The active voice puts the doer first: the chef cooked the meal. The passive voice puts the receiver first: the meal was cooked by the chef. Both describe the same event, but they start the listener in a different place.
The passive is not a mistake or a bad habit. It is the right tool when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant, and when the result matters more than the person who caused it. It is the wrong tool when it hides responsibility or makes a sentence longer for no reason.
This page shows how to build the passive in every tense, when to choose it, and the 20 questions drill all the patterns, including questions and modals.
The rule
The move from active to passive
- Active: subject (doer) + verb + object (receiver). "The storm damaged the roof."
- Passive: receiver + be + past participle + (by + doer). "The roof was damaged by the storm."
- The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- The doer is optional. Leave it out when it is unknown, obvious or unimportant: "The roof was damaged."
Be in the right tense
- Present simple: is or are plus participle. "The office is cleaned every day."
- Past simple: was or were plus participle. "The letter was sent yesterday."
- Present continuous: is or are being plus participle. "The road is being repaired."
- Past continuous: was or were being plus participle. "The house was being painted."
- Present perfect: has or have been plus participle. "The report has been finished."
- Future: will be plus participle. "The results will be announced tomorrow."
- Modals: modal plus be plus participle. "The form must be signed."
When the passive is the right choice
- The doer is unknown: "My bike was stolen."
- The doer is obvious: "The thief was arrested." (by the police is understood)
- The doer is unimportant: "This bridge was built in 1932."
- The result matters more than the doer: "Three people were injured."
- Formal writing, science and news often prefer the passive because it keeps the focus on the process or the event.
When to avoid the passive
- Do not use it to hide who is responsible: "Mistakes were made" avoids naming anyone.
- Do not use it when the doer is the interesting part: "The goal was scored by Marta" is weaker than "Marta scored the goal".
- Do not stack passives: "The form was required to be signed" is harder to read than "You had to sign the form".
- In everyday speech, active sentences are shorter and clearer. Choose the passive on purpose, not by habit.
Questions, negatives and two objects
- Questions move be to the front: "Was the letter sent?" "Has the report been finished?"
- Negatives add not after be: "The road is not being repaired."
- Verbs with two objects can make two passives: "They gave her a prize" becomes "She was given a prize" or "A prize was given to her". The person usually goes first.
- The get-passive is informal and often sudden: "He got fired", "The window got broken".
Examples
- The chef cooked the meal. The meal was cooked by the chef.The same event, with the focus moved to the meal.
- Somebody stole my bike. My bike was stolen.The doer is unknown, so the passive is natural.
- They make these shoes in Portugal. These shoes are made in Portugal.The doer is not important. The place is.
- The road is being repaired this week.Present continuous passive: is being plus participle.
- The report has been finished.Present perfect passive: has been plus participle.
- The results will be announced tomorrow.Future passive: will be plus participle.
- The form must be signed by a parent.Modal passive: must be plus participle.
- Was the letter sent yesterday?A passive question moves was to the front.
- She was given a prize.The person becomes the subject when the verb has two objects.
- He got fired last month.The get-passive is informal and common in speech.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: The letter was send yesterday. Right: The letter was sent yesterday.
- The passive needs the past participle, not the base form or the past simple.
- Wrong: The accident was happened at noon. Right: The accident happened at noon.
- Happen has no object, so it cannot be passive. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, sleep and die work the same way.
- Wrong: The house was being build last year. Right: The house was being built last year.
- After be, use the past participle: built.
- Wrong: The book was wrote by a journalist. Right: The book was written by a journalist.
- Wrote is the past simple; the participle is written.
- Wrong: I was gave a medal. Right: I was given a medal.
- After was, use the past participle given.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
The bridge ___ in 1932.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. was built Past simple passive: the bridge was built. The doer is unknown or unimportant.
These shoes ___ in Portugal.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. are made Present simple passive: are made. The place matters, not the workers.
The report ___ already ___.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. has ... been finished Present perfect passive: has been plus the past participle finished.
The road ___ at the moment, so take another route.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. is being repaired Present continuous passive: is being repaired. The work is happening now.
The results ___ tomorrow morning.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. will be announced Future passive: will be plus the past participle announced.
The form ___ by a parent before Friday.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. must be signed Modal passive: must be plus the past participle signed.
My bike ___ from outside the station last night.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. was stolen Past simple passive: was stolen. The doer is unknown.
___ the letter ___ yesterday?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Was ... sent Passive question: was plus the past participle sent. The letter receives the action.
The office ___ every evening at six.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. is cleaned Present simple passive: is cleaned.
She ___ a prize at the ceremony.
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Answer: B. was given The verb give has two objects. The person can become the subject: she was given a prize.
The window ___ by the storm during the night.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. was broken Past simple passive: was broken. The past participle of break is broken.
This song ___ by millions of people every year.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. is played Present simple passive: is played.
The house ___ when we drove past it last summer.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. was being painted Past continuous passive: was being plus the participle painted.
The accident ___ at about noon.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. happened Happen is intransitive, so it cannot be passive. Use the active past simple: happened.
The new hospital ___ next year.
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Answer: C. will be opened Future passive: will be opened. With the verb open, both active and passive can work, but the passive keeps the focus on the hospital.
The book ___ by a journalist who lived in Cairo.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. was written Past simple passive: was written. Wrote is the past simple; written is the participle.
English ___ all over the world.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. is spoken Present simple passive: is spoken.
The instructions ___ clearly on the box.
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Answer: B. were printed Past simple passive with a plural subject: were printed. "Instructions" is plural, so use were.
The office ___ yet. It still smells of paint.
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Answer: C. has not been cleaned Negative present perfect passive: has not been cleaned.
He ___ fired last month, and he found a new job quickly.
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Answer: D. got The get-passive is common in informal speech: he got fired. It means the same as he was fired here.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Modal verbs: can, could, must, should, mayTake the level test
Questions learners ask
Is the passive voice bad writing?
No. Teachers warn about it because it is easy to overuse and it can hide the doer. But it is the correct choice when the doer is unknown (my phone was stolen), obvious (the thief was arrested) or unimportant (the bridge was built in 1932). Use it with a reason.
How do I make the passive in the present continuous?
Use am, is or are plus being plus the past participle: "The road is being repaired." In the past continuous, use was or were plus being plus the participle: "The road was being repaired."
Can every verb be passive?
No. Only verbs that take an object can be passive. Intransitive verbs such as happen, arrive, sleep, come, die and rise have no object, so they have no passive form. "It was happened" and "He was died" are wrong.
More grammar topics
Modal verbs: can, could, must, should, may
No -s, no to, no do: what modals share, and which one fits each job.
Can vs could
Can for now, could for the past and for polite requests, plus the one past situation that refuses could.
Gerund vs infinitive
Verb plus -ing or verb plus to: the pattern lists, and the verbs where meaning flips.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.