This article provides a comprehensive, all-in-one guide to the passive voice in English, designed for intermediate learners at levels B1 to B2 who want to understand when and how to use passive constructions with confidence.
The essential idea you must understand is that the passive voice focuses on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than the doer. While the active voice emphasizes who performs the action, the passive voice emphasizes what happens or who receives the action.
You will discover why "The cake was eaten by John" is sometimes better than "John ate the cake", and how mastering the passive voice can make your English more formal, objective, and sophisticated.
The key question to keep in mind is: Is the doer of the action important, or is the action itself more important?
The main rule to remember is: The passive voice is formed with "be" + past participle. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence, and the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent (or is omitted).
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use the passive voice in all tenses, know when to use it, and avoid common mistakes.
Active vs. Passive Voice
Understanding the Difference
In English, every sentence has a subject (who performs the action) and a verb (the action). It may also have an object (who receives the action).
🔵 Active Voice
The subject performs the action on the object.
- Subject + Verb + Object
- "John ate the cake."
- "She wrote a book."
- "They built the house."
🟠 Passive Voice
The subject receives the action from the agent.
- Subject + be + past participle + (by + agent)
- "The cake was eaten by John."
- "A book was written by her."
- "The house was built by them."
💡 Key Difference: In active sentences, the subject does the action. In passive sentences, the subject receives the action.
When to Use the Passive Voice
The passive voice is not always better than the active voice. In fact, the active voice is more common. However, the passive voice is useful in specific situations:
✅ When to Use Passive
- 1. The doer is unknown: "My car was stolen." (We don't know who stole it.)
- 2. The doer is obvious: "The murderer was arrested." (By the police — obvious)
- 3. The action is more important than the doer: "The hospital was built in 1990." (Focus on the building, not the builder.)
- 4. In formal or academic writing: "The experiment was conducted to test the theory."
- 5. To avoid blaming someone: "A mistake was made." (Instead of "You made a mistake.")
❌ When to Avoid Passive
- 1. When the doer is important: "Einstein wrote the theory." (Not "The theory was written by Einstein." — Active is better.)
- 2. In everyday conversations: "I ate the cake." (More natural than "The cake was eaten by me.")
- 3. When you want to sound direct: "Please pay the bill." (Not "The bill should be paid.")
💡 Remember: The passive voice is not a mistake — it's a useful tool. But use it consciously when it makes your writing or speech more appropriate for the situation.
The Golden Rule: Forming the Passive
⚡ To form the passive voice: be + past participle
- ✅ The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- ✅ The verb changes to be + past participle.
- ✅ The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent (with "by") — or is omitted.
Active: John ate the cake.
Passive: The cake was eaten by John.
💡 Remember: The tense of the passive sentence comes from the "be" verb. The past participle never changes (eaten, written, built, etc.).
The Complete Rules of the Passive Voice
How to Form the Passive Voice
To transform an active sentence into a passive sentence, follow these three steps:
Step 1: Identify the subject, verb, and object
Subject + Verb + Object
John ate the cake.
Step 2: Move the object to the subject position
The cake ... eaten ...
(The object becomes the new subject.)
Step 3: Change the verb to "be + past participle"
The cake was eaten ...
(The verb "ate" becomes "was eaten.")
Step 4: Add the agent with "by" (optional)
The cake was eaten by John.
(The original subject becomes the agent, but it's often omitted.)
Passive Voice in All Tenses
The passive voice can be used in every tense. The tense is shown by the "be" verb, while the past participle stays the same.
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|
| Present Simple | They clean the room. | The room is cleaned. |
| Present Continuous | They are cleaning the room. | The room is being cleaned. |
| Present Perfect | They have cleaned the room. | The room has been cleaned. |
| Past Simple | They cleaned the room. | The room was cleaned. |
| Past Continuous | They were cleaning the room. | The room was being cleaned. |
| Past Perfect | They had cleaned the room. | The room had been cleaned. |
| Future Simple | They will clean the room. | The room will be cleaned. |
| Future Perfect | They will have cleaned the room. | The room will have been cleaned. |
💡 Pattern: be (in the correct tense) + past participle
Passive Voice with Modal Verbs
Modal verbs (can, could, must, should, may, might, will, would) can also be used with the passive voice.
📌 Structure
- Modal + be + past participle
- Modal + have been + past participle
📌 Examples
- The work must be finished today.
- The house should be painted this year.
- The letter could have been sent earlier.
- The book might be translated into Arabic.
💡 Remember: The modal stays the same. The "be" changes only in perfect forms (have been).
Passive Voice with Two Objects
Some verbs have two objects (a direct object and an indirect object). Examples: give, send, show, tell, offer, teach.
📌 Active
- They gave John a book.
- Indirect Object + Direct Object
📌 Passive (Option 1)
- John was given a book.
- Indirect Object becomes the subject (more common!)
📌 Passive (Option 2)
- A book was given to John.
- Direct Object becomes the subject (less common)
💡 Tip: The indirect object (the person) is usually preferred as the subject in passive sentences. "I was given a gift" is more natural than "A gift was given to me."
Verbs That Cannot Be Used in the Passive Voice
Not all verbs can be used in the passive voice. Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can become passive.
🚫 Intransitive Verbs (No Object)
- sleep — "I slept." (No object → no passive)
- arrive — "They arrived." (No object → no passive)
- die — "She died." (No object → no passive)
🚫 State Verbs (No Action)
- have — "I have a car." (State → no passive)
- belong — "This belongs to me." (State → no passive)
- look like — "She looks like her mother." (State → no passive)
💡 Remember: Transitive verbs (with a direct object) → passive possible.
Intransitive verbs (without a direct object) → passive not possible.
Examples with Deep Explanation
Example 1: Present Simple Passive
The room is cleaned every day.
Active: They clean the room every day.
Meaning: The action happens regularly. The focus is on the room and what happens to it, not on who cleans it.
Why it works: "is" (present simple) + "cleaned" (past participle) = present simple passive.
Key question: Is the doer important? → No → So we use the passive voice.
Example 2: Past Simple Passive
The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Active: Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.
Meaning: A completed action in the past. The focus is on the painting, but we also mention the artist.
Why it works: "was" (past simple) + "painted" (past participle) = past simple passive.
Key question: Is the doer important? → Yes, but the painting is more important → So we use the passive voice with "by."
Example 3: Present Continuous Passive
The house is being painted right now.
Active: They are painting the house right now.
Meaning: An action in progress at the moment of speaking. The focus is on the house.
Why it works: "is being" (present continuous) + "painted" (past participle) = present continuous passive.
Example 4: Present Perfect Passive
The letter has been sent.
Active: They have sent the letter.
Meaning: A past action with a present result (the letter is no longer here). The doer is unknown or unimportant.
Why it works: "has been" (present perfect) + "sent" (past participle) = present perfect passive.
Key question: Is the doer important? → No → So we use the passive voice without "by."
Example 5: Future Simple Passive
The project will be finished by Friday.
Active: They will finish the project by Friday.
Meaning: A future action. The focus is on the project.
Why it works: "will be" (future simple) + "finished" (past participle) = future simple passive.
Example 6: Passive with Modal Verb
The work must be completed by tomorrow.
Active: You must complete the work by tomorrow.
Meaning: There is an obligation. The focus is on the work, not on who does it.
Why it works: "must" (modal) + "be" + "completed" (past participle) = modal passive.
Example 7: Passive with Two Objects
I was given a beautiful present.
Active: They gave me a beautiful present.
Meaning: The indirect object ("me") becomes the subject. This is the more common and natural passive form for verbs with two objects.
Alternative Passive: A beautiful present was given to me. (Less common but correct.)
Example 8: Passive with "By" Omitted
The window was broken yesterday.
Active: Someone broke the window yesterday. (We don't know who.)
Meaning: The window is broken. The doer is unknown, so we omit "by someone."
Why it works: When the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant, we omit "by".
Key question: Is the doer important? → No, and we don't know who → So we use the passive without "by."
Common Mistakes & Logical Corrections
Mistake 1: Forgetting the "Be" Verb
The room cleaned every day.
The room is cleaned every day.
Why Does It Change?
The passive voice must include a form of "be" + the past participle. You cannot just use the past participle alone.
❌ The room cleaned → ✅ The room is cleaned
Remember: Passive = be + past participle.
Mistake 2: Using the Wrong Past Participle
The letter was writed yesterday.
The letter was written yesterday.
Why Does It Change?
Some verbs have irregular past participles. You need to memorize them.
❌ writed → ✅ written
Common Irregular Past Participles: write → written, eat → eaten, break → broken, build → built, send → sent, buy → bought.
Mistake 3: Using the Passive with Intransitive Verbs
The accident was happened yesterday.
The accident happened yesterday.
Why Does It Change?
"Happen" is an intransitive verb — it doesn't take a direct object. Therefore, it cannot be used in the passive voice.
❌ was happened → ✅ happened
Other intransitive verbs: arrive, die, sleep, appear, disappear, seem, become.
Mistake 4: Using "By" with the Wrong Object
The book was written by the author.
This sentence is actually correct! But many learners confuse the agent (the person who does the action) with the object.
✅ The book was written by the author.
❌ The book was written from the author.
Remember: Use "by" before the agent (the doer of the action).
Mistake 5: Using Passive When Active Is Better
The cake was eaten by me.
I ate the cake.
Why Does It Change?
The sentence is grammatically correct, but it sounds unnatural and awkward. In everyday conversation, the active voice is usually more natural.
❌ The cake was eaten by me. (Too formal, unnecessary)
✅ I ate the cake. (Natural and direct)
Remember: Use the passive voice only when it's appropriate — not just to sound fancy.
Quick Quiz
Quiz 1: The Key Question
What is the key question you should ask yourself when choosing active or passive voice?
Answer
"Is the doer of the action important, or is the action itself more important?"
Quiz 2: Identify the Passive Voice
Which sentence is in the passive voice?
Answer
"The house was built in 1990." (Passive)
Why? The subject "house" receives the action. "was built" = be + past participle.
Quiz 3: The Golden Rule
What is the formula for the passive voice?
Answer
be + past participle
Quiz 4: Find the Mistake
What is wrong with: "The accident was happened yesterday."
Answer
The accident happened yesterday.
Why? "Happen" is intransitive and cannot be used in the passive voice.
Quiz 5: Write Your Own Sentence
Write a sentence using the present perfect passive.
Model Answer
"The documents have been signed."
Analysis: "have been" (present perfect) + "signed" (past participle) = present perfect passive.
