Passive Voice in English: When and How to Use It
Master the passive voice in English with our complete guide. Learn formation rules for all tenses, when to use passive vs active, and common mistakes.
This article is part of our Complete English Grammar Practice Guide — explore all grammar topics with interactive exercises.
✔ Key Takeaways
- The passive voice is formed with
subject + to be + past participleand can be used in most English tenses. - Use the passive when the action or result matters more than who performed it, or when the agent is unknown or unimportant.
- The agent (the person or thing doing the action) can be added with
by, but is often omitted entirely. - The passive is especially common in formal writing, academic texts, news reports, and scientific English.
- Overusing the passive in everyday speech or informal writing can sound unnatural — knowing when not to use it is just as important.
The passive voice is one of those grammar structures that confuses many ESL learners — not because it is especially complicated, but because they are not always sure when to use it. This guide explains everything you need to know: how the passive is formed across tenses, exactly when native speakers choose it over the active voice, and the mistakes that B1–B2 learners make most often. By the end, you will be able to use the passive with confidence in both writing and speaking.
What Is the Passive Voice?
In English, most sentences are written in the active voice: the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The focus shifts from the doer to the thing being done.
Active: The chef cooked the meal. — The chef is the subject; he performs the action.
Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef. — The meal is the subject; it receives the action.
Notice how the object of the active sentence (the meal) becomes the subject of the passive sentence. This shift in emphasis is the key to understanding why native speakers choose the passive in specific situations.
How to Form the Passive Voice
The formula for the passive voice is always the same, regardless of tense:
Structure: subject + correct form of “to be” + past participle (+ by + agent)
Example: The letter + was + written + by Sarah.
The form of to be changes to show the tense. The past participle stays the same (e.g. written, built, eaten, seen). The agent — the person or thing performing the action — is introduced by by and is optional; it is often left out when it is obvious or unimportant.
Forming the Past Participle
- Regular verbs: add -ed — cook → cooked, build → built, clean → cleaned
- Irregular verbs: must be learnt individually — write → written, see → seen, make → made, take → taken
If you are unsure of an irregular past participle, check a dictionary or your verb list. Using the wrong form (e.g. writed instead of written) is one of the most common passive voice errors.
The Passive in All Key Tenses
The passive can be formed in most English tenses. The table below shows the most important forms with examples using the verb to deliver.
| Tense | Active | Passive Form | Passive Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They deliver the post. | is/are + past participle |
The post is delivered every morning. |
| Present Continuous | They are delivering the parcel. | is/are being + past participle |
The parcel is being delivered now. |
| Present Perfect | They have delivered the order. | has/have been + past participle |
The order has been delivered. |
| Past Simple | They delivered the parcel. | was/were + past participle |
The parcel was delivered yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | They were delivering the goods. | was/were being + past participle |
The goods were being delivered when we arrived. |
| Past Perfect | They had delivered the letter. | had been + past participle |
The letter had been delivered before noon. |
| Future Simple | They will deliver the package. | will be + past participle |
The package will be delivered tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | They will have delivered it by Friday. | will have been + past participle |
It will have been delivered by Friday. |
| Modal verbs | You should send the report. | modal + be + past participle |
The report should be sent today. |
The most frequently tested and used forms at B1–B2 level are the present simple passive, past simple passive, present perfect passive, and modal passives. Focus on mastering these four before tackling the rarer continuous passive forms.
When to Use the Passive Voice
Many learners ask: “Why not just use the active voice all the time?” The passive exists because it serves specific communicative purposes that the active voice cannot fulfil as naturally. Here are the main reasons to choose the passive.
1. The agent is unknown or unimportant
This is the most common reason. If you do not know who performed the action — or if it simply does not matter — there is no need to mention them.
My car was stolen last night. (We do not know who stole it.)
The bridge was built in 1887. (The builders are not the point.)
2. The result or action is more important than the doer
When you want to emphasise what happened rather than who did it, the passive shifts the focus onto the object.
Three people were arrested after the incident. (Focus: the arrests, not the police.)
A new hospital will be opened next year. (Focus: the hospital, not the officials.)
3. Formal, scientific, and academic writing
In academic texts, scientific reports, and formal documents, writers often prefer the passive to maintain an objective, impersonal tone. The emphasis is on the process or finding, not the researcher.
The samples were analysed under controlled conditions.
The results are presented in the table below.
4. Avoiding responsibility or being tactful
The passive is sometimes chosen deliberately to avoid naming who is responsible for something, particularly in business and political language.
Mistakes were made. (No one is blamed directly.)
Your application has not been accepted. (Softer than “We rejected your application.”)
5. Maintaining topic continuity
In a paragraph about a particular topic, the passive allows you to keep the same subject throughout, which makes the text flow more smoothly.
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was educated at the local grammar school and later was employed as an actor in London.
Active vs Passive: Choosing Wisely
The active voice is usually the better choice for everyday communication: it is clearer, more direct, and more engaging. However, the passive is often the right choice in formal contexts. Use the following quick guide to decide.
Choose ACTIVE when:
● The doer is known and important — The manager approved the budget.
● You want clarity and directness — Please submit your form by Friday.
● Writing informally or conversationally.
Choose PASSIVE when:
● The doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant — The form must be submitted by Friday.
● Writing academic, scientific, or formal texts.
● You want to emphasise the action, result, or object — The new law was passed unanimously.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even confident learners make these errors with the passive voice. Being aware of them is half the battle.
✗ The window be broken by the ball.
✓ The window was broken by the ball.
Always match the tense of to be to the tense you need.
✗ The letter was write in French.
✓ The letter was written in French.
The past participle (not the base verb or simple past) always follows to be in the passive.
Intransitive verbs — those that cannot take a direct object — cannot be made passive. Verbs like arrive, happen, sleep, die (in most uses) have no passive form.
✗ The accident was happened yesterday.
✓ The accident happened yesterday.
Including the agent when it is obvious or adds no new information makes sentences unnecessarily wordy.
✗ The match was won by the players who were playing.
✓ The match was won by Brazil. (Agent adds useful information.)
✗ The report wrote last week. (active form, but no subject doing the writing)
✓ The report was written last week. (passive: the agent is omitted)
The Passive in Real Contexts
One of the best ways to understand the passive is to notice how it appears in real English. Here are three common contexts where you will encounter it constantly.
News and journalism
Journalists use the passive frequently to report events when the focus is on what happened, not who did it — or when attributing blame directly is inappropriate.
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the robbery.
A new policy was announced at yesterday’s press conference.
Instructions and notices
Passive constructions are very common in written instructions, signs, and official notices because the “doer” is either you (the reader) or some general authority.
Science and academic writing
Academic writing at B2 and above requires confident use of the passive to describe methods, results, and conclusions.
The data were collected over a three-month period.
It has been suggested that exercise improves memory.
Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
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