Mastering Passive Voice: Usage and Examples

Difference between active and passive voice:

Active voice: Describes the subject doing the action.

Passive voice: Used when the focus is on the action. The one doing the action is not important.

Examples:

Positive:

  • A delicious meal is prepared.
  • A new song is being composed.
  • The package has been delivered.
  • The report was reviewed.
  • Beautiful paintings are exhibited.

Negative:

  • The issue was not resolved.
  • The message is not being understood.
  • His suggestion has not been considered.
  • The project was not completed.
  • Important details are not being shared.

Question:

  • Will the problem be solved?
  • Is the document being printed?
  • Has the decision been made?
  • Were the invitations sent out?
  • Can the task be completed on time?

Passive Voice with Tenses

Present Simple:

Subject + Am/ is/ are + Verb – past participle

  • The room is cleaned every two days.
  • Books are borrowed from the library.
  • Newspapers are delivered in the morning.
  • The car is washed once a week.
  • Messages are received on this device.

Present Continuous:

Subject + Am/ is/ are + being + Verb – past participle

  • The room is being cleaned now.
  • Documents are being reviewed by the team.
  • The cake is being baked in the oven.
  • Equipment is being repaired by the technician.
  • Reports are being prepared for the meeting.

Present Perfect:

Subject + Have/ has + been + Verb – past participle

  • The room has been cleaned since Monday.
  • Tasks have been completed by the team.
  • The book has been published recently.
  • My car has been repaired by the mechanic.
  • The report has been submitted to the manager.

Past Simple:

Subject + Was/ were + Verb – past participle

  • The room was cleaned yesterday.
  • Messages were sent to all the participants.
  • The cake was eaten by the guests.
  • The report was finalized last week.
  • Tasks were completed before the deadline.

Past Continuous:

Subject + Was/ were + being + Verb – past participle

  • The room was being cleaned when we arrived.
  • Documents were being reviewed by the team yesterday.
  • The cake was being decorated for the party.
  • Equipment was being repaired by the technician last month.
  • Reports were being prepared during the meeting.

Past Perfect:

Subject + Had been + Verb – past participle

  • The room had been cleaned before he came.
  • All the work had been finished by the time we left.
  • The project had been completed before the deadline.
  • The decision had been made before the meeting.
  • My car had been serviced last week.

Simple Future (WILL):

Subject + Will be + Verb – past participle

  • The room will be cleaned tomorrow.
  • Tasks will be assigned to the team members.
  • The document will be printed for the presentation.
  • The package will be delivered by the end of the day.
  • The message will be sent to all the participants.

Future Continuous:

Subject + Will be being + Verb – past participle

  • The room will be being cleaned at 7 pm tonight.
  • Tasks will be being completed by the team tomorrow.
  • The report will be being reviewed by the manager next week.
  • Equipment will be being repaired by the technician in the morning.
  • Messages will be being sent to all the recipients shortly.

Future Perfect:

Subject + Will have been + Verb – past participle

  • The room will have been cleaned before midnight.
  • All the work will have been completed by the end of the month.
  • The project will have been finished before the deadline.
  • The decision will have been made by the time we meet.
  • My car will have been repaired by the mechanic next week.

Modal Verbs:

Subject + Modal + be + Verb – past participle

  • The room must be cleaned by Friday.
  • The document can be downloaded from the website.
  • The issue should be resolved as soon as possible.
  • The task may be completed by the end of the day.
  • The decision might be reconsidered in the future.

Note: The subject in the passive voice is not always explicitly mentioned, and it can be omitted or implied depending on the context.

Slides

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Grammar Lab
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