You read “the report was finished” and “John finished the report” and both feel like they mean the same thing, so you can’t tell why a native speaker would choose one over the other. The passive voice isn’t just a grammar structure you memorize for exams; it’s a genuine choice English speakers make constantly, usually to shift attention away from who did something and onto what happened.
Once you understand why speakers reach for the passive voice, not just how to form it, you’ll start recognizing it everywhere, from news headlines to lab reports to polite excuses. This guide covers both.
Active vs Passive: The Basic Shift
In the active voice, the subject performs the action: “The chef cooked the meal.” In the passive voice, the subject receives the action instead: “The meal was cooked by the chef.” The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one, and the original subject either moves to a “by” phrase at the end or disappears entirely.
| Voice | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Subject does the action | “The company launched the product.” |
| Passive | Subject receives the action | “The product was launched (by the company).” |
How to Build the Passive Voice
The formula is fixed: be + past participle. The tense of “be” changes depending on when the action happened, but the past participle of the main verb never changes.
| Tense | Passive Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | The office is cleaned every day. |
| Past simple | The office was cleaned yesterday. |
| Present perfect | The office has been cleaned already. |
| Future simple | The office will be cleaned tomorrow. |
| Modal + passive | The office should be cleaned by Friday. |
When Native Speakers Actually Choose the Passive
This is the part most grammar books skip: the passive isn’t random or purely stylistic, it’s chosen for specific reasons in real communication.
- The doer is unknown: “My phone was stolen.” (you don’t know who took it)
- The doer is obvious or irrelevant: “The bridge was built in 1990.” (nobody needs to know which construction crew)
- The action matters more than the actor: scientific and formal writing overwhelmingly favor passive: “The results were analyzed using…”
- Diplomatically avoiding blame: “Mistakes were made” avoids naming exactly who made them, which connects to the tone choices covered in our guide to professional email phrases.
6 Common Mistakes With the Passive Voice
| Instead of this | Say this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “The letter was wrote yesterday” | “The letter was written yesterday” | Needs the past participle, not the past simple form |
| “The report is finish” | “The report is finished” | Missing the past participle ending |
| Overusing passive in casual conversation | Use active voice for everyday speech | Passive is common in formal writing, but sounds stiff in casual talk |
| “The cake was eat by him” | “The cake was eaten by him” | “Eat” needs its irregular past participle “eaten” |
| Adding “by someone” when the doer is obvious | Drop the “by” phrase when it adds no information | “By the government” after “taxes were raised” is often unnecessary |
| “The music was play loudly” | “The music was played loudly” | Missing the -ed ending on the past participle |
Practice: Test Yourself
Change to passive voice: 1. The chef cooked the meal. 2. They built the house in 1980. 3. Someone stole my wallet. 4. The company will launch the app next month. 5. Workers have completed the bridge.
Correct the Mistake
- “The window was broke by the storm.”
- “The email was sent by she yesterday.”
Answer Key
- 1. “The meal was cooked by the chef.” 2. “The house was built in 1980.” 3. “My wallet was stolen.” 4. “The app will be launched next month.” 5. “The bridge has been completed.”
- Correction 1: “The window was broken by the storm.”
- Correction 2: “The email was sent by her yesterday.”
Describe a process at your job using the passive voice at least three times (how something is made, checked, or approved). For live correction, you can practice in a Free Lesson with a tutor.
Make This Automatic
The passive voice becomes natural once you’ve used it enough times to feel when a sentence calls for it versus when active voice is more direct. Our English courses build this instinct into real writing and speaking practice. If you want a tutor to help you use passive voice naturally in professional contexts, you can start with a private English tutor or book a Free Lesson.
Quick Access
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- Gerund vs Infinitive
- Do vs Make
- Since vs For
- Say, Tell, Speak, Talk
- There, Their, They’re
- Modal Verbs Explained
- Confusing Prepositions
- Will vs Would
- Must vs Have To
- Can vs Could
- Present Continuous Tense
- Future Tense in English
- WH Questions
- 15 Common Grammar Mistakes
- Professional Email Phrases
- English Negotiation Phrases
- English Listening Skills
- English Pronunciation
- English Sentence Structure
- English Writing Skills
- Business English Vocabulary
- All Courses
- Online English Tutors
- Free Lesson
- Free Session
- Private English Lessons Online
- Speak English Like Native People
Frequently Asked Questions About Passive Voice
What’s the basic formula for the passive voice?
Be + past participle. The tense of “be” changes based on when the action happened, but the past participle stays fixed.
Why do native speakers use the passive voice at all?
Usually to shift focus away from who did something, either because the doer is unknown, obvious, irrelevant, or because formal writing favors focusing on results over actors.
Do I need to include “by someone” in every passive sentence?
No. The “by” phrase is optional and often dropped when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence.
Is the passive voice grammatically incorrect or bad writing?
No, it’s a legitimate structure with specific uses, though overusing it in casual speech can sound unnecessarily formal or evasive.
Why is the passive voice so common in scientific writing?
Because the focus is on the experiment or result rather than who specifically performed the action, which is exactly what passive voice is built to emphasize.
Can modal verbs be used with the passive voice?
Yes: modal + be + past participle, as in “The report should be finished by Friday” or “The window must be fixed.”
What’s the most common mistake with passive voice?
Using the wrong verb form after “be,” often the simple past instead of the past participle, especially with irregular verbs like eat, write, and break.
How can I tell if a sentence is passive?
Look for a form of “be” followed by a past participle, and check whether the subject is receiving the action rather than performing it.
Should I avoid passive voice completely in emails?
No, it’s often useful for diplomacy, such as “the deadline was missed” instead of directly blaming a specific person.
What’s the best way to practice passive voice naturally?
Describe processes, news events, or workplace procedures out loud using passive constructions, since it’s most naturally used to describe systems and results rather than personal stories.
