Passive voice

The passive is be + past participle (V3). The object of the active sentence becomes the subject; be changes for tense and for the new subject, while the V3 never changes.

• Someone cleans the office every evening. → The office is cleaned every evening.

• A taxi driver found my wallet. → My wallet was found by a taxi driver.

• Negative: put not after the first helper verb — The email wasn't sent. / It hasn't been fixed yet.
• Question: move the first helper verb in front of the subject — Was it sent? / Has it been fixed? / When was this house built?
• The perfect continuous tenses (has been being done…) are almost never used in the passive.

💡The passive in English has just one form, be + V3, whether the event is good or bad: I was invited, I was fined. And if the subject does not do the action, English needs the passive even when your language can leave it out: not “This house built in 1990” but This house was built in 1990.

After can, must, should, may, might, will, have to, need to… use be + V3. For the past, use modal + have been + V3.

• All phones must be turned off during the exam.

• This problem can't be solved without a calculator.

• The grass is too long. It needs to be cut.

• This report should have been finished last week.

  should have been + V3: something that ought to have happened

• My bag isn't here. It might have been taken by mistake.

After a verb that takes to + verb, use to be + V3; after a preposition or a verb that takes -ing (like, hate, avoid, enjoy…), use being + V3.

• I want to be told the truth.

• I hate being told what to do.

• She left without being seen.

1. You don't know who did it, it doesn't matter, or it's obvious

• My phone was stolen on the bus yesterday.

  we don't know who took it

• Coffee is grown in the Central Highlands.

• He was arrested last night.

  obviously by the police

2. The thing or event is the topic, not the person who did it — what you are talking about goes first

• Our school was built in 1965.

• These shoes are made in Vietnam.

• Your order hasn't been sent yet.

3. Formal style: notices, news, instructions, reports

• Breakfast is served from 6 to 9.

• Two people were injured in the crash.

• The results will be announced on Friday.

💡In everyday conversation, English speakers often use the active with a general subject such as they, people, someone, you: They're building a new mall near my house. The passive is not “better” than the active — choose it when the thing, not the doer, is your topic.

To say who or what did it, add by + the doer at the end. Most passive sentences have no by-phrase — add one only when that information is new or important.

• This picture was painted by my uncle.

• Our cat was bitten by the neighbour's dog.

• Rice noodles are made from rice flour.

  no by-phrase: who makes them doesn't matter

• by + the person or thing that does the action: The roof was damaged by the storm.
• with + the tool that is used: The door was opened with a spare key.
• made of (you can still see the material), made from (the material has changed), made in (the place): a table made of wood, paper is made from wood, made in Japan.

• Verbs with two objects (give, send, offer, show, tell, teach, pay…): usually make the person the subject — I was given a free ticket. A free ticket was given to me is possible but less common.
• Born is always passive: I was born in Hue (not: I born / I am born).
• Verbs with a preposition keep the preposition after the V3: The shop was broken into. / The kids are looked after by their grandma.
• Verbs with no object such as happen, arrive, die, appear, disappear, occur have no passive: The accident happened at 8 a.m.
• Spoken English also uses get + V3 (got stolen, get paid) — see the lesson “Passive with “get””. Sentences like It is said that… have their own lesson: “It is said that…”.

• Every student was sent an email about the new timetable.

• My grandmother was born in 1950.

• Something strange happened last night.

  not: was happened

• ✗I born in Can Tho in 2001.

  ✓I was born in Can Tho in 2001.

  In English, “born” is passive: be born.

• ✗The accident was happened near the school.

  ✓The accident happened near the school.

  happen has no object, so it has no passive.

• ✗The letter was write by my grandmother.

  ✓The letter was written by my grandmother.

  The passive uses the past participle (V3), not the base form.

• ✗The meeting has postponed.

  ✓The meeting has been postponed.

  The meeting didn't postpone anything — the present perfect passive is has been + V3.

• ✗This problem can't solve without a calculator.

  ✓This problem can't be solved without a calculator.

  After a modal, the passive is be + V3.

• ✗This song was written from my uncle.

  ✓This song was written by my uncle.

  The doer comes after by, not from.