Passive Voice in English — English — 3rd Year Secondary (Literary Stream) — Baccalaureate — Algerian Curriculum

Passive Voice in English

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, not the doer. It is formed with “be” (conjugated) + past participle. The agent is introduced with “by” when important. Passive voice is common in academic writing, news reports, and formal contexts.

Formation

Active: Subject + verb + object.
Passive: Subject + be (in tense of active verb) + past participle + (by agent).

• Present Simple: “The cat eats the mouse.” → “The mouse is eaten by the cat.”
• Past Simple: “Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.” → “Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.”
• Present Continuous: “They are building a bridge.” → “A bridge is being built.”
• Present Perfect: “Someone has stolen my car.” → “My car has been stolen.”
• Future (will): “They will finish the project.” → “The project will be finished.”
• Modal verbs: “You must finish the work.” → “The work must be finished.”

When to use Passive

• Agent is unknown: “My bike was stolen last night.” (we don’t know who).
• Agent is obvious/unimportant: “The criminal has been arrested.” (by the police).
• Focus on the receiver: “President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.” (focus on Lincoln).
• Formal/Scientific writing: “The experiment was conducted under controlled conditions.”

Passive with Two Objects

Some verbs have two objects (direct and indirect): “She gave me a book.” → “I was given a book.” or “A book was given to me.”

For more grammar, see Passive Voice Practice and Conditionals.

Exercises

1. Transform to passive: “The chef cooks the meal.” “The students completed the project.”
2. Decide if passive is appropriate: “Someone stole my wallet.” (passive?) “Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.” (passive?)
3. Complete: “The letter (send) yesterday.” “English (speak) all over the world.”