The passive voice is a key part of English grammar, but many ESL learners find it confusing. What does it mean when we say, "The book was written by Sarah" instead of "Sarah wrote the book"? Why do we use the passive voice, and when is it better than the active voice?
In this guide, we’ll break it all down with easy explanations, clear examples, and practical tips to help you use the passive voice confidently. By the end, you’ll know when and how to use it naturally in conversations, writing, and exams. Let’s get started!
We usually use “the active voice” when we say what the subject of the sentence (person/animal/company/etc.) does.
• My father is a carpenter. He makes furniture.
• Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
We use the passive voice when we say what happens to the subject. The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb.
• Shoes are made in this factory.
• America was discovered in 1492.
(1) The object of the active sentence (what?) becomes the passive subject.
(2) We use the verb “to be” in the same tense as the verb in the active sentence + the past participle of the main verb.
(3) The subject of the active sentence (who?) is introduced by the preposition “by”.
(4) Where, when or how often the action happens is placed at the end of the sentence.
We can only use the passive voice with transitive verbs (verbs that take an object). DON’T use the passive voice with verbs such as happen, die, sleep, exist, go, come, arrive, have or live as these verbs are intransitive.
We use the passive voice:
A) If we are more interested in what happened than in who/what did it.
This castle was built in 1540.
B) If what causes the action is unknown or unimportant.
A lot of money was stolen in the robbery.
C) When we write in a scientific genre.
The sodium hydroxide was dissolved in water.
More examples:
• Careless driving causes many accidents. → Many accidents are caused by careless driving.
• They don’t often invite me to parties. → I’m not often invited to parties.
• Did Alexander Fleming invent Penicillin? → Was Penicillin invented by Alexander Fleming?
There are some verbs that can have two objects (e.g. give, send, offer, tell, show, lend, pay, bring, etc.). With these verbs we can form the passive voice in two ways: with the direct object or the indirect object (the person) as the subject of the passive sentence (the latter one is preferred).
• They gave Sam a present. → A present was given to Sam. → Sam was given a present.
• They had offered two front-row seats to the couple. → The couple had been offered two front-row seats. → Two front-row seats had been offered to the couple.
If the indirect object is a personal pronoun, then we need to change it into its subject form:
• They sent her the letter on Monday. → She was sent the letter on Monday.
• The Three Wise Men will bring me lots of presents. → I will be brought lots of presents by the Three Wise Men.
• The travel agent gave him a brochure on Spain. → He was given a brochure on Spain by the travel agent.
• My father is a carpenter. He makes furniture.
• Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.
We use the passive voice when we say what happens to the subject. The subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb.
• Shoes are made in this factory.
• America was discovered in 1492.
(1) The object of the active sentence (what?) becomes the passive subject.
(2) We use the verb “to be” in the same tense as the verb in the active sentence + the past participle of the main verb.
(3) The subject of the active sentence (who?) is introduced by the preposition “by”.
(4) Where, when or how often the action happens is placed at the end of the sentence.
We can only use the passive voice with transitive verbs (verbs that take an object). DON’T use the passive voice with verbs such as happen, die, sleep, exist, go, come, arrive, have or live as these verbs are intransitive.
We use the passive voice:
A) If we are more interested in what happened than in who/what did it.
This castle was built in 1540.
B) If what causes the action is unknown or unimportant.
A lot of money was stolen in the robbery.
C) When we write in a scientific genre.
The sodium hydroxide was dissolved in water.
More examples:
• Careless driving causes many accidents. → Many accidents are caused by careless driving.
• They don’t often invite me to parties. → I’m not often invited to parties.
• Did Alexander Fleming invent Penicillin? → Was Penicillin invented by Alexander Fleming?
There are some verbs that can have two objects (e.g. give, send, offer, tell, show, lend, pay, bring, etc.). With these verbs we can form the passive voice in two ways: with the direct object or the indirect object (the person) as the subject of the passive sentence (the latter one is preferred).
• They gave Sam a present. → A present was given to Sam. → Sam was given a present.
• They had offered two front-row seats to the couple. → The couple had been offered two front-row seats. → Two front-row seats had been offered to the couple.
If the indirect object is a personal pronoun, then we need to change it into its subject form:
• They sent her the letter on Monday. → She was sent the letter on Monday.
• The Three Wise Men will bring me lots of presents. → I will be brought lots of presents by the Three Wise Men.
• The travel agent gave him a brochure on Spain. → He was given a brochure on Spain by the travel agent.
