Chapter 8: The Passive Voice — When the Object Becomes Subject

The passive voice is not a weaker alternative to the active voice — it is a deliberate stylistic choice. Knowing when and how to use it will significantly improve the sophistication of your English.

Forming the Passive

The passive is formed with be + past participle. The tense is shown by the form of be.

Tense	Active	Passive
Simple Present	Someone cleans the office.	The office is cleaned (by someone).
Simple Past	They built the bridge in 1990.	The bridge was built in 1990.
Present Progressive	They are repairing the road.	The road is being repaired.
Present Perfect	Someone has stolen my wallet.	My wallet has been stolen.
Simple Future	They will announce the results.	The results will be announced.
Modal	You must complete the form.	The form must be completed.

When to Use the Passive

Use the passive when:

1. The agent (doer) is unknown: My car was stolen last night.
2. The agent is obvious: The suspect was arrested. (by police, obviously)
3. The result is more important than the doer: The vaccine was developed in record time.
4. Academic/formal/scientific writing: The samples were analyzed in the lab.
5. To avoid blaming: A mistake was made. (rather than naming who made it)

By-phrase

The agent can be mentioned with by when it is important or surprising.

• The painting was stolen by a museum employee.
• The novel was written by a teenager.

Common Mistakes

1. Wrong auxiliary tense: ❌ The report is wrote yesterday. → ✅ The report was written yesterday.
2. Using passive when active is clearer: ❌ The ball was kicked by him. → ✅ He kicked the ball. (active is more natural here)
3. Double passive: ❌ It was tried to be done. → ✅ An attempt was made to do it.

Passive vs. Active: Style Guide

Prefer Active	Prefer Passive
Narrative writing	Academic/scientific writing
When the subject is known and important	When the agent is unknown or irrelevant
For directness and brevity	When the object/result is the focus

Key Checklist

• I can form the passive voice in at least five different tenses.
• I understand when it is appropriate to use the passive vs. the active voice.
• I can correctly use by to introduce the agent in a passive sentence.