Passives
Look at these examples to see how the passive voice is used.
A lot of olive oil is produced in Italy.
This book was written by Angela Davis.
The suspect will be released tomorrow.
This product has not been tested on animals.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use the passive voice to change the focus of the sentence.
My bike was stolen. (passive – focus on my bike)
Someone stole my bike. (active – focus on someone)
We often use the passive:
- when we prefer not to mention who or what does the action (for example, it's not known, it's obvious or we don't want to say)
- so that we can start a sentence with the most important or most logical information
- in more formal or scientific writing.
How we make the passive
We make the passive using the verb be + past participle. We start the sentence with the object.
| Avatar | was | directed by James Cameron. |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| Object | + be + | past participle |
It is not always necessary to add who or what did the action.
| My flight | is | cancelled. |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| Object | + be + | past participle |
Only the form of be changes to make the tense. The past participle stays the same. Here are examples of the passive in its most common tenses.
| Tense | Example | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Alioli is made from oil, garlic and salt. | is/are + past participle |
| Present continuous | The hall is being painted this week. | is/are being + past participle |
| Past simple | John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. | was/were + past participle |
| Past continuous | The signs were being put up last week. | was/were being + past participle |
| Present perfect | Oranges have been grown here for centuries. | has/have been + past participle |
| Past perfect | When he got home, he found that his flat had been burgled. | had been + past participle |
| Future simple | The work will be finished next week. | will be + past participle |
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello BRkr2003,
Both sentences are correct. The word order is flexible but the first example with the by-clause directly after the verb phrase is more common.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear teacher could you explane how to know what type of tense I need to put in any sentence. Why addicted to it ? How do i know if in that sentence i should put past simple of past perfect and and so on
Thank you
Hello sabina.93,
Which form of the verb we use depends on many factors. What are you trying to describe (reality)? What do you want to say (intention)? What was said before and what will be said after (context)? How do you want to sound (presentation)? What do you want to emphasise or de-emphasise (focus)?
As you can see, there is no simple answer to your question. My advice is to work systematically through the various sections on the site focusing on pages and material suited to your level.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Please explain to me. The difference between the two sentences in below.
Someone had found my wallet and left it at reception.
Someone found my wallet and left it at reception.
Hello Win Moe Kyaw,
The second sentence shows a sequence of events: first someone found the wallet and next they left it at reception. For sequences of events like this we use past simple for each event.
The first sentence also describes two events and one is also before the other. However, in this sentence the speaker wants to make it clear that the earlier event changed or influenced the second event in some way. In other words they are not just two separate events but they are connected. For example:
Here, the earlier action (finding the wallet) is connected to the later event (being angry and wanting to call the police) as it makes the person change their mind.
The present perfect requires a context like this. Your sentence is not in context, of course, so it's necessary to create on to explain why you might use the past perfect.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Teacher, do we have “will be being+v3/ed?”? Thanks
Hello KatherineThu,
Yes, that form exists. It's a modal verb followed by a passive continuous infinitive. For exmaple:
It's an unusual form and quite a long construction so we often avoid it by, for example, turning the verb into active voice. But it is a correct form.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear teachers, what are active and passive infinitives?
And how can we categorized infinitives in different categories?
Many thanks 👍
Hello jassa,
I want to see it. [active infinitive with 'to']
I want to be seen. [passive infinitive with 'to']
Infinitives can have aspect (perfect and continuous) and voice (active or passive).
You can read more about some of these forms here:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/uk/grammar/british-grammar/infinitive-active-or-passive
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/perfect-infinitive-with-to-to-have-worked
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you very much dear teacher 🙏
One another question-
Non finite verbs don't show tense, person and number and verbals(infinitives, gerund and participles) are non finite verbs so verbals(infinitives,gerunds and participles)also don't show tense, person and number?
Thanks.