Learn to focus on the action rather than who performs it. Master the "be + past participle" structure for describing processes and events.
The passive voice focuses on the action rather than who performs it. It's perfect for describing processes, scientific facts, and when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Passive = subject + am/is/are/was/were + past participle (+ by + agent). The object becomes the subject.
Past participle
Regular: add -ed (same as past simple). Irregular: must memorise — write→written, speak→spoken, break→broken, make→made, build→built.
Passive voice focuses on the action or the result rather than who performs the action. We use it when the action is more important than who does it.
Active (focus on doer):
"The chef cooks the meal."
Passive (focus on action):
"The meal is cooked by the chef."
✓ Focus on what happens, not who does it
✓ Uses "be + past participle"
✓ Often used in formal writing and news
✓ Perfect for describing processes
Use passive voice when you want to focus on the action or the result rather than who performs the action.
✓ Active: "They built this house." (focus on "they")
✓ Passive: "This house was built." (focus on "house")
✓ When doer unknown: "My wallet was stolen." (we don't know who)
Last weekend, a new exhibition was opened at the city museum.
The paintings were collected from galleries around the world.
The building was renovated last year and a new wing was added.
Thousands of visitors are expected in the first month.
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Master the formula for creating passive voice sentences.
| Tense | Structure | Passive Example | Active Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | am/is/are + past participle | The room is cleaned daily. | Someone cleans the room daily. |
| Past Simple | was/were + past participle | The house was built in 1990. | They built the house in 1990. |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are being + past participle | The road is being repaired. | They are repairing the road. |
| Future with will | will be + past participle | The package will be delivered tomorrow. | They will deliver the package tomorrow. |
| When to Use Passive | Example |
|---|---|
| Focus on action, not doer | "The window was broken." |
| When doer is unknown | "My phone was stolen." |
| When doer is obvious | "He was arrested (by police)." |
| Formal writing | "The results will be published." |
| Scientific/technical writing | "The experiment was conducted." |
| News reports | "Three people were injured in the accident." |
✓ Use "by + agent" when you want to mention who did the action: "The book was written by the author."
✓ The agent (doer) is often omitted when it's obvious or unknown
✓ Only transitive verbs (verbs with objects) can be made passive
✓ Past participle must match the subject: "The car was made" (singular) vs "The cars were made" (plural)
✓ Passive voice is more common in written English than spoken English
Change these active sentences to passive:
1. Someone cleans the room every day. → The room __________ every day.
2. They built this house in 2010. → This house __________ in 2010.
3. People speak English here. → English __________ here.
4. The company will deliver the package. → The package __________ by the company.
1. The room is cleaned every day.
2. This house was built in 2010.
3. English is spoken here.
4. The package will be delivered by the company.
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Learn step-by-step how to create passive sentences from active ones.
Active: "The chef (subject) cooks (verb) the meal (object)."
The object becomes the subject in passive voice.
Use same tense as active sentence:
"cooks" (present) → "is"
"cooked" (past) → "was"
"will cook" (future) → "will be"
Use the past participle form of the main verb:
"cook" → "cooked"
"write" → "written"
"make" → "made"
Active subject becomes "by + agent" in passive:
"The chef" → "by the chef"
Omit if unknown or unimportant.
Active: "They clean the windows every Monday."
Passive: "The windows are cleaned every Monday."
Object → Subject: "the windows"
Verb → "are cleaned" (present simple passive)
Active: "Shakespeare wrote Hamlet."
Passive: "Hamlet was written by Shakespeare."
Object → Subject: "Hamlet"
Verb → "was written" (past simple passive)
Subject → "by Shakespeare"
Active: "The company will deliver the package."
Passive: "The package will be delivered by the company."
Object → Subject: "the package"
Verb → "will be delivered" (future passive)
write → written
make → made
take → taken
break → broken
speak → spoken
build → built
grow → grown
sell → sold
"The book was written in 2020."
"The car was made in Japan."
"English is spoken worldwide."
"The house was built last year."
Want to try a Passive Voice quiz?
Practice with multiple choice questions
See how passive voice is used in different real-life situations.
"The car was assembled in Germany."
"The engine is manufactured in Japan."
"Chocolate is made from cocoa beans."
"The bread is baked fresh every morning."
"This smartphone was designed in California and is assembled in China. All components are tested for quality before shipping."
"Three people were injured in the accident."
"The building was destroyed by fire."
"The movie was directed by Christopher Nolan."
"The song was recorded in London."
"Yesterday, a new museum was opened in the city center. The building was designed by a famous architect and will be visited by thousands of people."
"The room is cleaned every day."
"Dinner was cooked by my sister."
"The laundry will be done tomorrow."
"My car is repaired at that garage."
"The letter was sent yesterday."
"The package will be delivered today."
"When I arrived home, I found that my room had been cleaned and dinner was being prepared in the kitchen. The groceries were delivered earlier in the day."
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Ready to test your Passive Voice knowledge?
Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises
❌ The book is wrote by the author.
✓ The book is written by the author.
Use past participle 'written', not past simple 'wrote'
❌ The windows are clean every week.
✓ The windows are cleaned every week.
Use past participle 'cleaned', not base form 'clean'
❌ The house was build in 1990.
✓ The house was built in 1990.
Irregular past participle 'built', not 'build'
❌ English is speak here.
✓ English is spoken here.
Past participle 'spoken', not base form 'speak'
❌ The car was make in Japan.
✓ The car was made in Japan.
Irregular past participle 'made', not 'make'
❌ The children are teach English.
✓ The children are taught English.
Past participle 'taught', not base form 'teach'
Master Passive Voice sentence building!
Drag and drop words to form correct sentences
Learn effective strategies for mastering passive voice.
✓ Manufacturing: "is made", "was built", "is produced"
✓ Services: "is cleaned", "is repaired", "is delivered"
✓ Communication: "is said", "is believed", "is known"
✓ write → written
✓ make → made
✓ build → built
✓ speak → spoken
✓ teach → taught
✓ Take active sentences from news articles
✓ Change them to passive voice
✓ Practice both ways: active → passive and passive → active
✓ Focus on different tenses
✓ Read news articles and identify passive sentences
✓ Look at product descriptions and manuals
✓ Notice how passive voice is used in formal writing
✓ Listen for passive voice in documentaries
1. They grow coffee in Brazil.
2. Someone stole my bicycle yesterday.
3. The company will launch the new product next month.
4. People speak Spanish in many countries.
1. Coffee is grown in Brazil.
2. My bicycle was stolen yesterday.
3. The new product will be launched next month.
4. Spanish is spoken in many countries.
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The book was written by J.K. Rowling.
English is spoken all over the world.
The car was manufactured in Germany.
The windows are cleaned every week.
The letter was sent yesterday.
Coffee is grown in Brazil.
The movie was directed by Steven Spielberg.
The museum is visited by thousands of people.
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