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PASSIVE VOICE
USES
• To emphasis the main focus of a text or a sentence.
– The company has apologised for losing email details of its
customers. The details were left on a train by a member of the
staff.
• When the agent is obvious, not important or unknown.
– He has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
– I hate being watched when I’m eating.
– I’m sent a huge amount of spam mails.
• In more formal writings (academic writing, scientific
reports, news)
– No survivors have been found after the hurricane.
• To creat distance between the agent and the action (to
avoid responsibility)
– All complaints will be taken seriously.
FORM
• Use the verb to be + past participle.
– Maria buys some flowers.
– Some flowers are bought by Maria
PASSIVE VOICE
Present simple
Active
Passive
The press follows him
everywhere.
He’s followed everywhere by
the press.
Present continuous The police are monitoring his
emails.
His emails are being
monitored by the police.
Past simple
Fire destroyed the building.
The building was destroyed
by fire.
Present perfect
Someone has eaten my
sandwich.
My sandwich has been
eaten.
Will
Someone will help you.
You will be helped.
Modals
We can’t do it now.
It can’t be done now.
-ing form
I don’t like people criticising me.
I don’t like being criticised.
Infinitive with to
The organisers want people to
give feedback.
The organisers want to be
given feedback.
PASSIVE WITH 2 OBJECTS
• Rewriting an active sentence with two objects
in passive voice means that one of the two
objects becomes the subject, the other one
remains an object. Which object to transform
into a subject depends on what you want to
put the focus on.
– Rita wrote a letter to me.
– A letter was written to me by Rita.
– I was written a letter by Rita.
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
• Verbs without an object (intransitive) normally
cannot form a personal passive sentence (as
there is no object that can become the subject of
the passive sentence). If you want to use an
intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an
impersonal construction. Normally with verbs of
perception (say, think, know…).
– It is said that the president is going to resign.
– It is thought that the crisis is becoming worse.
– It is known that a hurricane is going to reach the USA.