Passive Voice
1. What is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action rather than the doer. The focus is on the action and the recipient of the action, rather than the performer.
- Active Voice: The chef cooks the meal.
- Passive Voice: The meal is cooked by the chef.
In the active voice, “the chef” (the subject) is performing the action, while in the passive voice, “the meal” (the subject) is receiving the action.
2. Structure of the Passive Voice
The structure of the passive voice is:
- Passive Subject + To Be (in the correct tense) + Past Participle of the Main Verb + (Optional: By + Agent)
Table: Passive Voice Structure in Different Tenses
| Tense | Active Voice Example | Passive Voice Structure | Passive Voice Example |
| Present Simple | She writes a letter. | am/is/are + past participle | A letter is written (by her). |
| Present Continuous | She is writing a letter. | am/is/are + being + past participle | A letter is being written (by her). |
| Past Simple | She wrote a letter. | was/were + past participle | A letter was written (by her). |
| Past Continuous | She was writing a letter. | was/were + being + past participle | A letter was being written (by her). |
| Present Perfect | She has written a letter. | has/have been + past participle | A letter has been written (by her). |
| Past Perfect | She had written a letter. | had been + past participle | A letter had been written (by her). |
| Future Simple | She will write a letter. | will be + past participle | A letter will be written (by her). |
| Future Perfect | She will have written a letter. | will have been + past participle | A letter will have been written (by her). |
| Modal Verbs | She can/must write a letter. | modal + be + past participle | A letter can/must be written (by her). |
3. When to Use the Passive Voice
The passive voice is typically used when:
- The doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant:
- “The window was broken.” (We don’t know who broke it.)
- The focus is on the action rather than the doer:
- “The new product was launched last month.” (Focus is on the product, not who launched it.)
- The doer is obvious from the context:
- “The criminal was arrested.” (It’s obvious the police arrested him.)
4. Tips for Forming Passive Sentences
- Ensure that the correct form of “to be” is used according to the tense.
- Use the past participle form of the main verb.
- Include the agent (by whom) only when it adds necessary information.
5. Examples of Passive Sentences in Different Contexts
- Science: “The experiment was conducted by the researchers.”
- News Reporting: “The law was passed by the government.”
- Instruction Manuals: “The device should be plugged into a power outlet.”
