Everything you need to use passive voice correctly: the formula, when to use it, signal words, common mistakes and exercises with answers.
The passive puts the focus on what is affected rather than on who did it. The general formula: S + be + V3 (past participle) + (by + agent); The passive across the tenses: Present: is/am/are + V3 | Past: was/were + V3 | Future: will be + V3 | Perfect: has/had been + V3; The passive with modals: S + modal + be + V3. Signal words: by + the person or thing doing it, is/are/was/were + V3, be + V3, been + V3, being + V3, get + V3 (informal).
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The general formula | S + be + V3 (past participle) + (by + agent) The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one | The cake was made by my mom. |
| The passive across the tenses | Present: is/am/are + V3 | Past: was/were + V3 | Future: will be + V3 | Perfect: has/had been + V3 Present Cont.: is/are being + V3 | Past Cont.: was/were being + V3 | The report is being written now. Keep the tense; only the structure becomes passive |
| The passive with modals | S + modal + be + V3 can be done, must be finished, should be checked | This work must be finished today. Modal + be + past participle, with 'be' never changing form |
When you do not know, or do not need to say, who performed the action
When you want to stress the person or thing affected
In scientific writing, journalism and regulations
Combine modal + be + past participle
| Word | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| by | The book was written by J.K. Rowling. | Goes before the agent who performs the action |
| is/are + V3 | English is spoken worldwide. | Present simple passive |
| was/were + V3 | The window was broken yesterday. | Past simple passive |
| will be + V3 | The project will be completed next week. | Future simple passive |
| has/have been + V3 | The homework has been done. | Present perfect passive |
Fill in the blank, then open the answer to check it.
Options: is speaking · is spoken · speaks · spoken
is spoken. A general truth in the present simple passive: is/are + past participle.
Options: built · has been built · is built · was built
was built. 'in 1998' calls for the past simple passive: was/were + past participle.
Options: has been done · has done · is done · was done
has been done. Present perfect passive: has/have been + past participle.
Options: is being cleaned · is cleaned · is cleaning · was being cleaned
is being cleaned. Present continuous passive: is/are being + past participle.
Options: is being repaired · was being repaired · was repaired · was repairing
was being repaired. Past continuous passive: was/were being + past participle.
Options: has been sent · is sent · was sent · were sent
was sent. 'two hours ago' calls for the past simple, and 'letter' is singular, so 'was sent'.
Options: are returned · has been returned · have been returned · were returned
have been returned. 'so far' calls for the present perfect, and 'books' is plural, so 'have been returned'.
Options: has made · is made · made · was made
was made. The cake was made in the past, so 'was made'.
Options: is being built · is built · was built · will be built
will be built. 'next year' points to the future: will be + past participle.
Options: are eaten · has been eaten · have been eaten · were eaten
have been eaten. Present perfect, and 'biscuits' is plural, so 'have been eaten'.
Options: grown · grows · is growing · is grown
is grown. A general truth in the present simple passive: is grown.
Options: has been completed · will be completed · will complete · will have been completed
will have been completed. Future perfect passive: will have been + past participle.
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