English Grammar Rules - Passive Voice (2024)

In general we tend to use the active voice. That is when a subject does an action to an object.

1. Somebody stole my laptop. (subject = Somebody / action(verb) = stole / object = my laptop)

The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action (the verb) and the object of a sentence rather than subject. This means that the subject is either less important than the action itself or that we don’t know who or what the subject is.

1. My laptop was stolen. (The object – now the subject = My laptop / action= was stolen)

1. Passive: Napa Valley is known for its excellent wines.
2. Active: [Many people] know Napa Valley for its excellent wines.

1. Passive: Twenty civilians were killed in the bomb explosion.
2. Active: Someone killed twenty civilians in the bomb explosion.

When we know who the subject is, we put it at the end with by. We call this an agent.

1. Passive: The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (agent =Leonardo Da Vinci )
2. Active: Leonaro Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.

Most writing instructors and editors recommend against using the passive voice, when possible. The reason for this is that when you use the active voice, your writing is clearer and less complicated.

1. Active: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, a police officer pulled him over and gave him a speeding ticket.
2. Passive: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, he was pulled over and given a ticket by a police officer.

If it's a long sentence and you know who the subject is, it’s best to use the active voice.The passive is often used to report something or to state a fact.

1. Highway 15 was closed yesterday due to a serious road accident.
2. A lot of corn is grown in Iowa.

The passive voice is not a tense in English. Each tense has its own passive voice which is created by using a form of the auxiliary verb to be + V3 (past participle)The passive voice in each tense:

All of the rules for passive negatives and questions are the same as for the active voice.Note: Verbs that have no object (no one to "receive" the action) cannot be put into the passive, such as, arrive, come, die, exist, go, happen, have, live, occur sleep, etc.

Fill in the correct passive form of the verb in parentheses.

1. After the earthquake, aid was sent to the people of Haiti. (sent)
2. The electricity was cut off because the bill hadn't been paid. (not pay)

1. Penicillin ______ by Alexander Fleming in 1928. (discover)
2. Statements ______ from all the witnesses at this moment. (take)
3. Whales ______ by an international ban on whaling. (must protect)
4. Both weddings _______ by Good Taste. (cater)
5. A Picasso ____ from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.(steal)
6. ____ this washing machine ______in Germany? (make)
7. Tea _____ in China. (grow)
8. When we reached the airport, we found that all the flights____ due to the storm. (cancel)
9. The fax _____ until tomorrow morning. (not send)
10. The soundtrack of a movie _____ always _____ after the filming is finished. (is/add)

Answers:

1. was discovered
2. are being taken
3. must be protected
4. were catered
5. was stolen
6. Was/made
7. is grown
8. had been cancelled
9. won't be sent
10. is/added