🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What is Passive Voice in English?

Passive voice shifts focus from the doer (actor) to the receiver of the action. Instead of 'The chef cooked dinner,' we say 'Dinner was cooked by the chef.' The subject becomes the recipient, and the original actor appears in a 'by' clause or is omitted. Passive voice is common in formal writing, news, and scientific texts.

Short answer

Passive voice emphasizes the action and recipient rather than the doer. Structure: be + past participle (+ by agent). Example: 'The email was sent by Tom,' not 'Tom sent the email.'

Active to Passive Voice Conversion

1
ACTIVE
Subject (doer) + verb + object (receiver)
↓
2
CHANGE
Object becomes subject | Doer moves to 'by' clause | Add 'be' + past participle
↓
3
PASSIVE
Subject (receiver) + be + verb (past participle) + by + agent

Step-by-step worked examples

Active: The teacher taught the lesson. Convert to passive.

Identify: subject = teacher, verb = taught, object = lesson.
Passive: The lesson was taught by the teacher.
Focus shifts to the lesson (receiver).

Active: The artist painted the mural. Convert to passive.

Subject = artist, verb = painted, object = mural.
Passive: The mural was painted by the artist.
Orcan omit agent: The mural was painted.

Active: They built the bridge last year. Convert to passive.

Subject = they, verb = built, object = bridge, time = last year.
Passive: The bridge was built last year (by them).
Agent can be omitted when less important.

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.Which is in passive voice?

Correct answer: B. 'The cat was chased by the dog' uses be + past participle (was chased).

Q2.Convert to passive: 'John opened the door.'

Correct answer: B. Object 'door' becomes subject; add 'was' + past participle 'opened'.

Q3.What tense is 'The email has been sent'?

Correct answer: B. 'Has been' = present perfect auxiliary; 'sent' = past participle → present perfect passive.

Q4.Why omit the agent in 'The window was broken'?

Correct answer: B. Omit 'by...' when agent is obvious or irrelevant to focus.

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Common mistakes

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The cake was eaten by them yesterday. — Correct: The cake was eaten yesterday. (Agent can be omitted when obvious.)

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The report was wrote by the manager. — Correct: The report was written by the manager. Use 'written' (past participle), not 'wrote'.

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Was the book read by you yesterday? — Correct: Was the book read by you yesterday? (Actually correct!)

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The window has open by the wind. — Correct: The window has been opened by the wind. Use 'been' + past participle.

FAQ

What is passive voice?

Passive voice emphasizes the action and receiver rather than the doer. Example: 'The pizza was eaten by us' vs 'We ate the pizza.'

Why use passive voice?

In formal writing, news, and science when the receiver or action is more important than the doer. It can also hide the agent intentionally.

Can all active sentences become passive?

No. Only transitive verbs (with objects) can become passive. Intransitive verbs like 'sleep' or 'arrive' cannot.

Is passive voice wrong?

No. Passive voice is grammatically correct but can sound awkward in casual speech. Use it when it fits the context.