THE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

VOICE

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General Note
• In speaking and writing, about one sentence in eight
uses the passive structure.
• In scientific, academic, and informative reporting,
usage increases to about one passive in every three
sentences.
• The passive allows one to focus on actions and the
receivers of actions, but it does not require
identification of the actor because often it is not
important or necessary to know who did something.
• Although the passive is a useful structure, learners
should be encouraged to continue using active
sentences for direct, forceful, or persuasive purposes
when the agent/actor is known.
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Cont’d
• Special attention is given to passive modals, the verb
“get” as a passivizer, and the often confusing
participial adjectives (e.g., interesting vs. interested).
• learn to use various tenses with the passive and to
decide whether to use the passive or active form.
• Students must understand the difference between
transitive and intransitive verbs.
• Some other languages use transitivity in very
different ways, leading some students to make
mistakes in English.
• INCORRECT: The accident was happened. OR My
shoe was fallen off.
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Read the following magazine article. Pay special
attention to verbs in the passive voice.
• The Academy Awards are given out every year to
recognize outstanding work of movie actors,
directors, and others who are part of the movie-
making industry. These awards, called Oscars, are
presented in a formal ceremony in Hollywood.
Several people are nominated in specific
categories, such as Best Movie, Best Actor, Best
Music, and Best Costumes. One nominee is
chosen to receive an award in each category.

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Cont’d
• When the awards ceremony started in 1929,
15 awards were presented and the ceremony
was attended by only 250 people. Tickets cost
$10, and anyone who could afford a ticket
could attend. Today about two dozen Oscars
are presented. Tickets are no longer sold to
the general public; invitations are sent only to
people involved in making the movies and to
their guests. Today the awards are presented
in the 3400-seat Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
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Cont’d
• Until 1941, the winners’ names were already
known before the ceremony and published in
newspapers the night before the ceremony. Now
the winners’ names are placed in sealed envelopes
and the envelopes are not opened until the night of
the ceremony.

• Since 1953, Oscar night has been televised and

broadcast all over the world. This show is seen by
hundreds of millions of people. Viewers watch as
their favorite movie stars arrive looking beautiful
and hopeful.
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Using Active versus Passive Voice

• The voice in a sentence tells the reader whether

the subject performs or receives the verb’s
action.
Active Voice
• In sentences written in active voice, the subject
performs the action expressed in the verb; the
subject acts.
• Molly (agent) cashed (verb) her check (receiver)
at the bank.

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Cont’d
Passive Voice
• In sentences written in passive voice, the subject
receives the action expressed in the verb; the
subject is acted upon.
 The check (receiver) was cashed (verb) by Molly
(agent) at the bank.
 The check (receiver) was cashed (verb) at the
bank. (no agent)

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Passive voice (Cont’d)
• The passive of an active tense is formed by putting
the verb to be into the same tense as the active
verb and adding the past participle of the active
verb.
• The subject of the active verb becomes the ‘agent’
of the passive verb.
• The agent is very often not mentioned. When it is
mentioned it is preceded by by and placed at the
end of the clause.
 Active: My grandfather planted this tree.
 Passive: This tree was planted by my grandfather.
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PASSIVE VERB TENSES
ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

The letters are delivered.

Present Simple He delivers the letters.

The letters were delivered.

Past Simple He delivered the letters.

The letters will be delivered.

Future Simple He will deliver the
letters.

The letters are being delivered.

Present He is delivering the
Continuous letters.
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Cont’d PASSIVE VOICE
ACTIVE VOICE

The letters were being

Past Continuous He was delivering the delivered.
letters.
He is going to deliver the The letters are going to be
Going to letters. delivered.

He has delivered the The letters have been

Present Perfect letters. delivered.

He had delivered the The letters had been

Past Perfect letters. delivered.

He has to deliver the The letters have to be

Infinitive letters. delivered.

He must deliver the The letters must be

Modals
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letters. delivered. 11
 ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

Future Progressive
He will be delivering the The letters will be being
letters. delivered.

Future Perfect He will have delivered the The letters will have been
letters. delivered.
Present Perfect The letters have been
Progressive He has been delivering being delivered.
the letters.

Past Perfect Progressive The letters had been

He had been delivering being delivered.
the letters.

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USE
The Passive is used:
1. when the agent (=the person who does the
action) is unknown, unimportant or obvious
from the context.
• Jane was shot. (We don’t know who shot her.)
• This church was built in 1815. (Unimportant
agent)
• He has been arrested. (Obviously by the police)

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The Passive is used (Cont’d):
2. to make more polite or formal statements.
• The car hasn’t been cleaned. (more polite)
• (You haven’t cleaned the car. – less polite)
3. when the action is more important than the
agent, as in processes, instructions, events,
reports, headlines, new items, and
advertisements.
• 30 people were killed in the earthquake.
4. to put emphasis on the agent.
• The new library will be opened by the Queen.
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AGENT
• To say who did the action that we are talking
about, i.e.. to refer to the agent, we use the
preposition by and the name (by Peter) or noun
(by the teacher) at the end of the sentence.
• We usually only refer to the agent when it gives
us some important information which otherwise
would be missing from the sentence.
• Our house was designed by a famous architect.

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We don’t mention the agent:
1. if we don’t know who has done what we are
talking about.
• Our car was stolen last night. (We don’t know
who stole it)
2. if we are not interested in who has done what
we are talking about or it is not important to
mention it.
• He has been taken to hospital. (What we are
interested in is the fact that he has been taken
to hospital and not who has taken him.)
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Cont’d
3. if it is easy to understand who did something
without it being mentioned.
• The murderer was arrested last night. (It is not
necessary to mention that he has been arrested
by the police because it is self-evident.)
4. if the subject of the active voice sentence is
something like somebody, people, they, you, etc.
• Someone broke the window. → The window was
broken.

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ACTIVE TO PASSIVE
To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive
voice:
• the object of the active voice sentence becomes the
subject of the passive voice sentence.
Agatha Christie wrote this book.
This book was written by Agatha Christie.
• we change the main verb of the active voice sentence into
the passive voice. The tense remains unchanged.
• the subject of the active voice sentence becomes the
agent of the passive sentence. It is placed after the past
participle and it is preceded by the preposition by.
• Agatha Christie wrote this book. This book was written
by Agatha Christie.
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Cont’d
Leslie took this photograph yesterday.
SUBJECT ACTIVE VERB OBJECT TIME COMPLEMENT

This photograph was taken by Leslie yesterday.

SUBJECT PASSIVE VERB AGENT TIME COMPLEMENT

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BY OR WITH?
In the passive voice, we use:
• by with the agent to refer to by whom the action is
being done.
• The door was opened by Mr Black. (Mr Blak =
agent)
• with to refer to the instrument, object or material
that was used for something to be done.
• The door was opened with a key. (a key = the object
that was used)
• The omelet was made with eggs, cheese and
peppers. (eggs, cheese and peppers = the material
that was used)
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Special constructions
A. DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS (I was given…..)
When we have verbs that take two objects like, for
example, give somebody something, we can convert the
active sentence into a passive one in two ways:
a. by making the indirect (animate) object the subject of
the passive voice sentence, which is also the way that we
usually prefer.
b. By making the direct (inanimate) object the subject of
the passive voice.
Rick gave me (indirect object) this book (direct
object).
I was given this book by Rick.
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This book was given to me by Rick. 21
Cont’d
• Some of the verbs that take two objects are: give,
tell, send, show, bring, write, offer, pay, etc.
• When the indirect object is alone after the verb
in the passive voice sentence, it needs the
preposition to.
• If the indirect object of the active voice sentence
is a personal pronoun, it has to be changed into a
subject pronoun to be the subject of the passive
voice sentence.

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Cont’d
SUBJECT OBJECT
I ←→ me
You ←→ you
He ←→ him
She ←→ her
It ←→ it

We ←→ us
You ←→ you
They ←→ them

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Special constructions

B. It is said that…/He is said to…/He is supposed to…

• Look at this example.
• It is said that Henry is in love with Claire (=People say that Henry is in
love with Claire.)
• We use the structure it+passive verb+clause with verbs of reporting.
• We use this structure when we cannot say or do not need to say who the speaker is, for
example in news reports ( These structures are often used in news
reports.)
 It is thought that the company is planning a new advertising campaign.
 It was reported that the climate change was worsening.
 It has been agreed that changes to cultivating methods are necessary.
For example, in a report about an accident:
• lt is reported that two people were injured in the explosion. or
Two people are reported to have been injured in the explosion.
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Cont’d
• George is very old. Nobody knows exactly how
old he is, but:
• lt is said that he is 108 years old.
• or He is said to be 108 years old.
• Both t hese sentences mean: 'People say that he
is 108 years old.‘
• You can use these structures with a number of
other verbs, especially:
• alleged believed considered expected
known reported thought understood
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Cont’d
• Compare the two
structures:
Cathy loves running.
• lt is said that she runs
ten miles a day. • or She is said to run ten
• The police are looking miles a day.
for a missing boy.
• lt is believed that the• Or The boy is believed
boy is wearing a white to be wearing a white
sweater and blue jeans. sweater and blue jeans.
ns.
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Cont’d
C. (Be) supposed to
Sometimes (it is) supposed to ... = (it is) said to ... :
• I want to see that film. lt's supposed to be good.
(=it is said to be good)
• Fireworks are supposed to have been invented
in China. Is it true?
• But sometimes supposed to has a different
meaning.
• We use supposed to to say what is intended,
arranged or expected. Often this is different from
the real situation:
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Cont’d
• The plan is supposed to be a secret, but
everybody seems to know about it.(= The plan is
intended to be a secret)
• What are you doing at work? You're supposed to
be on holiday.(= You arranged to be on holiday)
• You're not supposed to do something= it is not
allowed or advisable:
• You're not supposed to park your car here. lt's
private parking only.
• Jeff is much better after his illness, but he's still
not supposed to do any heavy work.
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Cont’d
D. Have something done and get something done
• Study this example situation: The roof of Lisa 's
house was damaged in a storm. So she called a
builder, and yesterday a man came and repaired
it.
• Lisa had the roof repaired yesterday.
• This means: Lisa arranged for somebody else to
repair the roof. She didn't repair it herself.
• We use have something done to say that we
arrange for somebody else to do something for
us.
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Cont’d
• Compare:
• Lisa repaired the roof. (=she repaired it herself)
• Lisa had the roof repaired. (=she arranged for
somebody else to repair it)
• Did you make those curtains yourself?' 'Yes, I
enjoy making things.'
• 'Did you have those curtains made?' 'No, I made
them myself.'

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Cont’d
• Be careful with word order. The past participle
(repaired/cut etc.) is after the object:
•
have object past participle
Lisa had the roof repaired yesterday.
Where did you have your hair cut?

Your hair looks nice. Have you it cut?

had

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Cont’d
Get something done
• You can also say 'get something done' instead of
'have something done':
• When are you going to get the roof repaired?
(=have the roof repaired)
• I think you should get your hair cut really short.
• Sometimes have something done has a different
meaning. For example:
• Paul and Karen had their bags stolen while t hey
were travelling.
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Cont’d
• This does not mean that they arranged for
somebody to steal t heir bags.
• 'They had their bags stolen‘ means only: 'Their
bags were stolen'.
• With this meaning, we use have something done
to say that something happens to somebody or
their belongings. Often what happens is not
nice:
• Gary had his nose broken in a fight. (= his nose
was broken)
• Have you ever had your bike stolen?
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A Few Cautions
• Only verbs that are followed by an object can be
used in the passive.
• It is not possible to use verbs such as come,
exist, happen, seem, and sleep (intransitive
verbs) in the passive.
Incorrect: Something was happened.
Correct: Something happened.

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A Few Cautions (Cont’d)
• If your original sentence contains a modifying
phrase or a phrase that describes a specific
element in the sentence, make sure you keep the
phrase next to that element when you change
from active to passive voice. If the phrase is left in
the wrong spot, the sentence may be unclear.
• EXAMPLE: The ice cream cones from the store
were eaten by the children.
• INCORRECT: The children from the store ate the
ice cream cones. (describes the children)
• CORRECT: The children ate the ice cream cones
from the store. (describes ice cream cones)
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A Few Cautions (Cont’d)
• Unnecessary shift in voice: Avoid starting a
sentence in active voice and then shifting to
passive.
• Shifting from active to passive voice in the same
sentence can cause awkwardness and confusion.
• INCORRECT: The children ate the ice cream, but
it was bought by Peter. (voice shifts)
• CORRECT: The children ate the ice cream, but
Peter bought it. (voice is consistent)

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Unnecessary shift in voice (Cont’d)
• INCORRECT: Many customers in the restaurant
found the coffee too bitter to drink, but it was still
ordered frequently.
• CORRECT: Many customers in the restaurant found
the coffee too bitter to drink, but they still ordered
it frequently.
• INCORRECT: He tried to act cool when he slipped in
the puddle, but he was still laughed at by the other
students.
• CORRECT: He tried to act cool when he slipped in
the puddle, but the other students still laughed at
him.
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A Few Cautions (Cont’d)
• Dangling modifier with passive voice: Avoid
dangling modifiers caused by the use of passive
voice.
• A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that
modifies a word not clearly stated in the
sentence. Or
• Dangling modifiers cause the sentence to lack
coherence.
• INCORRECT: To save time, the paper was written
on a computer. (Who was saving time? The
paper?)
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Dangling modifier with passive voice (Cont’d)
• CORRECT: To save time, Kristin wrote the paper
on a computer.
• INCORRECT: Seeking to lay off workers without
taking the blame, consultants were hired to break
the bad news. (Who was seeking to lay off
workers? The consultants?)
• CORRECT: Seeking to lay off workers without
taking the blame, the CEO hired consultants to
break the bad news.

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Choosing Passive Voice
• Sometimes the use of passive voice can create awkward
sentences.
• Overuse of passive voice throughout an essay can cause your
prose to seem flat and uninteresting.
• In scientific writing, however, passive voice is more readily
accepted since using it allows one to write without using
personal pronouns or the names of particular researchers as
the subjects of sentences.
• This practice helps to create the appearance of an objective,
fact-based discourse because writers can present research and
conclusions without attributing them to particular agents.
• Instead, the writing appears to convey information that is not
limited or biased by individual perspectives or personal
interests.
04/20/2024 40
Cont’d
• While active voice helps to create clear and direct sentences,
sometimes writers find that using an indirect expression is
rhetorically effective in a given situation, so they choose
passive voice.
• Writers in the sciences conventionally use passive voice more
often than writers in other discourses.
• Passive voice makes sense when the agent performing the
action is obvious, unimportant, or unknown or when a writer
wishes to postpone mentioning the agent until the last part
of the sentence or to avoid mentioning the agent at all.
• The passive voice is effective in such circumstances because it
highlights the action and what is acted upon rather than the
agent performing the action.
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Choosing Active Voice
• In most nonscientific writing situations, active voice is
preferable to passive for the majority of your sentences.
• Even in scientific writing, overuse of passive voice or
use of passive voice in long and complicated sentences
can cause readers to lose interest or to become
confused.
• Sentences in active voice are generally--though not
always-- clearer and more direct than those in passive
voice.
• Sentences in active voice are also more concise than
those in passive voice because fewer words are
required to express action in active voice than in
passive.
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Choosing Active Voice (Cont’d)
•Passive (indirect)
The entrance exam was failed by
over one-third of the applicants
to the school.
Your bicycle has been damaged.
by? (agent omitted)
Active (direct)
over one-third of the applicants
to the school failed the entrance
exam.
I have damaged your bicycle.

Passive (more wordy) Active (more concise)

Action on the bill is being The committee is considering
considered by the committee. action on the bill.

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KNOW WHEN ACTIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR PREFERRED

• To focus readers’ attention on the actor, not what is

being acted upon.
• Active: Captain Ahab pursues the whale
relentlessly.
• Passive: The whale is pursued relentlessly. (Or, The
whale is pursued relentlessly by Captain Ahab.)
• In the above example, the active voice would be
preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers’
attention on Captain Ahab.
• The passive voice would be preferred if the writer
wanted to focus readers’ attention on the whale, or
on the fact that it is pursued relentlessly.
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KNOW WHEN ACTIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR PREFERRED(Cont’d)

• When it is important that readers know exactly who did

(or said) what to whom.
• Active: When U.S. troops invaded Iraq, they
inadvertently killed many civilians.
• Passive: When Iraq was invaded, many civilians were
killed inadvertently.
• In the above example, the active voice would be
appropriate if the writer wanted to name or emphasize
the actors (U.S troops), not only their actions.
• The passive voice would be appropriate if the writer
did not think it was important for readers to know who
did the actions in the sentence.
04/20/2024 45
 KNOW WHEN PASSIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR PREFERRED.

• To focus attention on the process or materials,

rather than on the actor, as in scientific or technical
writing.
Next, salicylic acid was added to the test tube.
• To focus attention on the object, rather than the
actor.
Paper, the main writing material today, was
invented by the Chinese.
• This is appropriate when the focus is on the history
of paper, not on Chinese innovations.
• Choosing passive voice allows the writer to use
04/20/2024 46
KNOW WHEN PASSIVE VOICE IS APPROPRIATE OR PREFERRED.(Cont’d)

The new highway will be completed sometime next

month.
• This is appropriate when the focus is on the highway
project, not on the workers completing it.
• To connect ideas in different clauses or sentences more
clearly.
When interviewing for a job, avoid making grammatical
errors. They are often used by employers to weed out job
applicants.
• In the beginning of the second sentence, using passive
voice (“used by employers”) allows the writer to refer to
grammatical errors (“They”) right away in order to clearly
connect
04/20/2024 to the end of the previous sentence. 47