Grammar
Passive voice: basic form and purpose
The café opens at eight. At eight, the doors are opened. The first sentence tells you who acts. The second sentence focuses on what happens to the doors.
Recognize and form basic passive sentences with be and a past participle, then decide when the receiver of an action should be the subject.
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 parcel was delivered. /ðə ˈpɑːsəl wəz dɪˈlɪvəd/
The short answer
For a basic passive sentence, choose the tense of be and add the past participle: The meal is prepared in the kitchen. The meal was prepared yesterday. Put the agent after by only when it adds useful information.
The final payment was received on Monday.
Why it works: Was shows the past, and received is the past participle. The sentence focuses on the payment, so the person who sent it is unnecessary.
6 more examples
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The parcels are sorted before noon.
Are agrees with the plural subject parcels, and sorted is the past participle.
Not this:The parcels
are sortbefore noon. What changes: After are, use the past participle sorted, not the base verb sort. -
The appointment was moved to Thursday.
Was puts the passive action in the past and moved is the past participle.
Not this:The appointment
was moveto Thursday. What changes: Use moved after was because the passive needs a past participle. -
The bridge was designed by a local engineer.
The by phrase names the agent because the designer is useful information here.
Not this:A local engineer
designedthe bridge. What changes: This active sentence begins with the agent instead of the bridge. -
These forms are checked at reception.
The forms receive the action, so they are the subject of the passive sentence.
Not this:These forms
checkat reception. What changes: Forms do not perform the checking in this meaning. Use are checked. -
The room is cleaned every evening.
The routine action matters more than the person who cleans the room.
Not this:
Someone cleansthe room every evening. What changes: This active version puts the unnamed person first. -
The results were announced after lunch.
Were marks a past action with the plural subject results.
Not this:The results
was announcedafter lunch. What changes: Use were, not was, with the plural subject results.
Read the full guide
First find the action. Then ask whether the sentence needs to start with the person or thing that does it, or with the person or thing affected by it. If the receiver comes first, use the right form of be and the past participle. Add by only if naming the agent gives the reader a reason to know it.
Choose the subject by the message
In an active sentence, the agent is the subject. In a passive sentence, the receiver of the action is the subject. Choose the order that gives the reader the information they need first.
The technician repaired the lift.
The lift was repaired this morning.
The first sentence starts with the technician. The second starts with the lift and the completed work.
Which sentence is useful when you want to update people about the lift?
The lift was repaired this morning. It starts with the thing people need information about.
Build the passive with be and a participle
A basic passive verb has a form of be followed by a past participle. Regular past participles often end in -ed, but many common verbs have an irregular form, such as written, made, and sent.
The guide is printed in two languages.
The invitation was sent yesterday.
Is printed uses a regular past participle. Was sent uses the irregular past participle sent.
Complete the sentence: The email was ___. (write)
The email was written. Written is the past participle of write.
Match be to the time and subject
Choose is or are for a present passive. Choose was or were for a past passive. The form of be agrees with the subject, while the past participle does not change.
The menu is updated every week.
The menus were updated last Friday.
Menu is singular, so it takes is. Menus is plural and the action happened in the past, so it takes were.
Choose the form: The documents ___ filed yesterday.
Were filed. Documents is plural and yesterday shows past time.
Add the agent only when it helps
Use by before the agent when the reader needs to know who did the action. Leave the agent out when it is unknown, obvious, or beside the point.
The mural was painted by students from the college.
The window was broken during the storm.
The first sentence needs the by phrase because it identifies the painters. The second gives the event without naming a person.
Which word introduces the person who did an action in a passive sentence?
Use by: The mural was painted by the students.
Keep active and passive meanings clear
Passive voice changes the focus, but it does not always make a sentence better. Use an active sentence when the agent is clear and deserves attention. Use the passive for a result, procedure, or receiver that should lead the sentence.
The team will publish the schedule tomorrow.
The schedule will be published tomorrow.
The active sentence tells readers who will act. The passive sentence gives priority to the schedule and its release.
Choose the passive form: The team will publish the schedule tomorrow.
The schedule will be published tomorrow. Will be plus published makes the future passive.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a passive sentence when the receiver of an action belongs at the beginning. Form it with the correct tense of be and a past participle. Add a by phrase when the agent matters to the meaning. Choose an active sentence when the agent is the useful starting point.
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
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Passive voice: basic form and purpose"
What is the basic form of the passive voice?
A basic passive verb uses a form of be and a past participle. The parcels are sorted before noon has are plus sorted. Change be to show the time and to agree with the subject.
The parcels are sorted before noon.
When should I use passive voice?
Use passive voice when the person or thing that receives an action is the useful subject, or when the agent is unknown or unimportant. The appointment was moved to Thursday focuses on the changed appointment.
The parcels are sort before noon.
How do I form a past passive sentence?
Use was with a singular subject or were with a plural subject, then add a past participle. The results were announced after lunch uses were because results is plural.
The appointment was moved to Thursday.
When do I add a by phrase in passive voice?
Add by and the agent when knowing who did the action helps the reader. The bridge was designed by a local engineer gives useful information about the designer. Leave the agent out when it does not add meaning.
The appointment was move to Thursday.
How is passive voice different from active voice?
An active sentence begins with the agent, while a passive sentence begins with the receiver of the action. Someone cleans the room every evening is active. The room is cleaned every evening gives the room first.
The bridge was designed by a local engineer.