
Table of Contents
1. What is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is a grammatical construction that emphasizes the receiver of an action rather than the doer. In other words, it focuses on the object of the action rather than the subject performing the action. In active voice sentences, the subject performs the action, whereas in passive voice sentences, the subject receives the action.
Examples of Passive Voice
To better grasp the concept, let’s compare some examples of active and passive voice:
Active Voice: “John baked a cake.”
Passive Voice: “The cake was baked by John.”
In the active voice example, John (the subject) performs the action of baking the cake. In the passive voice example, the cake (the subject) receives the action of being baked, and John becomes the agent of the action.
2. Why Use the Passive Voice?
Using the passive voice can be beneficial in various situations:
Emphasizing the object: The passive voice allows us to shift the focus from the doer to the receiver of the action. For example: “The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci” highlights the famous artwork rather than the artist.
Concealing the doer: Sometimes, it may be appropriate to hide the identity of the doer or emphasize the action itself. For instance: “Mistakes were made” avoids explicitly stating who made the mistakes.
Politeness: The passive voice can be used to maintain a more polite and indirect tone. For example: “Your request will be considered” sounds more courteous than “We will consider your request.”
3. Forming the Passive Voice
To construct a passive voice sentence, we follow a specific pattern:
Passive Voice Structure:
[Subject receiving the action] + [To be verb] + [Past Participle of the Main Verb] + [Optional: By + Agent]
Let’s break down the components:
Subject receiving the action: This is the object or receiver of the action, which takes the grammatical subject position in the passive voice sentence.
To be verb: We use different forms of the verb “to be” (such as “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “am,” etc.) based on the tense and subject of the sentence.
Past Participle of the Main Verb: This is the form of the verb that typically ends in “-ed” or “-en.” For irregular verbs, the past participle form varies (e.g., “written,” “seen,” “taken”).
Optional: By + Agent: The agent (the doer of the action) is sometimes mentioned using the preposition “by.” However, it is not mandatory and can be omitted if the doer is unknown, unimportant, or should be concealed.
Examples of Passive Voice Sentences
Let’s explore some examples of passive voice sentences in different tenses:
- Simple Present Tense: “The car is washed every week.”
- Simple Past Tense: “The letter was sent yesterday.”
- Simple Future Tense: “The concert will be held next month.”
- Present Continuous Tense: “The house is being painted right now.”
- Past Continuous Tense: “The book was being read when the phone rang.”
- Present Perfect Tense: “The document has been signed.”
- Past Perfect Tense: “The project had been completed before the deadline.”
- Future Perfect Tense: “By this time next year, the renovations will have been finished.”
- Modal Verbs: “The work must be done carefully.”
4. Common Mistakes and FAQs
While the passive voice has its uses, it’s essential to maintain a balance and choose the voice that best suits the context. Overusing the passive voice can lead to convoluted sentences and a lack of clarity. Active voice is generally preferred when the doer of the action is known and important to the meaning of the sentence.
To identify passive voice, look for the use of “to be” verbs (such as “is,” “was,” “were”) followed by a past participle. Also, pay attention to whether the subject is receiving the action instead of performing it.
The passive voice can be seen as less direct because it often places the emphasis on the receiver of the action instead of the doer. It can add a level of indirection or remove personal responsibility from the sentence.
Yes, there are alternatives to using “by” when mentioning the agent in passive voice sentences. For example, “The car was fixed by the mechanic” can be rewritten as “The mechanic fixed the car.”
Yes, all verb tenses can be used in passive voice constructions. Simply adjust the auxiliary verb “to be” to match the desired tense.
Not necessarily. Passive voice sentences can sometimes be shorter, especially when the agent is not explicitly mentioned or when the focus is on the receiver of the action rather than the doer.