Mastering Passive Voice in English
Have you ever heard sentences like “The cake was eaten” and wondered why they sound different from “He ate the cake”? That’s because of something called passive voice in English.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
What passive voice is
How to form it
When to use it
How it’s different from active voice
Let’s make it easy to understand with examples!
What is Passive Voice in English?
In English grammar, voice shows whether the subject is doing the action or receiving it. This distinction helps us understand the difference between active and passive voice.
Understanding the Concept of Voice in Grammar
Active Voice Example:
Harit killed a snake.
Harit (the subject) is doing the action.
Passive Voice Example:
A snake was killed by Harit.
A snake (the subject) is receiving the action.
How to Form Passive Voice in English
To make a sentence in passive voice in English, use one of the forms of the verb “to be” (like is, am, are, was, were, will, etc.) followed by the past participle (the third form of the verb).
Here’s a simple guide:
is, am, and are are used in the present tense.
was and were are used in the past tense.
will be is used for future tense.
Here’s how it works in different tenses:
In the present tense, use is for singular subjects, am for “I,” and are for plural subjects.
In the past tense, use was for singular subjects, and were for plural subjects.
For the future tense, use will be (or shall be with “I” or “we”).
Present Tense Passive
Past Tense Passive
For future tense, we use will be or shall be (with first person, I or we) as follows:
The work will be completed tomorrow.
The task shall be done by next week.
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Examples of Passive Voice
Passive Voice in Present Tense Examples
Risotto is made with rice.
These offices are cleaned every morning.
It isn’t made with pasta.
They aren’t cleaned on Saturdays.
Is it made with meat?
Are they cleaned on Sundays?
Passive Voice in Past Tense Examples
Guernica was painted by Picasso.
The pyramids were built by the Egyptians.
It wasn’t painted by Dali.
They weren’t built by the Greeks.
When was it painted?
Why were they built?
Passive Voice in Past Tense Examples
In the active voice, the focus is on the person or thing doing the action. In the passive voice, the focus is on the person or thing receiving the action.
Active: Picasso painted Guernica.
Passive: Guernica was painted by Picasso.
In the passive voice, you might not even know who did the action. For example:
My car was stolen last week. (We don’t know who stole it.)
Passive Voice Rules for Continuous and Perfect Tenses
You can also use passive voice in other tenses like continuous and perfect tenses.
Passive Voice in Continuous Tenses
For continuous tenses, use “being” between the verb “to be” and the past participle.
Active: She is writing a letter.
Passive: A letter is being written by her.
Passive Voice in Perfect Tenses
For perfect tenses, use “has been,” “have been,” or “had been” + past participle.
Active: I have completed the task.
Passive: The task has been completed by me.
Passive Voice in Different Sentence Types
Interrogative Sentences (Questions)
In passive voice, the structure of a question is maintained, but the object becomes the subject, and the verb follows the subject.
Active: Does she write a story?
Passive: Is a story written by her?
Active: Did she sing a song?
Passive: Was a song sung by her?
Negative Sentences
In negative passive sentences, is, am, are, was, were are used instead of do, does, did to form the negative.
Active: You do sing a song.
Passive: A song is not sung by you.
Active: Did she sing a song?
Passive: A song was not sung by her.
Passive Voice in Imperative Sentences (Commands)
In imperative sentences (commands), use let to form the passive voice. The subject becomes the receiver of the action, and the verb is followed by be + past participle.
Active: Help the poor.
Passive: Let the poor be helped.
Passive Voice with Infinitives
In sentences with an infinitive, only the infinitive is changed to passive.
Active: It is time to take tea.
Passive: It is time for tea to be taken.
Final Thoughts
Learning to use both active and passive voice gives you more control over your writing style. Although active voice is usually clearer and more direct, the passive voice is essential when you want to shift focus or remain formal. With regular practice, you’ll become confident using both effectively.
Happy learning!
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