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Passive Voice
Look at this sample situation:
A conversation between two friends after class:
Sofia: Have you seen the new library? It was opened last week.
Leo: Yes! I heard the computers have been installed and the study rooms are being painted.
Sofia: Really? That’s great. The old place wasn’t used much so this one will probably be more popular.
Leo: Definitely. It was designed by one of the architecture students actually.
You can see from these examples that the passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or its result, not on who does it. The agent (the person who does the action) can be mentioned using by but it’s often left out if it’s obvious or not important.
The library was opened last week.
means we don’t know or care who opened it.
The computers have been installed.
means the focus is on the result; the computers are ready.
The study rooms are being painted.
means the action is happening now or around the time of speaking.
It was designed by one of the architecture students.
means the agent one of the architecture students is relevant or interesting so it's mentioned.
Meaning
We use the passive voice when:
The doer of the action is unknown, unimportant or obvious.
The museum was built in 1892.
We want to sound formal or impersonal, especially in writing.
Students are expected to hand in their work on time.
The focus is on the result or process, not the doer of the action.
The documents have been approved.
Compare:
Active:
Someone cleaned the room.
Passive:
The room was cleaned.
The meaning is the same, but the focus changes. In the passive sentence what matters is the clean room, not who cleaned it.
Structure
To form the passive, use the appropriate form of be + the past participle:
Tense | Active Voice | Passive Voice | Form |
Present Simple | They clean the offices every day. | The offices are cleaned every day. | Use am/is/are + past participle. |
Present Continuous | They are cleaning the offices now. | The offices are being cleaned now. | Use am/is/are being + past participle to show an action in progress. |
Present Perfect Simple | They have cleaned the offices. | The offices have been cleaned. | Use have/has been + past participle for past actions connected to the present. |
Past Simple | They cleaned the offices yesterday. | The offices were cleaned yesterday. | Use was/were + past participle. |
Past Continuous | They were cleaning the offices when I arrived. | The offices were being cleaned when I arrived. | Use was/were being + past participle for actions in progress in the past. |
Past Perfect | They had cleaned the offices before the meeting. | The offices had been cleaned before the meeting. | Use had been + past participle. |
Future Simple (will) | They will clean the offices tomorrow. | The offices will be cleaned tomorrow. | Use will be + past participle. |
Future Perfect | They will have cleaned the offices by noon. | The offices will have been cleaned by noon. | Use will have been + past participle. |
Going to (future intention) | They are going to clean the offices soon. | The offices are going to be cleaned soon. | Use am/is/are going to be + past participle. |
Modal verbs (can, should, must, etc.) | They must clean the offices. | The offices must be cleaned. | Use modal + be + past participle. |
Notes:
Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be used in the passive.
For verbs with two objects one of them a person, the passive sentence usually begins with the person.
Active:
Someone gave Mary a present.
In this example the first object is Mary and the second object is a present.
Passive:
Mary was given a present.
is more common than:
A present was given to Mary.
The verbs make, hear, see, help are followed by the infinitive without to in active sentences but in passive sentences the to is added.
Active:
They made him go home.
Passive:
He was made to go home.
The verb let does not have a passive form. Be allowed to is used instead in the passive.
Active:
They don’t let us talk in class.
Passive:
We are not allowed to talk in class.
Get can be used instead of be in informal speech to show that something happened unexpectedly:
His jeans got caught on a spike as he was climbing over the fence.
With (+ instrument/material) and of (+ material) is used instead of by to describe what caused the action or what the agent used to perform it:
This photograph was taken with an expensive camera.
The basement was flooded with water.
This cardigan is made of wool.
Passive Reporting Verbs
In formal English especially in news, academic writing or reports we often use passive reporting structures to sound neutral or impersonal. There are two different forms:
It + be + passive reporting verb + that clause
This form is used when we want to report general beliefs, opinions or statements:
It is said that the company is closing soon.
It is believed that she works for the government.
It has been reported that the storm caused serious damage.
Common reporting verbs include: say, believe, think, know, report, consider, expect, suppose, claim.
Note: The verb to be can be used in different tenses, although the present form is/are is more commonly used:
It is/was/has been reported that the criminal is a local man.
Subject + be + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive
This form is used when we want to make the sentence more direct or focus on the subject.
She is said to be a talented singer.
means people say she’s talented.
He is believed to have stolen the money.
means people believe he stole it.
Notes:
Use to have + past participle when the reported event is in the past:
He is thought to have left the country.
means people think he left.
Use to be + ing when the reported event is in progress at the time of speaking:
They are believed to be living together.
means people believe they are living together.
In the FCE exam
Reading and Use of English
In part 4 (Key Word Transformations) you often have to change an active sentence into the passive:
People say she speaks five languages.
SAID
She _______________________ five languages.
Answer: is said to speak
She misses her friends visiting her in the evenings.
VISITED
She misses _______________________ in the evenings.
Answer: being visited by her friends
Writing
In essays and reports you can use the passive to sound formal and objective:
It is believed that students learn best in smaller groups.
The data has been analysed carefully.
In reviews you may use passive structures to focus on the product or service:
The food was served quickly and was presented beautifully.
Speaking
Although passive voice is formal and more common in writing rather than in speaking, you might want to use it if appropriate as it will impact on the language marking criteria. Here are some ideas:
Part 2 (photo comparison):
The dishes are being prepared in the kitchen.
Part 3 (discussion):
New laws should be introduced soon.
Part 4 (speculating and giving opinions):
It is thought that online education will become more common in the future.