In English, there are two ways to express an action: Active Voice and Passive Voice.
Active Voice: The subject performs the action. (Subject + Verb + Object)
Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. (Object + be + past participle + by + subject)
Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
Active: The chef cooks the meal. Passive: The meal is cooked by the chef.
Active: Someone stole my car. Passive: My car was stolen.
π 2. Formation (Structure)
β Passive Voice Formula
Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle + (by + agent)
The verb "be" changes tense to match the active sentence's tense.
π Passive Voice Formation Table
Tense
Active
Passive
Present Simple
They clean the room.
The room is cleaned.
Past Simple
They cleaned the room.
The room was cleaned.
Future Simple
They will clean the room.
The room will be cleaned.
Present Continuous
They are cleaning the room.
The room is being cleaned.
Past Continuous
They were cleaning the room.
The room was being cleaned.
Present Perfect
They have cleaned the room.
The room has been cleaned.
Past Perfect
They had cleaned the room.
The room had been cleaned.
Modal Verbs
They can clean the room.
The room can be cleaned.
π 3. Present Simple Passive
β Formula: am/is/are + past participle
β’ English is spoken all over the world.
β’ These products are made in China.
β’ Coffee is grown in Brazil.
β’ The windows are cleaned every week.
β’ I am paid on Fridays.
π 4. Past Simple Passive
β Formula: was/were + past participle
β’ The Mona Lisa was painted by da Vinci.
β’ The car was repaired yesterday.
β’ The emails were sent this morning.
β’ The house was built in 1990.
β’ The cakes were eaten by the children.
π 5. Future Simple Passive
β Formula: will be + past participle
β’ The project will be finished by Friday.
β’ The invitations will be sent next week.
β’ The decision will be made tomorrow.
β’ The new store will be opened in June.
β’ The results will be announced soon.
π 6. Present Perfect Passive
β Formula: have/has been + past participle
β’ The report has been finished.
β’ The documents have been signed.
β’ The package has been delivered.
β’ The guests have been invited.
β’ The problem has been solved.
π― 7. When to Use Passive Voice
β Use Case 1: When the doer is unknown
β’ My wallet was stolen. (I don't know who stole it)
β’ The window was broken last night.
β’ A mistake was made.
β Use Case 2: When the doer is obvious/unimportant
β’ The president is elected every four years. (by the people)
β’ Theη―δΊΊ was arrested. (by the police)
β’ English is spoken in many countries.
β Use Case 3: When the action is more important
β’ A new hospital has been built.
β’ The road is being repaired.
β’ The problem will be solved.
β Use Case 4: In formal, scientific, or academic writing
β’ The experiment was conducted in a lab.
β’ The data were analyzed using SPSS.
β’ It is believed that the earth is round.
π‘ When to use the agent (by...):
β’ Use "by" + agent when the doer is important or surprising.
β’ Omit the agent when it's unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
π¬ 8. Examples by Category (100+ Examples)
π Present Simple Passive (20 examples)
1. English is spoken all over the world.
2. Coffee is grown in Brazil and Colombia.
3. These products are made in China.
4. The windows are cleaned every week.
5. I am paid on Fridays.
6. French is taught at our school.
7. The rooms are cleaned daily.
8. Cars are repaired at this garage.
9. The news is announced at 6 PM.
10. Taxes are paid every year.
11. The children are picked up at 3 PM.
12. The mail is delivered in the morning.
13. The food is served at 7 PM.
14. The tickets are sold online.
15. The documents are kept in a safe.
16. The information is stored on a server.
17. The rules are explained at the beginning.
18. The equipment is checked regularly.
19. The results are published online.
20. The products are shipped worldwide.
π Past Simple Passive (20 examples)
21. The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
22. The car was repaired yesterday.
23. The emails were sent this morning.
24. The house was built in 1990.
25. The cakes were eaten by the children.
26. The letter was written by my grandmother.
27. The accident was caused by a drunk driver.
28. The movie was directed by Spielberg.
29. The book was published in 2001.
30. The song was sung by Adele.
31. The bridge was built in 1950.
32. The treasure was found by archaeologists.
33. The crime was solved by the detective.
34. The award was given to the best student.
35. The mistake was corrected immediately.
36. The invitation was accepted by everyone.
37. The game was won by the home team.
38. The painting was stolen from the museum.
39. The decision was made by the committee.
40. The package was delivered this morning.
π Future Simple Passive (20 examples)
41. The project will be finished by Friday.
42. The invitations will be sent next week.
43. The decision will be made tomorrow.
44. The new store will be opened in June.
45. The results will be announced soon.
46. The documents will be signed today.
47. The meeting will be held in Room 101.
48. The payments will be processed automatically.
49. The files will be deleted after 30 days.
50. The tickets will be refunded if cancelled.
51. The winners will be notified by email.
52. The construction will be completed next year.
53. The law will be passed by Parliament.
54. The new product will be launched in March.
55. The changes will be implemented gradually.
56. The report will be submitted on Monday.
57. The orders will be shipped within 24 hours.
58. The candidates will be interviewed next week.
59. The agreement will be signed by both parties.
60. The event will be broadcast live on TV.
π Present Perfect Passive (20 examples)
61. The report has been finished.
62. The documents have been signed.
63. The package has been delivered.
64. The guests have been invited.
65. The problem has been solved.
66. The email has been sent.
67. The decision has been made.
68. The work has been completed.
69. The money has been transferred.
70. The application has been approved.
71. The mistake has been corrected.
72. The contract has been signed.
73. The order has been confirmed.
74. The payment has been processed.
75. The ticket has been booked.
76. The message has been received.
77. The package has been opened.
78. The invitation has been accepted.
79. The changes have been made.
80. The issue has been resolved.
π Active to Passive Transformations (20 examples)
Active β Passive
81. Someone stole my phone. β My phone was stolen.
82. They grow coffee in Brazil. β Coffee is grown in Brazil.
83. The chef cooks the meal. β The meal is cooked by the chef.
84. The company will launch a new product. β A new product will be launched.
85. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. β Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
86. Someone has eaten all the cookies. β All the cookies have been eaten.
87. The police arrested the thief. β The thief was arrested by the police.
88. They are building a new hospital. β A new hospital is being built.
89. She will finish the report. β The report will be finished.
90. They have canceled the flight. β The flight has been canceled.
91. The dog bit the mailman. β The mailman was bitten by the dog.
92. They deliver the mail at 9 AM. β The mail is delivered at 9 AM.
93. Someone broke the window. β The window was broken.
94. They will announce the winner soon. β The winner will be announced soon.
95. They have changed the schedule. β The schedule has been changed.
96. The company fired 100 workers. β 100 workers were fired.
97. They serve breakfast from 7-10 AM. β Breakfast is served from 7-10 AM.
98. Someone left the door open. β The door was left open.
99. They will publish the results online. β The results will be published online.
100. They have opened a new store. β A new store has been opened.
β 9. Common Mistakes
Mistake
Correction
β The room is clean by me.
β The room is cleaned by me.
β The cake was ate by the children.
β The cake was eaten by the children.
β English is speak all over the world.
β English is spoken all over the world.
β The house was build in 1990.
β The house was built in 1990.
β The documents has been signed.
β The documents have been signed.
β οΈ Important Rules:
1. Always use the correct past participle form (not simple past)
2. The verb "be" must agree with the subject in number and tense
3. Remember the passive formula: be + past participle
4. Don't forget the agent (by...) when it's important
βοΈ 10. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Complete with the correct passive form
1. English ______ (speak) all over the world.
2. The Mona Lisa ______ (paint) by da Vinci.
3. The project ______ (finish) by Friday.
4. The documents ______ (sign) already.
5. The window ______ (break) last night.
Exercise 2: Change from active to passive
1. Someone stole my car. β My car was stolen.
2. They grow coffee in Brazil. β ____________________
3. The chef cooks the meal. β ____________________
4. The company will launch a new product. β ____________________
5. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. β ____________________
Exercise 3: Correct the mistakes
1. The room is clean by me. β ____________________
2. The cake was ate by the children. β ____________________
3. English is speak all over the world. β ____________________
4. The house was build in 1990. β ____________________
5. The documents has been signed. β ____________________
β Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.When should I use passive voice instead of active?βΌ
Use passive voice when: 1) The doer is unknown (My car was stolen), 2) The doer is obvious (The president is elected every 4 years), 3) The action is more important than the doer (A new library was built), 4) In formal/scientific writing.
Q2.How do I form passive voice in different tenses?βΌ
Passive voice formula: be (in the correct tense) + past participle. For present simple: am/is/are + past participle. Past simple: was/were + past participle. Future: will be + past participle. Present perfect: have/has been + past participle.
Q3.Can I use the agent (by...) in passive sentences?βΌ
Yes! Use 'by' + agent when the doer of the action is important. Example: 'The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.' If the doer is unknown or obvious, you can omit it: 'The window was broken.'