Passive Voice (all tenses)
B2 Upper IntermediateThe passive voice shifts the focus from the person performing an action to the person or object receiving it. It is formed using the verb 'to be' in the appropriate tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Overview
The passive voice is used when the action or the receiver of the action is more important than the performer. It is common in formal writing, scientific reports, and news stories where the agent is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant.
Form
Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle (+ by agent)
To form the passive, use the auxiliary verb be in the required tense and add the past participle. If you want to mention who performed the action, use the preposition by.
Passive Tense Variations
Note that the verb be always matches the tense of the original active sentence.
| Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They build houses. | Houses are built. |
| Present Continuous | They are building a house. | A house is being built. |
| Present Perfect | They have built a house. | A house has been built. |
| Past Simple | They built a house. | A house was built. |
| Future (Will) | They will build a house. | A house will be built. |
Examples
Common mistakes
The cake was bake by my grandmother.
The cake was baked by my grandmother.
The passive voice always requires the past participle, not the base form of the verb.
The money has being stolen.
The money has been stolen.
Use 'been' for perfect tenses and 'being' for continuous tenses.
Practice
Change to passive: 'The chef is preparing the meal.'
Show answer
The meal is being prepared by the chef.
Answer:The meal is being prepared by the chef.
Why:The present continuous 'is preparing' becomes 'is being prepared' in the passive voice.
Change to passive: 'Someone has found the lost keys.'
Show answer
The lost keys have been found.
Answer:The lost keys have been found.
Why:The present perfect 'has found' becomes 'have been found'. Note that 'keys' is plural, so the auxiliary verb changes to 'have'.
Change to passive: 'The company will launch the product next month.'
Show answer
The product will be launched next month.
Answer:The product will be launched next month.
Why:The future simple 'will launch' becomes 'will be' + the past participle 'launched'.