Passives with an agent

We use the preposition by to introduce the doer or the agent of the action. We use this
structure when the agent is important:
Mr Ward has been arrested by the FBI.
The community was destroyed by a flood in 1862.
When the subject of the passive clause is not the real agent of the verb, we use other
prepositions in passive structures:
Id been decorating the bedroom and I was covered in paint. (Paint isnt the real
agent; I am the agent; I was painting.)
When the doer or agent of the action is an instrument, we use with:
The door was smashed open with a hammer.

Passives without an agent

1. Sometimes, a passive sentence does not contain an agent.
This is because we do not know who or what did the action.
Example:
Henrys office was burgled yesterday.
2. When the agent of an action is unimportant,
We can leave it out when the sentence is in the passive voice.
Example:
People warned us about the dangerous areas in that city.
We were warned about the dangerous areas in that city by people.
3. We usually leave out the agent in a passive sentence if the person or thing that
did the action is obvious.
Example:
Ellen writes her essays with humour and wit.
Ellens essays are written with humour and wit by Ellen.
4. We usually use the passive voice to describe a scientific experiment or a
process and leave out the agent because our focus is on what happens and not
on who or what does the action.
Example:
The can of pineapple cubes are sent on a conveyor belt by someone to a
machine where they are sealed by the machine.