PASSIVE VOICE

PASSIVE VOICE
FUNCTION

The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the
person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the
subject of the sentence.

EXAMPLES
● I noticed that a window had been left open.
● Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
● All the cookies have been eaten.
● My car has been stolen!

Not all active sentences can be changed into passive voice. The main thing to look at in changing an active
sentence is that the sentence must have TRANSITIVE verb in it.

● I ate noodles yesterday evening. [transitive]

● I ran to school this morning. [intransitive]
When is it used?
The passive voice does a better job of presenting an idea, especially in certain formal,
professional, and legal discussions. Here are three common uses of the passive voice:

1. Reports of crimes or incidents with unknown perpetrators

2. Scientific contexts
3. When you want to emphasize an action itself and the doer of the action is irrelevant or
distracting

In each of the above contexts, the action itself—or the person or thing receiving the
action—is the part that matters. That means the performer of the action can appear in a
prepositional phrase or be absent from the sentence altogether.
COMMON THINGS FOUND IN PASSIVE VOICE

Auxiliary Verb

● Auxiliary Verb that is found in passive voice sentence is the “TO BE” verb.
● It consists of is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being

Change of Pronouns
● When making passive voice from active sentences, the subject in active sentence will
change place into object or prepositional phrase. Therefore if the subject is a pronoun,
then it will change into pronoun in object form.
● The changes are as follow

SUBJECT I You They We He She It

OBJECT Me You Them Us Him Her It

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
ACTIVE:

SUBJECT + VERB/VERBs/es + OBJECT

● I WRITE A LETTER
● SHE DOES NOT MAKE LUNCH EVERYDAY

PASSIVE:

[POSITIVE] SUBJECT + TO BE is/am/are + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● A LETTER IS WRITTEN BY ME

[NEGATIVE] SUBJECT + TO BE is/am/are + NOT + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● LUNCH IS NOT MADE BY HER EVERYDAY

[INTERROGATIVE] TO BE is/am/are + SUBJECT + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT + ?

● IS THE LUNCH MADE BY HER EVERYDAY?

 SUBJECT VERB OBJECT ADVERB

ACTIVE EDWARD CLEANS THE WINDOW EVERY WEEK

PASSIVE THE WINDOW IS CLEANED BY EDWARD EVERY WEEK

ACTIVE THEY DO THEIR IN SCHOOL

HOMEWORKS

PASSIVE THE ARE DONE BY THEM IN SCHOOL

HOMEWORKS

ACTIVE SITA AND DEWI DO NOT RIDE MOTORBIKE EVERYDAY

PASSIVE MOTORBIKE IS NOT RIDDEN BY SITA AND EVERYDAY

DEWI

ACTIVE HE DOES NOT EAT BEEF AT HOME

PASSIVE BEEF IS NOT EATEN BY HIM AT HOME

SIMPLE PAST TENSE
ACTIVE:

SUBJECT + VERB 2 + OBJECT

● I ATE LUNCH YESTERDAY

● HE DID NOT DO HIS CHORES THIS MORNING

PASSIVE:

[POSITIVE] SUBJECT + TO BE was/were + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● LUNCH WAS EATEN BY ME YESTERDAY

[POSITIVE] SUBJECT + TO BE was/were + NOT + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● THE CHORES WERE NOT DONE BY HIM THIS MORNING

[POSITIVE] TO BE was/were + SUBJECT + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT + ?

● WERE THE CHORES DONE BY HIM THIS MORNING?

 SUBJECT VERB OBJECT ADVERB

ACTIVE EDWARD DREW THE WALL IN HIS ROOM

PASSIVE THE WINDOW IS CLEANED BY EDWARD IN HIS ROOM

ACTIVE THE DOG SCARED ME LAST NIGHT

PASSIVE I WAS SCARED BY THE DOG LAST NIGHT

ACTIVE ROBBIE AND DID NOT MAKE THAT CAKE IN THE KITCHEN
GITA

PASSIVE THAT CAKE WAS NOT MADE BY ROBBIE AND IN THE KITCHEN
GITA

ACTIVE THE CAMPUS DID NOT GIVE SCHOLARSHIP TO YOU

PASSIVE SCHOLARSHIP WAS NOT GIVEN BY THE CAMPUS TO YOU

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
ACTIVE:

SUBJECT + WILL + VERB + OBJECT

● SHE WILL DO HER HOMEWORK TOMORROW

● WE WILL PLAY TENNIS NEXT WEEK

PASSIVE:

[POSITIVE] SUBJECT + WILL + TO BE be + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● THE HOMEWORK WILL BE DONE BY HER TOMORROW

[NEGATIVE] SUBJECT + WILL + NOT + TO BE be + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT

● TENNIS WILL NOT BE PLAYED BY US NEXT WEEK

[INTERROGATIVE] WILL + SUBJECT + TO BE be + VERB PAST PARTICIPLE + BY + OBJECT + ?

● WILL THE FINAL TEST BE CONDUCTED BY THE LECTURER IN THE HALL NEXT JANUARY?
 SUBJECT VERB OBJECT ADVERB

ACTIVE ARGENTINA WILL WIN THE WORLD CUP IN 2026

PASSIVE THE WORLD CUP WILL BE WON BY ARGENTINA IN 2026

ACTIVE CRISTIANO WILL PLAY FOOTBALL NEXT YEAR

PASSIVE FOOTBALL WILL BE PLAYED BY CRISTIANO NEXT YEAR

ACTIVE SITA AND DEWI WILL NOT TAKE THE EXAM THIS WEEK

PASSIVE THE EXAM WILL NOT BE BY SITA AND THIS WEEK

TAKEN DEWI

ACTIVE THE CAT WILL NOT EAT FISH AT HOME

PASSIVE FISH WILL NOT BE BY THE CAT AT HOME

EATEN
OVERVIEW