Grammar
Passive voice: advanced patterns and reporting verbs
The committee is reviewing the proposal. The proposal is being reviewed by the committee. The same event is described from two different starting points.
Use advanced passive patterns to focus on an action or result, report information carefully, and describe services arranged for you.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The bridge is being inspected after the storm. /ðə brɪdʒ ɪz ˈbiːɪŋ ɪnˈspektɪd ˈɑːftə ðə stɔːm/
The short answer
Build a passive with a form of be and a past participle. Keep the tense in be: is being checked, has been checked, and should have been checked. With reporting verbs, use It is reported that ... or a subject pattern such as The route is reported to be safe.
The bridge is being inspected after the storm.
Why it works: Is being inspected is a present continuous passive. The inspection is in progress, and the bridge receives the action.
4 more examples
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The files should have been stored in the secure folder.
Should have been plus a past participle describes a past action that was expected but did not happen.
Not this:The files
should be storedin the secure folder. What changes: Should be stored gives current or future advice. It does not point back to a missed past action. -
Several witnesses are reported to have seen the vehicle leave.
Are reported to have seen says that the reports concern an earlier event.
Not this:Several witnesses
are reported to seethe vehicle leave each morning. What changes: Are reported to see describes a repeated or current situation, rather than one earlier event. -
The missing painting is thought to be in a private collection.
This pattern reports an opinion without naming every person who holds it.
Not this:
It is thought thatthe missing painting is in a private collection. What changes: Both patterns report the same idea. The subject pattern is often more compact. -
We had the broken window replaced before winter.
Had something replaced means that we arranged for another person to do the work.
Not this:We
replacedthe broken window before winter. What changes: The active sentence says that we did the work ourselves. The have pattern does not say who did it.
Read the full guide
Start by finding the action and its receiver. In an active sentence, a person or organisation performs the action: Engineers are inspecting the bridge. In a passive sentence, the bridge becomes the subject: The bridge is being inspected. Name the agent with by only when it adds useful information. Then choose the form of be that carries the time and meaning you need.
Choose the passive for the right focus
Use the passive when the action's receiver is the most useful starting point. This often happens when the agent is unknown or when a report needs to focus on a result. Add a by phrase only if the agent helps the reader understand the event.
The entrance was closed at six o'clock.
The sentence focuses on the entrance and the time of the closure. The person who closed it may not matter.
The entrance was closed by the security manager at six o'clock.
The by phrase is useful if the security manager is relevant to the report.
When does a by phrase earn a place in a passive sentence?
Use it when knowing who acted adds information the reader needs. Leave it out when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
Carry the tense in be
The past participle stays the same, but the form of be changes to show time. Use being for an action in progress and been after have for a completed action. This lets passive sentences carry the same time meanings as active sentences.
The application is being reviewed this week.
Is being reviewed says that the review is happening now or around now.
The application has been reviewed already.
Has been reviewed says that the review is complete and has a present result.
Which form describes a completed future action: will be checked or will have been checked?
Use will have been checked when the checking will be complete before a stated future time.
Use passive forms after modal verbs
After a modal verb, use be plus a past participle for a present or future passive. Use have been plus a past participle when the modal comments on an earlier action. The modal still carries the meaning of duty, possibility, advice, or expectation.
All visitors must be registered at reception.
Must be registered states a current rule for every visitor.
The warning signs should have been displayed sooner.
Should have been displayed criticises a past action that did not happen soon enough.
Complete the past form: The error might ___ noticed earlier.
Use have been: The error might have been noticed earlier.
Report information without naming every source
Reporting passives let you pass on information while showing that it comes from reports, beliefs, or expectations. One common pattern begins with it: It is reported that the road is open. Another begins with the subject: The road is reported to be open.
It is believed that the train will arrive late.
The it pattern leaves the reported idea in a that clause.
The train is believed to be late.
The subject pattern moves the train to the front and uses to be after the reporting verb.
Which subject pattern reports a current belief about the train?
Use The train is believed to be late. The infinitive to be refers to the current situation.
Match the infinitive to the time of the report
After a reporting passive, use a simple infinitive for a current, future, or usual situation. Use a perfect infinitive, to have plus a past participle, when the reported event happened before the report. This time difference matters in formal news and academic writing.
The company is expected to announce its decision tomorrow.
To announce points to a future action after the present report.
The company is expected to have announced its decision by Friday.
To have announced places the announcement before the future point Friday.
Which form refers to an earlier event: is said to leave or is said to have left?
Use is said to have left. The perfect infinitive places the departure before the report.
Use have or get something done for arranged services
Have something done and get something done describe arranging for another person to do a service. They are related to passive meaning because the object receives the action, but they are not ordinary be passives. Have is often more neutral; get can sound more informal.
Priya had her laptop repaired before the trip.
Priya arranged the repair. The sentence does not say that she repaired the laptop herself.
I need to get my passport renewed.
The speaker needs to arrange a renewal through the appropriate service.
What does We had the roof repaired mean?
It means that we arranged for someone to repair the roof. It does not usually mean that we did the repair ourselves.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose the passive when the receiver, action, or result should lead the sentence. Put the tense in be, then add the past participle. Use being for an action in progress and been for an earlier completed action. For reports, choose It is reported that ... or a subject passive with an infinitive. Use have or get something done when someone arranges a service.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Passive voice: advanced patterns and reporting verbs"
When should I use the passive voice?
Use the passive when the person or thing affected by an action is the best starting point. This is common when the agent is unknown, obvious, or less important than the result. The bridge is being inspected after the storm focuses on the bridge and the inspection, rather than on the engineers.
The bridge is being inspected after the storm.
How do I make a perfect passive?
Use have, has, or had followed by been and a past participle: has been reviewed or had been sent. After a modal, use have been for an earlier action: The files should have been stored in the secure folder. The perfect form shows that the action happened before the reference time.
Engineers are inspecting the bridge after the storm.
What is a reporting passive?
A reporting passive passes on information without presenting it as a direct personal claim. You can use It is thought that the painting is in a private collection, or The painting is thought to be in a private collection. Choose a reporting verb that fits the evidence you are describing.
The files should have been stored in the secure folder.
Why do reporting passives use to have plus a past participle?
Use a perfect infinitive after a reporting passive when the reported event happened earlier than the report. Several witnesses are reported to have seen the vehicle leave refers to an earlier sighting. A simple infinitive, such as is expected to announce, can refer to a current, future, or usual situation.
The files should be stored in the secure folder.
What does have something done mean?
Have something done means that you arrange for another person to provide a service. We had the broken window replaced before winter means that someone repaired the window for us. It does not usually mean that we did the repair ourselves. Get something done has a similar meaning and often sounds more informal.
Several witnesses are reported to have seen the vehicle leave.