Passive Voice: English Is Spoken Here / The Window Was Broken
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the passive voice when the action is more important than the person doing it.
- Use 'be' + past participle: The cake was eaten.
- The object becomes the subject: The window was broken.
- Use 'by' to mention the actor: It was painted by him.
Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
Use passive when the action is more important than who does it.
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | am/is/are + past participle | English is spoken here. |
| Past simple | was/were + past participle | The window was broken. |
Active → Passive
- Active: The chef makes the pizza. → Passive: The pizza is made by the chef.
- Active: Someone stole my bike. → Passive: My bike was stolen.
Passive Voice Conjugation
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
They clean
|
It is cleaned
|
|
Past Simple
|
They cleaned
|
It was cleaned
|
|
Future Simple
|
They will clean
|
It will be cleaned
|
|
Present Continuous
|
They are cleaning
|
It is being cleaned
|
|
Past Continuous
|
They were cleaning
|
It was being cleaned
|
|
Present Perfect
|
They have cleaned
|
It has been cleaned
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Contraction |
|---|---|
|
It is cleaned
|
It's cleaned
|
|
It was not cleaned
|
It wasn't cleaned
|
|
It has been cleaned
|
It's been cleaned
|
Meanings
The passive voice shifts the focus from the person performing an action to the object receiving the action.
Focus on result
Highlighting the outcome rather than the agent.
“The door was locked.”
“The letter was sent.”
Unknown agent
When the person doing the action is unknown or irrelevant.
“My bike was stolen.”
“The money was found.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + be + V3
|
The car is washed.
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + be + not + V3
|
The car is not washed.
|
|
Question
|
Be + Subj + V3?
|
Is the car washed?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Yes, it is.
|
Yes, it is.
|
|
Past
|
Subj + was/were + V3
|
The car was washed.
|
|
Future
|
Subj + will be + V3
|
The car will be washed.
|
Formality Spectrum
The report was completed by the team. (Work)
The report was finished. (Work)
They finished the report. (Work)
Report's done. (Work)
Passive Voice Concept
Focus
- Object The receiver
Agent
- by The doer
Active vs Passive
Examples by Level
The cake is eaten.
The door is opened.
The book is read.
The car is cleaned.
The window was broken yesterday.
English is spoken here.
The letter was sent by him.
The house was built in 1990.
The project has been finished.
The decision will be made tomorrow.
The report must be signed.
The room is being cleaned now.
It is said that the economy is improving.
The evidence should have been collected.
The museum is visited by thousands.
The rules were being ignored.
The proposal was rejected, much to our dismay.
The findings are considered to be ground-breaking.
The matter is being looked into.
He was seen to enter the building.
The policy was deemed untenable by the committee.
The manuscript is thought to have been written in the 14th century.
The results were not to be believed.
The situation was handled with the utmost care.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up who does the action.
Confusing past tense with passive voice.
Trying to make intransitive verbs passive.
Common Mistakes
The cake eaten.
The cake is eaten.
He is eat the cake.
The cake is eaten by him.
The window broken.
The window was broken.
It is make.
It is made.
The car was arrive.
The car arrived.
The house is builded.
The house is built.
Is the cake eat?
Is the cake eaten?
The work has been do.
The work has been done.
The meeting will be happen.
The meeting will happen.
It is being done by me.
I am doing it.
The situation is considered as bad.
The situation is considered bad.
He was seen to be leave.
He was seen to leave.
The report is said to be finished by him.
The report is said to have been finished by him.
Sentence Patterns
The ___ was ___.
___ is spoken in ___.
The ___ has been ___.
It is ___ that ___.
Real World Usage
The suspect was arrested.
The data was analyzed.
The meeting was cancelled.
The museum is visited by many.
The photo was taken by me.
Your order is being prepared.
Focus on the object
Don't overuse it
Use 'by' only when needed
Formal tone
Smart Tips
Use passive to sound objective.
Use passive to avoid guessing.
Put the object at the start.
Use passive to soften the blow.
Pronunciation
Past Participle endings
Ensure the -ed sound is clear.
Statement
The cake is EATen. ↘
Neutral tone.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Be the Past: 'Be' + 'Past' participle makes the passive.
Visual Association
Imagine a ball being kicked. The ball is the star, the kicker is in the shadows.
Rhyme
When the action is the star, use 'be' and the past participle from afar.
Story
The window was broken. Who did it? We don't know. The focus is on the broken glass, not the person.
Word Web
Challenge
Look around your room and name 3 things using the passive voice (e.g., 'The bed is made').
Cultural Notes
Passive voice is very common in formal British English.
Americans often prefer active voice for clarity.
Passive is the standard for scientific papers.
The passive voice evolved from Old English constructions using 'beon' (to be).
Conversation Starters
What was done yesterday?
Is English spoken in your country?
How is this dish prepared?
What is being discussed in the news?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
The cake ___ eaten.
Which is passive?
Find and fix the mistake:
The house builded.
They clean the room.
Passive voice is always formal.
A: Who broke the window? B: It ___ by the cat.
the / was / by / written / book / him
Which is present passive?
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesThe cake ___ eaten.
Which is passive?
Find and fix the mistake:
The house builded.
They clean the room.
Passive voice is always formal.
A: Who broke the window? B: It ___ by the cat.
the / was / by / written / book / him
Which is present passive?
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
Use it when the action is more important than the person doing it.
Yes, you can use it in almost all tenses.
No, it is just more formal and objective.
The verb must be transitive (have an object).
'Get' is more informal.
It can make writing feel distant or unclear.
Yes, but it might sound a bit formal.
Yes, but 'I ate the cake' is more natural.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Ser + participio
Spanish also uses the 'se' passive.
Être + participe passé
Agreement of the participle is mandatory in French.
Werden + Partizip II
Word order is much stricter in German.
Rare-ru form
Japanese passive often implies suffering.
Internal vowel change
No auxiliary verb is needed.
Bei construction
It is often used for negative events.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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