Active and passive voice

Learn how to form the passive voice and do the exercises to practise using it.

Level: beginner

Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:

Active	Passive
The hunter killed* the lion.*	The lion was killed* by the hunter.*
Someone has cleaned* the windows.*	The windows have been cleaned.

Passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:

Subject	be	Past participle	Adverbial
English	is	*spoken*	all over the world.
The windows	*have been*	*cleaned*.
Lunch	*was being*	*served*.
The work	*will be*	*finished*	soon.
They	*might have been*	*invited*	to the party.

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by:

She was attacked by a dangerous dog.
The money was stolen by her husband.

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Level: intermediate

The passive infinitive is made up of to be with a past participle:

The doors are going to be locked at ten o'clock.
You shouldn't have done that. You ought to be punished.

We sometimes use the verb get with a past participle to form the passive:

Be careful with that glass. It might get broken.
Peter got hurt in a crash.

We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:

Active	Passive
I gave him* a book for his birthday.*	He was given a book for his birthday.
Someone sent her* a cheque for a thousand euros.*	She was sent a cheque for a thousand euros.

We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:

Active	Passive
They called off* the meeting.*	The meeting was called off.
His grandmother looked after* him.*	He was looked after* by his grandmother.*
They will send* him away to school.*	He will be sent* away to school.*

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Level: advanced

Some verbs which are very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-infinitive:

be supposed to	be expected to	be asked to	be told to
be scheduled to	be allowed to	be invited to	be ordered to

John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.
You are supposed to wear a uniform.
The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.

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Hello 12nguyenhien

Your summary of agents in the passive is good. Perhaps there are some specific situations where it would not be correct, but in general, 'by them' works as an agent in a passive construction.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello dear team, Is the following sentence true: (Teachers, like all other employees, would like to be given the opportunity and space to work and recognition in matters and administration) Thanks a lot

Hello Hosseinpour

That is grammatically correct, though the end of the sentence isn't completely clear to me. I don't understand what 'recognition in matters and administration' means.

Hope this helps.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello. What is the difference between the two verb forms ? I had a technician check our old television set. I had a technician checking our old television set. Thank you.

Hello Ahmed Imam

In the first, you say that you arranged for the technician to come and she checked the TV. In the second one, you're speaking about a specific time in the past, and at the time, the technician was checking your TV.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Why do I refuse to be interviewed ? ( Change the voice) would you please help me with answer including explanation ) ?

Hello Ramesh

Maybe 'Why do I refuse to interview her?' I'd recommend you ask your teacher.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Dear sir, I found this question in the TOEIC textbook and found it hard to choose the correct answer. I think it would be helpful for everyone so I posted here: "For some time, we allowed sales reps to pay for their car rentals up front with their personal cards or cash and then be reimbursed later. This is no longer the policy. As of June 15, all payments for rentals were supposed to have………..…….with the company card that was assigned to each of you." A. making B.to be made C.makes D.been made I opted for D but the answer is B. Can you explain it for me? Thankyou so much. I'm looking forward to hearing from you soon ^^

Hello Quynh Nhu,

In my opinion option D is the best and correct answer. Option B does not strike me as a natural formulation. If have to (obligation) is required then we would not use suppose here:

...all payments [...] were supposed to have been made...

...all payments [...] had to be made...

Alternatively, you could use a present form as the situation is still current:

...all payments [...] have to be made...

Generally, we comment on the material on our own pages and not on material from other publications. If you need an explanation of any particular question then the book's publisher is the place to go, as they are responsible for their publications.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Thankyou, Peter. You've made it very clear to me. I appreciate your work. Have a nice weekend^^

Good day, To my understanding the answer should be B. At first I opted for D however B makes more sense. To explain, in the statement, the words are being directed towards the employees of a car rental company right? So the speaker of the statement said that prior to June 15th they were allowed to pay with either cash or personal cards then be reimbursed afterwards, however, from June 15th onwards, that should have been stopped, but the employees did not follow the new policy. In the article above it says the intermediate level of the passive voice uses the infinitive plus the past participle which seems to be used in this case. Recall that it's the action where the emphasis lies rather than the doer of the action. So I believe that for emphasis 'B' would be the answer rather than 'D' because, (to be made) more emphasizes the action, meanwhile, (been made) more adds emphasis to the doer(s) of the action. Option 'B' also implies that in future they will be expected to follow policy and there may be consequences if it isn't followed. Similar to the example in the intermediate level. To me it seems the speaker is more upset with the fact that the action was not done rather than who did not do the action. Thus, making the correct answer to be 'B'. Hence the reason this statement was being directed to them in the first place in order to emphasize that they did not do the right act or in other words breeching company policy. This is all of my opinion and interpretation.

Dear sir, please explain the answer. I opted for option B. But our teacher says it will be option D. Please explain the passive - It is impossible to do this. A. Doing this is impossible B. This is impossible to be done C. This must not be done D. This can’t be done

Hello Pratapsingh

The best person to ask this is your teacher! B is not correct in standard British English. The other options are, but the closest in meaning is probably D.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

what will be the passive of 1) Please do the work 2) Tell him to go 3)Do away with it

Hello mourin,

These are all imperative sentences and generally we use 'let... be...' to make passive forms of these sentences. I'll show you how to change one of the sentences, and if you want to change the others yourself we'll be happy to tell you if you did it correctly.

Do away with it >>> Let it be done away with.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

please tell me whether I'm correct or not: 1)Let the work be done 2)Let him be gone by telling him and THANKS for the help

Hello mourin

1 is grammatically correct, but 2 is quite strange because we don't normally use 'by' with a third-person imperative. I don't really understand what 2 means.

In any case, please note that these forms are quite unusual in everyday English nowadays.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Is it grammatically correct to say: (I know who is going to be our new head of department but I've been asked not to tell anyone.) instead of (I know who our new head of department is going to be but I've been asked not to tell anyone).

Hello mousab7

Yes, that is correct, though if I were writing this, I would choose the second option over the first one.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi, Is there any refrence to show how each tense of verbs change in passive form

Hello parisaach

The passive is essentially formed of two parts: 1) the verb 'be' (used as an auxiliary verb) and 2) the past participle of the verb. It's only 1 that changes for tense or subject, so that means you could just list out all the forms of 'be' in the different tenses and then add 2 to the end to get a list.

For example, following the order of the tenses on the present tense page: it is written, it is being written, it has been written, it has been being written. The past tense page: it was written, it was being written, it had been written, it had been being written. Then there are also forms with 'will' and 'would': it will be written, it will be being written, it will have been written, it will have been being written, it would be written, it would be being written, it would have been written and it would have been being written.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi, "The cleaner has cleaned the office" --> active voice. But is "the office has been cleaned" the correct passive, or "the office has been cleaned by the cleaner". Is there a rule regrading "the cleaner"??

Hello Cleo

In the passive sentence, you can include the agent ('the cleaner') by using the word 'by': 'The office has been cleaned by the cleaner'. There is nothing wrong with this, but often we use the passive voice because we consider the agent (in this case, the cleaner) irrelevant or something that we don't want to discuss. So in many cases, people would probably leave out the agent.

But the passive can be used for other reasons, too, and in these cases people might choose to include the agent.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

"Will they not work in the banks regularly?" How to change the voice?

Hello Nidhi

Perhaps 'Will the banks not be worked in regularly?'?

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

hi i have a few questions. they dont help you (how many ways are there to make this sentence passive?) you wont be helped you are not helped you dont get helped you are not getting helped if any of these is wrong i would like to know why exactly.

Hello miladghasemiofficial

Those are all correct, except for being misspelled (won't, don't). 'they don't help you' is in the present simple, so the closest version in the passive would also be in the present simple -- the second and third versions you give are in the present simple.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

"has your letter of discharge been given to you ?" sorry

hello. i understand that the passive form of "has the doctor given you your letter of discharge ?" become "have your letter of discharge been given to you ? but i have red these following sentence in a book and i'm lost now: "Have you been given your letter of discharge ?" is it possible to use passive voice like that ? thx.

Hello rom162, This is an example of a sentence with two objects - direct and indirect - and two passive forms are possible. Take a look at this example: > She gave the ball to John. We can use the direct object ('the ball') and make a passive sentence like this: > The ball was given to John (by her). Or we can use the indirect object ('John'): > John was given the ball (by her). ~ Your example works the same way: > Has the doctor given you your letter of discharge? > Has your letter of discharge been given to you (by the doctor)? > Have you been given your letter of discharge (by the doctor)? ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

thank you for your answer !

n the examples you show none of them is with the present perfect continuous. So, is it incorrect to use the passive voice of the present perfect continuous? Or is it correct but not used? I can’t find this on any of the books that I have. I really would like to know. Thanks!

Hello again Aglae Please see my reply to your comment above. It can take us a day or two to reply and please note that our House Rules (https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/house-rules) prohibit flooding. It is not incorrect, but we generally avoid it. We don't provide examples of language that we wouldn't recommend people use. All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

In the examples you show none of them is with the present perfect continuous. So, is it incorrect to use the passive voice of the present perfect continuous? Or is it correct but not used? I can’t find this on any of the books that I have. I really would like to know. Thanks!

Hello Aglae Using a present perfect continuous in the passive voice is grammatically correct, but people often avoid it for reasons of style. This is because, for example, 'The book has been being written' is a little difficult to process (especially 'been being') and so sounds awkward. All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Hello. The lion was killed by the hunter. In this sentence: The lion: object. the hunter: subject. The act of killing has happened on the lion. Why do you say that the subject of a passive verb is 'The lion'?

Hello amirfd, In a passive sentence the grammatical subject is the thing which the action is done to. We can see this because the verb changes to agree with it: > The lion is killed by the hunter ['the lion' is singular so we have a singular verb ('is')] > The lions are killed by the hunter ['the lions' is plural so we have a plural verb ('are')] Verbs agree with their subjects, not their objects. Thus we can see that 'the lion' is the subject. ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

Is the passive of the sentence "He hopes that he can attain better grade", "It is hoped by him that he can attain better grade" correct? Or should it be as "It is hoped that better grade can be attained by him"? If the first (passive one) sentence is incorrect, I want to know the actual reason. I also want to know, if second one is correct, how is the second sentence correct as some of the information from the active one has lost e.g. It is not stated who is actually hoping, it could be he himself or could be his teacher or his parents or someone else. In response if it is said that it's ok to do so and the first one, in which second clause is not passive, is correct, furthermore I want to know if "by him" can be excluded. Please be kind.

Hello Shibasish, Both sentences are possible. You have two verb phrases in the sentence ('he hopes' and 'he can attain') and each can be passive. The 'by' phrase can be used with either or both of them: > It is hoped (by him) that a better grade can be attained (by him). ~ Whether the sentence represents good style is another question, of course. ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

Then, of course, I would very like to know which sentence will do the best that is which represents a good style. And why I was wondering about the question is because my textbook says that when I am asked to passive a sentence I have to do so to all of the clauses, of course if possible. So, I would very glad to learn about your opinion in this manner that is should I passive all the clauses or should I think of good style(which I want to be answered first)!!!

Hello Shibasish The appropriate style for language is dependent on the situation it's going to be used in, and for what purpose. So we can't really answer your question very well without knowing more about these two factors at the very least. But in general, most writers (as well as speakers) avoid the passive voice unless they want to shift the focus away from the subject for some reason. For example, a politician who doesn't consider herself responsible for a bad result could say 'mistakes were made' rather than 'my team made mistakes'. In the case you're talking about, I think the active is probably more appropriate. All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

I'm not really sure the difference between "Would you like to be seated?" and "Would you like to take a seat?" What's the point to use passive voice in this case? Can anyone explain?? ( ⸝⸝•ᴗ•⸝⸝ )੭⁾⁾

Hello Rafaela1, The sentences contain different verbs, not only an active/passive difference. We generally use 'be seated' when we are given places according to a plan, such as at a wedding: 'The guests were seated with the family members on the left and friends on the right.' The phrase 'take a seat' simply means to sit down and is a polite way to say that someone does not have to stand. We might use this, for example, when someone visits our office. ~ Most often we would simply say 'Would you like to sit down?' ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your helpful explanation, Peter! Yes, I understood! Actually, I heard a waitress in a drama saying "Would you like to be seated?" for a reserved seat which was given places as you say. My question was solved! ﾟ☆,｡･:*:･ﾟ★o(´▽｀*)/♪Thanks♪＼(*´▽｀)oﾟ★,｡･:*:･☆ﾟ

Good Morning.I would like if there is difference among these phrases : 1) we are lost but we will have us told the way to get there 2) we are lost but we Will make us told the way to get there .3) we are lost but we Will have been told the way to get there. I Wish you all the best.

Hello rosario70, I'm afraid none of those sentences appear to make sense. The verb forms are confused but apart from that the phrase 'we tell us' (in various forms) suggests someone is giving themselves information, which is an odd concept. ~ Peter The LearnEnglish Team

Hello Sir This sentence is from a print out of BBC learning English / BBC world service 'He was being treated for depression when he won the lottery.' I think this a typing error ; 'lost' is the right word but not 'won' I am I correct? I am I right? Please let me know. Thank you. Best regards Lal

Hi Lal In the end, it of course depends on what they meant to say or whatever was true for that situation. Both 'won' and 'lost' are grammatically correct here, though we don't usually talk about 'losing' the lottery, as most people, however much they may hope to, don't really expect to win it. I'm not very familiar with the research on this, but several times I've read that people who win large amounts of money actually end up more depressed than they were before they had all the money. In any case, this sentence is about his state at the time he won. All the best Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

Please help me clarify Which one is correct? Johnny is being interrupted because he has perpetrated heinous crime. Or Johnny is being interrogated because a heinous crime has been perpetrated by him.

Hello Akash Rathore, The verb in the first sentence should be 'interrogated' rather than 'interrupted', and both sentences should have 'a' before heinous. The choice between active and passive is really on of style as both are grammatically correct. In my view, the active version is much more likely and has a better style in most contexts. Peter The LearnEnglish Team