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Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)

the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

.

As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That's why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. - Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction - therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says - it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception ( e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. - It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. - Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

Exercises

Exercises on Passive (Form)

Exercises on Passive (Active → Passive)

Exercises on Passive (Active or Passive)

Grammar in Texts

Tests on Passiv

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Learn English - Passive Voice - English Grammar

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Passive Voice, short explanation and exercises

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Passive Voice - English Grammar Exercises

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Passive Voice - Learning English with our free Online Exercises

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English grammar exercise about passive verbs with the present simple tense

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Little game to practise the passive voice

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Little game to practise the passive voice

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Just a little game with the Passive voice-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/youtube/ -- Create animated videos and animated presentations for free. PowToon is a free tool that allows you to develop cool animated clips and animated presentations for your website, office meeting, sales pitch, nonprofit fundraiser, product launch, video resume, or anything else you could use an animated explainer video.

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Active and passive verbs | Oxford Dictionaries

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What's the difference between active and passive verbs? When and how should you use them?

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Extra theoretical explanations of the passive voice and some exersices to practise it

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Extra theoretical explanations of the passive voice and some exersices to practise it

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In general we tend to use the active voice. That is when a subject does an action to an object.

Somebody stole my laptop. (subject = Somebody / action(verb) = stole / object = my laptop)

The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action (the verb) and the object of a sentence rather than subject. This means that the subject is either less important than the action itself or that we don't know who or what the subject is.

My laptop was stolen. (The object - now the subject = My laptop / action= was stolen)

1. Passive: Napa Valley is known for its excellent wines.

2. Active: [Many people] know Napa Valley for its excellent wines.

1. Passive: Twenty civilians were killed in the bomb explosion.

2. Active: Someone killed twenty civilians in the bomb explosion.

When we know who the subject is, we put it at the end with by. We call this an agent.

1. Passive: The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (agent =Leonardo Da Vinci )

2. Active: Leonaro Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.

Most writing instructors and editors recommend against using the passive voice, when possible. The reason for this is that when you use the active voice, your writing is clearer and less complicated.

1. Active: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, a police officer pulled him over and gave him a speeding ticket.

2. Passive: While Mr. Taylor was driving down Highway 101, he was pulled over and given a ticket by a police officer.

If it's a long sentence and you know who the subject is, it's best to use the active voice.

The passive is often used to report something or to state a fact.

1. Highway 15 was closed yesterday due to a serious road accident.

2. A lot of corn is grown in Iowa.

The passive voice is not a tense in English. Each tense has its own passive voice which is created by using a form of the auxiliary verb to be + V3 (past participle)

The passive voice in each tense:

Tense

Auxiliary verb + sample V3 (past participle)

Examples

Present progressive

The document is being sent right now.
I am being sent to work in the London office.

Past simple

John was invited to speak at the conference.
We were invited to Daniel and Mary's wedding.

Future (will)

will be + signed

The contract will be signed tomorrow.
The documents will all be signed by next week.

Future (going to)

A bridge is going to be built within the next two years.
New houses are going to be built in our neighborhood.

Past perfect

The new manager had been hired before John left the company.
All the employees had hired before the store opened.

Future perfect

will + have been + finished

The car will have been loaded by the time he gets home.
The crates will have been loaded by then.

Modal: have to

A babysitter has to be arranged for this evening.
Joan's travel plans have to be arranged by December.

Modal: must

Criminals must be stopped before they commit crimes.

All of the rules for passive negatives and questions are the same as for the active voice.

Note: Verbs that have no object (no one to "receive" the action) cannot be put into the passive, such as, arrive, come, die, exist, go, happen, have, live, occur sleep, etc.

Fill in the correct passive form of the verb in parentheses.

1. After the earthquake, aid was sent to the people of Haiti. (sent)

2. The electricity was cut off because the bill hadn't been paid. (not pay)

1. Penicillin ______ by Alexander Fleming in 1928. (discover)

2. Statements ______ from all the witnesses at this moment. (take)

3. Whales ______ by an international ban on whaling. (must protect)

4. Both weddings _______ by Good Taste. (cater)

5. A Picasso ____ from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.(steal)

6. ____ this washing machine ______in Germany? (make)

7. Tea _____ in China. (grow)

8. When we reached the airport, we found that all the flights____ due to the storm. (cancel)

9. The fax _____ until tomorrow morning. (not send)

10. The soundtrack of a movie _____ always _____ after the filming is finished. (is/add)

Answers:

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Passive Voice - Definition, Examples & Exercises | Ginger

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In general we tend to use the active voice. That is when a subject does an action to an object. Somebody stole my laptop. (subject = Somebody / action(verb) = stole / object = my laptop) The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action (the verb) and the object of a sentence rather than subject.

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Visual tutorial of how to apply the passive voice

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Visual tutorial of how to apply the passive voice

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Differences between the active/paassive forms

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Differences between the active/paassive forms

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Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.

Active Form

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

Examples:

Passive Form

In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

Examples:

Active and Passive Overview

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Complete description of active and passive verb forms.