Passive Patterns”| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| It is said/believed that… | It is believed that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. |
| Subject + is said + to… | She is said to be the best in her field. |
| Have/get something done | I had my hair cut. / I got my car fixed. |
Common Mistakes
Section titled “Common Mistakes”The accident was happened.
The accident happened.
Happen is intransitive — it can't be made passive. Same for occur, exist, appear, arrive.
The book was written from Tolkien.
The book was written by Tolkien.
The agent in passive = 'by', not 'from'.
The window broken by the storm.
The window was broken by the storm.
Passive needs a form of 'be' — don't drop it.
I was suggested to apply.
It was suggested that I apply. / I was advised to apply.
'Suggest' can't take a person as passive subject. Use 'It was suggested that...' or switch to 'advise'.
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