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The Passive Voice

The relationship between the agent (the one who performs the action) and the action (verb)
is called voice. English has two voices--active and passive.
In the active voice, the grammatical subject performs the action of the verb:
Cervantes wrote Don Quixote.
In the passive voice, the grammatical subject receives the action--something is done to the
grammatical subject:
Don Quixote was written by Cervantes.
The meaning of the two sentences is the same. The difference is in emphasis or point of
view. In the active sentence, the attention of the reader is focused on the agent or person
who performs the action (Cervantes, in the example). The agent receives more emphasis or
attention.
In the passive sentence, the attention of the reader is focused on the receiver of the action
(Don Quixote, in the example).
Formation of the Passive Voice
The transformation of an active sentence into a passive sentence is a three-step process:

1. Move the object of the active sentence to subject position in the passive sentence.

2. Change the verb to passive form (two parts).

3. Move the subject of the active sentence to object position preceded by the
preposition by (optional).
Example:
In order to change the active verb to its corresponding passive form, we need to do two
things:
1. Put the verb to be in the same tense as the verb in the active sentence. In this example
the verb is in the simple past, so we use the past tense of be.
2. Use the past participle of the verb in the active sentence.
The passive verb, therefore, has two parts. The verb to be indicates the tense, and the past
participle indicates the action.
Only sentences containing direct objects can be made into passive sentences because the
direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. If the
sentence does not have a direct object, you cannot change it into a passive sentence.
Examples of Passive Forms

The students write reports. Reports are written by the students.

The students wrote reports. Reports were written by the students.
The students will write reports. Reports will be written by the students.
The students are writing reports. Reports are being written by the
students.
The students were writing Reports were being written by the
reports. students.
The students have written Reports have been written by the
reports. students.
The students had written reports. Reports had been written by the
students.
The students are going to write Reports are going to be written by the
reports. students.
The students can write reports. Reports can be written by the students.
The students could write reports. Reports could be written by the
students.
The students should write Reports should be written by the
reports. students.
The students must write reports. Reports must be written by the
students.
The students may write reports. Reports may be written by the students.
The students might write reports. Reports might be written by the
students.
The students have to write Reports have to be written by the
reports. students.
The students ought to write Reports ought to be written by the
 reports. students.
The students should have written Reports should have been written by
reports. the students.
The students would have written Reports would have been written by the
reports. students.
The students could have written Reports could have been written by the
reports. students.
The students will have written Reports will have been written by the
reports. students.
The students must have written Reports must have been written by the
reports. students.
The students may have written Reports may have been written by the
reports. students.
The students might have written Reports might have been written by the
reports. students.
The students ought to have Reports ought to have been written by
written reports. the students.

NOTE: Although it is theoretically possible to use the passive voice

with the perfect progressive forms, they are hardly ever used. The
student is advised NOT to use the perfect progressive passive forms.
They are considered to be poor style and difficult to understand.
Omission of by
It has been estimated that only 15 to 20 percent of passive sentences mention the agent (in
a phrase with by). We do NOT normally use the by-phrase in the following cases:
1. When the agent is unknown.
• My car was stolen. ( I do not know who stole it.)
• This table was made in England. (I do not know who made it.)
2. When the agent is obvious or unimportant.
• A lot of rice is eaten in Japan. (Obviously by the Japanese.)
• Oranges are grown in California and Florida. (Obviously by orange growers.)
• An incision is made around the optic nerve and the optic nerve is released.
(This example is a good illustration of using the passive to emphasize a procedure or
process. It is obvious that a surgeon performs the operation. What is important here
is what the surgeon must do, not the surgeon himself.)
3. When we do not want to mention the agent.
• The administration admitted that mistakes were made in its handling of the affair.
(The administration does not want to blame anybody, or perhaps does not want to
accept responsibility, so the by-phrase is not used.)
4. When the agent has been mentioned previously.
• Don Quixote was written by Cervantes. It was finished in 1616.
(It was finished by Cervantes, who has already been mentioned.)
5. When the agent is very general.
 • His writings are now widely accepted and can no longer be described as
controversial.
(by his readers in general)
• Antibiotics should not be considered as a replacement for aseptic procedures.
(by doctors in general)
• His theories have never been refuted or even attacked.
(by anyone)
WARNING
Some sentences change meaning when transformed into the passive. Be careful with
general statements such as:

• Beavers build dams.

(True - This is normal activity for beavers.)
• Dams are built by beavers.
(False - Humans also build dams, not only beavers.)
Inclusion of by
The agent with by is usually expressed
1. When the agent is new information.
• This is a true story and was told to me by my mother when I was a little boy.
• A: I really like the red paint on your car. B: Thanks. It was painted by my friend Bob.
2. When the agent is not human.
• In a shunt motor, speed is usually controlled by a rheostat connected in series with
the field windings.
• Most standardized tests are corrected by a computer.
3. When the agent is well known and should be included because it is important information.
• The fountain in Lyon, located in front of Lyon's city hall, was designed by Bartholdi,
the designer of the Statue of Liberty.
Impersonal "it" with passive
When we mention the words or thoughts of people in general, we often use an impersonal
"it" structure:
• It is assumed that the user is familiar with cut-and-paste techniques.
• It is believed that Cervantes' life as a slave from 1575 to 1580 became the source of
inspiration for some episodes in Don Quixote.
• It is estimated that 90% of the visible universe is composed of hydrogen.
• It is expected that the student will be able to finish all the course requirements within
two years.
• It is known that ultraviolet radiation absorption generates free radicals in damaged
cells.
• It is thought that Titan, Saturn's largest moon, may possess bodies of liquid ethane.
• It is understood that this application becomes a contract when signed by us.
 • It was agreed that students should be encouraged to buy wireless cards with any
new laptops.
• It was decided that applicants must be fluent in English.
• It was felt that the meeting should be held in a neutral country.
• In one study, it was found that spiced apple scent improved performance on a high-
stress task.
• It was reported that a car had been vandalized while parked in front of the police
station.
• It was rumored that he had fought with the French resistance during World War II.
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs are verbs which refer to states instead of actions. Some stative verbs are not
normally used in the passive. Examples are deserve, desire, fit, have, hear, lack, like,
resemble, suit,etc.
• Steve has a beautiful car. (NOT A beautiful car is had by Steve.)
• He resembles his father. (NOT His father is resembled by him.)
• We lack the necessary funds. (NOT The necessary funds are lacked by us.)
Many stative verbs are used in the passive, however. These include verbs such as .admire,
adore, astonish, believe, contain, detest, despise, dislike, envy, forget, hate, keep, love,
prefer, etc.
• The criminal is believed to be in the area.
• He was loved by all who knew him.
• The matter was soon forgotten.
The problem for the student is that there are no exact rules that will tell him when to use or
avoid stative verbs in the passive. Sometimes these verbs are only used in the passive in
special way. Take the verb like, for example:
• I like mushroom pizza. (NOT Mushroom pizza is liked by me.}
• He was liked by everyone.
The best way to learn about stative verbs and the passive is by experience. Read
extensively in English and notice which stative verbs are, or are not, used in the passive, as
well as how and when they are used.
By vs. With
By is used with the agent, whereas with is usually used to refer to a tool or instrument.
• He was killed by a mob/a mountain lion/a drunk driver.
• He was killed with a blunt object/a rifle/a single shot.
Verbs with Direct and Indirect Object (Ditransitive Verbs)
Many verbs take an indirect and direct object. Consider a verb such as give, which has two
patterns:
• My father gave me this ring.
• My father gave this ring to me.
We can make the direct object the subject of the passive sentence:
• This ring was given (to) me by my father. (with or without to)
Or we can make the indirect object the subject of the passive sentence:
• I was given this ring by my father.

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