The Passive Voice

Active vs Passive Voice

In English, we can describe an action in two main ways: using the active voice or the passive voice.

The active voice focuses on the person or thing that does the action. The passive voice focuses on the person or thing that receives the action.

Active: Tom cleaned the room.

Passive: The room was cleaned.

In this lesson, you will learn how to form the passive, when to use it, and how to transform active sentences into passive sentences correctly.

Active Sentences: Subject + Verb + Object

In an active sentence, the subject usually comes first. The subject is the person or thing that does the action.

Subject + Verb + Object

I drank two cups of coffee.

Subject: I
Verb: drank
Object: two cups of coffee

The object is the person or thing that receives the action. In this example, the coffee receives the action of being drunk.

What Changes in the Passive?

In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Active: I drank two cups of coffee.

Passive: Two cups of coffee were drunk.

We can add by me if we want to say who did the action, but it is not always necessary.

Passive with agent: Two cups of coffee were drunk by me.

However, in many passive sentences, we omit the agent because it is unknown, obvious, unimportant, or not the focus of the sentence.

How to Make the Passive in English

To form the passive voice, we use the verb to be in the correct tense + the past participle of the main verb.

Passive structure: subject + be + past participle

Active: I make a cake.

Passive: A cake is made.

For regular verbs, the past participle usually ends in -ed.

play → played

clean → cleaned

open → opened

For irregular verbs, the past participle changes and must be learned separately.

write → written

eat → eaten

make → made

Passive Voice in Different Tenses

The verb to be changes depending on the tense. The past participle stays the same.

Tense	Active	Passive
Present simple	I make a cake.	A cake is made.
Present continuous	I am making a cake.	A cake is being made.
Past simple	I made a cake.	A cake was made.
Past continuous	I was making a cake.	A cake was being made.
Present perfect	I have made a cake.	A cake has been made.
Past perfect	I had made a cake.	A cake had been made.
Future simple	I will make a cake.	A cake will be made.
Future perfect	I will have made a cake.	A cake will have been made.

Be careful: some passive forms are grammatically possible but not very common in everyday English.

Verbs with Two Objects

Some verbs can have two objects: a person and a thing. With these verbs, we can often make two passive sentences.

Active: He gave me the book.

Active: He gave the book to me.

In the passive voice, either object can become the subject of the sentence.

Passive: I was given the book.

Passive: The book was given to me.

Other verbs that often work like this include:

ask
offer
teach
tell
lend
promise
sell
throw

The Passive in Subordinate Clauses

We can also use the passive voice inside a subordinate clause. A subordinate clause is a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb but depends on another clause.

Active: I thought that Mary had kissed John.

Passive: I thought that John had been kissed by Mary.

Active: He knew that people had built the church in 1915.

Passive: He knew that the church had been built in 1915.

We can also use passive gerunds and passive infinitives.

Passive gerund: The child loves being cuddled.

Passive infinitive: She would like to be promoted.

When Do We Use the Passive?

We use the passive voice when the action is more important than the person or thing that does the action.

1. When we want to change the focus

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

Focus: the painting, not the artist.

2. When the doer is unknown

My bike has been stolen.

We do not know who stole it.

3. When the doer is obvious

He was arrested.

It is obvious that the police arrested him.

4. When the doer is unimportant

The road is being repaired.

The workers are not the focus of the sentence.

The Passive in Formal and Written English

The passive voice is more common in written English than in spoken English. It is often used in formal texts, news reports, academic writing, and scientific writing.

Scientific or factual writing

The chemical is placed in a test tube and the data is entered into the computer.

Formal writing

The brochure will be finished next month.

News and reports

The Catalan election will be held next September.

Arsenal have been defeated 3-0.

In informal English, we often use active subjects such as someone, people, or they. In formal writing, the passive can sound more neutral and professional.

Passive Voice + By

We use by when we want to say who or what is responsible for the action.

The painting was bought by a very rich American.

Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming.

We normally include by when the agent is important, surprising, or relevant to the message.

Important agent: Jurassic Park was directed by Steven Spielberg.

We usually omit the agent when it is unknown, obvious, general, or not important.

Unknown: A bank was robbed yesterday.

Obvious: The robber was arrested last night.

General: English is spoken in many countries.

Active vs Passive Sentences

In active sentences, the subject is the doer of the action. In passive sentences, the subject is the receiver of the action.

Voice	Subject	Meaning	Example
Active	Doer	The subject does the action.	Tom cleaned the room.
Passive	Receiver	The subject receives the action.	The room was cleaned.

Remember: in the passive voice, the original object moves to the beginning of the sentence.

How to Transform Active into Passive

Follow these steps to change an active sentence into the passive voice.

Find the object of the active sentence.
Move the object to the beginning of the passive sentence.
Use the verb to be in the same tense as the active verb.
Add the past participle of the main verb.
Add by + agent only if it is necessary.

Active: Somebody cleaned the classroom yesterday.

Step 1: Object = the classroom

Step 2: The classroom...

Step 3: was...

Step 4: cleaned...

Passive: The classroom was cleaned yesterday.

The passive is especially useful when we do not know who did the action or when the action is more important than the doer.

Passive 1 - Present Simple Exercise (Intermediate)

Pregunta 1: Make these active present simple sentences passive. You don't need to repeat 'somebody'.
Active: Somebody sends emails every morning.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: Somebody cuts the grass every Friday.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: Somebody cleans the windows once a month.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: Somebody delivers the newspapers at six.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: Somebody repairs bikes in this shop.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: Somebody speaks English in this office.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: Somebody writes articles for the website.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: Somebody sells vegetables in the market.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: Somebody checks the machines every day.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: Somebody uses this room for meetings.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: Somebody makes fresh bread here.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: Somebody washes the cars every week.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: Somebody locks the doors at night.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: Somebody teaches Spanish at this school.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: Somebody opens the museum at ten.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: Somebody takes photos during the tour.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: Somebody prints the tickets online.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: Somebody serves lunch at one o'clock.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: Somebody builds new houses every year.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: Somebody pays the workers on Friday.
Passive:

Passive 2 - Past Simple Exercise (Intermediate)

Pregunta 1: Make these active past simple sentences passive. You don't need to repeat 'somebody'.
Active: Somebody cleaned the room yesterday.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: Somebody stole my phone last night.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: Somebody broke the window.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: Somebody painted the walls blue.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: Somebody found the keys under the sofa.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: Somebody invited Laura to the party.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: Somebody repaired the bridge in 2020.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: Somebody built this church in 1915.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: Somebody wrote the report last week.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: Somebody sent the email this morning.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: Somebody cooked dinner at seven.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: Somebody closed the shop early.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: Somebody discovered the mistake.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: Somebody arrested the robber last night.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: Somebody cancelled the meeting.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: Somebody sold the house in May.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: Somebody took the documents.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: Somebody opened the new hospital in June.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: Somebody made the cake yesterday.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: Somebody chose the winner after the final round.
Passive:

Passive 3 - Present Perfect Exercise (Intermediate)

Pregunta 1: Make these active present perfect sentences passive. You don't need to repeat 'somebody'.
Active: Somebody has cleaned the kitchen.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: Somebody has repaired the car.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: Somebody has sent the invitations.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: Somebody has stolen my bike.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: Somebody has painted the doors.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: Somebody has written the article.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: Somebody has found the missing dog.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: Somebody has changed the password.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: Somebody has delivered the package.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: Somebody has broken the mirror.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: Somebody has cancelled the flight.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: Somebody has uploaded the files.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: Somebody has paid the bill.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: Somebody has opened the new library.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: Somebody has checked the answers.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: Somebody has built a new bridge.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: Somebody has chosen the best candidate.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: Somebody has printed the tickets.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: Somebody has sold the old computers.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: Somebody has taught this lesson before.
Passive:

Passive 4 - Future Simple Exercise (Intermediate)

Pregunta 1: Make these active future simple sentences passive. You don't need to repeat 'somebody'.
Active: Somebody will clean the office tomorrow.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: Somebody will send the documents later.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: Somebody will repair the computer next week.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: Somebody will open the new shop on Monday.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: Somebody will publish the results soon.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: Somebody will build a new school here.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: Somebody will invite the students to the ceremony.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: Somebody will translate the text into English.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: Somebody will deliver the sofa on Friday.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: Somebody will choose the winner tonight.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: Somebody will close the road during the race.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: Somebody will check the tickets at the entrance.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: Somebody will make the announcement at noon.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: Somebody will decorate the hall for the event.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: Somebody will replace the old chairs.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: Somebody will teach the new course online.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: Somebody will serve dinner at eight.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: Somebody will sell the tickets online.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: Somebody will record the interview.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: Somebody will answer the questions after the talk.
Passive:

Passive 5 - Mixed Tense Exercise (Difficult)

Pregunta 1: Make these active sentences passive. Keep the same tense.
Active: Somebody is repairing the lift.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: Somebody was cleaning the classroom when I arrived.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: Somebody has already sent the email.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: Somebody had locked the door before we arrived.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: Somebody will have finished the project by Friday.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: Somebody is painting the walls at the moment.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: Somebody was interviewing the candidates all morning.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: Somebody had stolen the painting before the museum opened.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: Somebody will announce the results tomorrow.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: Somebody checks the equipment every day.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: Somebody repaired the roof last winter.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: Somebody has built three new houses in the village.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: Somebody will repair the road next month.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: Somebody is translating the documents now.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: Somebody had prepared the room before the guests arrived.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: Somebody will have delivered the furniture by Monday.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: Somebody serves breakfast from seven to ten.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: Somebody was recording the lesson during the class.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: Somebody has chosen the winners.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: Somebody will have checked all the applications by the end of the week.
Passive:

Passive 6 - Verbs with Two Objects (Difficult)

Pregunta 1: Make these active sentences passive. Use the person or the thing as indicated.
Active: He gave me the book.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: He gave me the book.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: They offered Sarah a new job.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: They offered Sarah a new job.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: The teacher taught us a useful method.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: The teacher taught us a useful method.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: They told him the truth.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: They told him the truth.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: My uncle lent Jack some money.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: My uncle lent Jack some money.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active: The company promised Maria a promotion.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 12: Active: The company promised Maria a promotion.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 13: Active: They sold the tourists fake tickets.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 14: Active: They sold the tourists fake tickets.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 15: Active: The guide showed the visitors the old castle.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 16: Active: The guide showed the visitors the old castle.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 17: Active: The chef cooked the guests a special meal.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 18: Active: The chef cooked the guests a special meal.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 19: Active: They bought Emma a new laptop.
Use the person as the subject.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: They bought Emma a new laptop.
Use the thing as the subject.
Passive:

Passive 7 - Subordinate Clauses (Difficult)

Pregunta 1: Make the subordinate clause passive, or complete the sentence with a passive gerund or passive infinitive.
Active: I thought that Mary had kissed John.
Passive:

Pregunta 2: Active: He knew that people had built the church in 1915.
Passive:

Pregunta 3: Active: She said that somebody had stolen her bag.
Passive:

Pregunta 4: Active: They believe that the company will launch the product next year.
Passive:

Pregunta 5: Active: I heard that someone had cancelled the meeting.
Passive:

Pregunta 6: Active: We expected that they would finish the work today.
Passive:

Pregunta 7: Active: He explained that the workers were repairing the road.
Passive:

Pregunta 8: Active: She noticed that someone was following her.
Passive:

Pregunta 9: Active: I know that they have accepted the proposal.
Passive:

Pregunta 10: Active: We discovered that someone had opened the door.
Passive:

Pregunta 11: Active idea: People praise her. She enjoys it.
She enjoys

Pregunta 12: Active idea: People invite him to important events. He likes it.
He likes

Pregunta 13: Active idea: People criticize them unfairly. They hate it.
They hate

Pregunta 14: Active idea: People interrupt me. I can't stand it.
I can't stand

Pregunta 15: Active idea: The company may promote her. She would like that.
She would like

Pregunta 16: Active idea: Someone should inform us immediately. We need that.
We need

Pregunta 17: Active idea: Someone must collect the documents today. They have to be collected.
The documents have

Pregunta 18: Active idea: Someone should check the machine before use.
The machine ought

Pregunta 19: Active: The report says that experts have tested the medicine.
Passive:

Pregunta 20: Active: She hopes that someone will choose her design.
Passive: