Active and Passive Verb Forms
1. Definition and Rule
Every English sentence can be constructed in one of two voices, and the choice between them changes what the sentence emphasises.
In the active voice, the grammatical subject is the doer — the person or thing that performs the action. The structure follows a straightforward pattern: Subject + Verb + Object. For instance, in the sentence "The teacher explained the lesson," the teacher actively carries out the explaining.
In the passive voice, the grammatical subject is the receiver of the action rather than its performer. The basic pattern becomes: Subject + Auxiliary 'be' + Past Participle (+ by + Agent). Taking the same idea: "The lesson was explained by the teacher" now foregrounds the lesson, not the teacher.
The fundamental difference is one of focus: the active voice highlights who acts, while the passive voice highlights what is acted upon. This distinction has real communicative consequences in academic writing, journalism, formal documents, and everyday speech.
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Key point: Only transitive verbs — those that take a direct object — can be turned into passive constructions. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, die, happen, sleep have no object and therefore cannot form the passive.
2. Form and Structure
The Core Formula
The passive is always built from: be + past participle (V3). What changes across tenses is the form of 'be'; the past participle itself never changes.
Passive Forms Across Tenses
Simple Present — am / is / are + past participle
The cake is made by my mother.
Present Continuous — am / is / are + being + past participle
A letter is being written by Rita.
Present Perfect — has / have + been + past participle
The house has been painted.
Simple Past — was / were + past participle
The window was broken by the boy.
Past Continuous — was / were + being + past participle
The house was being painted while we were away.
Past Perfect — had + been + past participle
The car had been repaired before we arrived.
Simple Future — will + be + past participle
A letter will be written by her.
Future Perfect — will + have + been + past participle
The project will have been completed by next week.
Modal Verbs — modal + be + past participle
The report must be submitted on time. / The work can be done.
Note: The continuous perfect tenses (Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, etc.) have no practical passive equivalent in standard English — they are avoided because the resulting forms sound awkward.
Three Steps to Convert Active into Passive
- The direct object of the active sentence becomes the new subject.
- The verb changes to the correct form of 'be' + past participle, keeping the same tense.
- The original subject becomes the agent, introduced by 'by' — or it is dropped altogether.
Active: Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. → Passive: The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Verbs with Two Objects
Di-transitive verbs — such as give, teach, tell, offer, lend — take both an indirect and a direct object. Either object may become the passive subject, depending on what you want to emphasise.
Active: I gave John a book. → Option 1: John was given a book. / Option 2: A book was given to John.
Active: She taught the students English. → Option 1: The students were taught English. / Option 2: English was taught to the students.
3. Uses of the Passive Voice
Use the passive when one or more of the following conditions applies:
- The action matters more than the agent. Focus is on what happened, not who did it: "Over 100 cars were damaged in the accident."
- The agent is unknown. You do not know who performed the action: "My bicycle was stolen last night."
- The agent is obvious or general. Mentioning it would be redundant: "Coffee is grown in Brazil." (clearly by farmers)
- A formal or objective tone is required. Academic writing, scientific reports, and official documents routinely prefer the impersonal distance of the passive: "It was found that the results were inconclusive."
- Avoiding responsibility. The passive can be deliberately vague about who caused something: "Mistakes were made."
- Changing sentence emphasis or flow. Placing the most newsworthy element at the start: "The new smartphone was launched by Apple yesterday."
- Formal reporting structures. With verbs like believe, report, claim, estimate, expect: "It is reported that the minister will resign." / "The minister is reported to be planning his resignation."
When not to use the passive: in everyday conversation, when the agent is important, or when the active voice would be clearer and more direct. An awkward passive — "The lecture was attended by many students" — is usually better rewritten as "Many students attended the lecture."
4. Worked Examples
Active vs. Passive Across Tenses
Simple Present
Active: The teacher explains the lesson. → Passive: The lesson is explained by the teacher.
Present Continuous
Active: They are painting the wall. → Passive: The wall is being painted.
Present Perfect
Active: She has written three novels. → Passive: Three novels have been written by her.
Simple Past
Active: The architect designed the building. → Passive: The building was designed by the architect.
Past Continuous
Active: We were discussing the problem. → Passive: The problem was being discussed.
Past Perfect
Active: They had finished the work. → Passive: The work had been finished by them.
Future Simple
Active: The company will announce the results tomorrow. → Passive: The results will be announced tomorrow.
Modal Verb
Active: You must submit the report on Friday. → Passive: The report must be submitted on Friday.
Special Constructions
Get passive (informal): In spoken and casual English, 'get' can replace 'be' with action verbs to stress the experience of the event.
Our car got stolen last night. / I got offered a new job. / England got beaten by France.
Impersonal passive (formal reporting): Two structures allow a detached, objective tone with reporting verbs.
It is estimated that millions of people visit the site every year. / Millions of people are estimated to visit the site every year.
Causative 'have/get' (action done on your behalf): Structure: have/get + object + past participle.
I had my hair cut yesterday. / She got her house painted by professionals. / He gets his car serviced every month.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1 — Using Intransitive Verbs in the Passive
Verbs such as arrive, die, happen, sleep, occur have no object and therefore cannot be passivised.
Wrong: The train was arrived by the passengers. ✓ Correct: The passengers arrived at the station.
Mistake 2 — Dropping the Auxiliary Verb 'be'
The verb 'be' is mandatory. Omitting it — especially in the past tense — is one of the most frequent errors.
Wrong: The window broken by the boy. ✓ Correct: The window was broken by the boy.
Mistake 3 — Confusing 'be', 'been', and 'being'
Each form of 'be' has a specific role: be follows modal verbs (must be cleaned); being appears in progressive forms (is being cleaned); been follows 'have' auxiliaries (has been cleaned).
Wrong: The cake is bake by my mother. ✓ Correct: The cake is baked by my mother.
Wrong: The emails were being send before the deadline. ✓ Correct: The emails were being sent before the deadline.
Mistake 4 — Using the Past Simple (V2) Instead of the Past Participle (V3)
Irregular verbs have different V2 and V3 forms. The passive always requires V3.
Wrong: The letter was wrote yesterday. ✓ Correct: The letter was written yesterday. (write → written, not wrote)
Wrong: The decision was took by management. ✓ Correct: The decision was taken by management. (take → taken, not took)
Wrong: The game was began. ✓ Correct: The game was begun. (begin → begun, not began)
Mistake 5 — Tense Inconsistency
The passive form must match the tense of the original active verb throughout the sentence.
Wrong: The report was write yesterday and is finishing today. ✓ Correct: The report was written yesterday and is being finished today.
Mistake 6 — Passivising with 'get' on State Verbs
The get-passive applies only to action or change verbs, never to state verbs.
Wrong: He got loved by everyone. ✓ Correct: He was loved by everyone.
Mistake 7 — Confusing Passive Voice with Adjectival Participles
A past participle can sometimes describe a state (adjective) rather than an action (passive voice). Context and meaning decide which it is.
Adjective (state): I am interested in the topic. (describes how I feel, not an action done to me)
Passive (action): The topic is discussed in class every week. (someone does the discussing)
Mistake 8 — Overusing the Passive in Informal Contexts
Passive voice sounds unnatural in everyday conversation. Reserve it for formal registers.
Too formal for conversation: I was informed by my mother that dinner was being prepared. ✓ Natural: My mother told me she was preparing dinner.
6. When the Agent is Optional
The by + agent phrase is optional and should be omitted in the following situations:
- The agent is unknown: "My wallet was stolen." (We do not know the thief.)
- The agent is self-evident: "The president was elected." (Obviously by voters.)
- The agent refers to people in general: "The museum is closed on Mondays." (By staff/management, understood.)
- The speaker wishes to avoid assigning blame or responsibility: "Mistakes were made."
7. Passive in Real-World Contexts
Learning to recognise where passive voice naturally appears will sharpen your writing and reading skills. Here are the main authentic contexts:
- Newspaper headlines: "President Inaugurated" — the agent (the people) is understood.
- Scientific reports: "The samples were analysed using spectroscopy." — removes the personal 'we' for objectivity.
- News reporting: "Two people were arrested yesterday." — action and receiver are the story; the police agent is implied.
- Formal notices: "Applications must be submitted by Friday." — impersonal, authoritative tone.
- Academic writing: "It is believed that the walls date from the third century." — impersonal passive with a reporting verb.
8. Key-Point Summary
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Key points to remember:
1. The passive is always be + past participle (V3). The form of 'be' signals the tense; V3 never changes.
2. Only transitive verbs can be passivised. Intransitive verbs (arrive, happen, sleep…) have no passive.
3. Always use the past participle (V3), not the past simple (V2). Common errors: wrote → written, took → taken, broke → broken.
4. The agent (by + doer) is optional — omit it when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
5. Use the get-passive only in informal speech and only with action verbs, never with state verbs.
6. When in doubt, prefer the active voice — it is usually clearer, more direct, and more natural.