How to use the Passive
The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action, e.g.
- The passive is used …:
We are interested in the passive, not who uses it.
- The house was built in 1654:
We are interested in the house, not the builder.
- The road is being repaired:
We are interested in the road, not the people repairing it.
In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.
Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don’t know or cannot express who or what performed the action:
- I noticed that a window had been left open
- Every year people are killed on our roads.
If we want to say who or what performs the action, we use the preposition by:
- “A Hard Day’s Night” was written by the Beatles
- ET was directed by Spielberg
The passive voice is often used in formal or scientific texts:
- A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words.
- Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.
- Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways.
passive eg
being that uses by
scientific action
rather person it
performs repairing interested passive window than mass express built deal noticed open
used texts
person Passive
The cannot great that voice Days thing Waste know roads
If often words
Spielberg
The that people important repaired
gases
sentence
Sometimes Night object wrapped passive Hard meaning what performs it
In
How to Form the Passive
The passive voice in English is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the verb ‘to be’ + the past participle of the verb in question:
| Subject |
verb ‘to be’ |
past participle |
| The house |
was |
built … |
Example
to clean
| Subject |
verb ‘to be’ |
past participle |
| Simple present: |
| The house |
is |
cleaned every day. |
|
|
|
| Present continuous: |
| The house |
is being |
cleaned at the moment. |
|
|
|
| Simple past: |
| The house |
was |
cleaned yesterday. |
|
|
|
| Past continuous: |
| The house |
was being |
cleaned last week. |
|
|
|
| Present perfect: |
| The house |
has been |
cleaned since you left. |
|
|
|
| Past perfect: |
| The house |
had been |
cleaned before their arrival. |
|
|
|
| Future: |
| The house |
will be |
cleaned next week. |
|
|
|
| Future continuous: |
| The house |
will be being |
cleaned tomorrow. |
|
|
|
| Present conditional: |
| The house |
would be |
cleaned if they had visitors. |
|
|
|
| Past conditional: |
| The house |
would have been |
cleaned if it had been dirty. |
NOTE: ‘to be born’ is a passive form and is most commonly used in the past tense:
- I was born in 1976. When were you born?
- BUT: Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
Infinitive form: infinitive of ‘to be’ + past participle: (to) be cleaned
This form is used after modal verbs and other verbs normally followed by an infinitive, e.g.
- You have to be tested on your English grammar
- John might be promoted next year.
- She wants to be invited to the party.
Gerund or -ing form: being + past participle: being cleaned
This form is used after prepositions and verbs normally followed by a gerund
Examples
- Most film stars hate being interviewed.
- I remember being taught to drive.
- The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.
NOTE: Sometimes the passive is formed using the verb to get instead of the verb to be:
- He got arrested for dangerous driving.
- They’re getting married later this year.
- I’m not sure how the window got broken.
continuous
The hate since house past cleaned question
Subject followed be
had born
married been participle tested cleaned
This later commonly followed participle
The participle dangerous sure will infinitive perfect
The house born past Passive
The cleaned promoted English taught might been taken next English being verbs before were been infinitive cleaned normally house house house they your past past was past being week
Future Sometimes last week
Infinitive participle house this conditional
The would When cleaned other year
verb born passive moment
Simple form cleaned form children arrested verbs house instead being their party
Gerund present
The form voice most stars used tense
