The table is being set for dinner.
Active Voice
In an active voice clause, the person or thing that does the action is called the agent of the verb. The person or thing that receives the action is called the object. When we put the agent in the position of the subject of the sentence it is called the Active Voice.
Every Saturday, Peter makes lunch for his whole family.
Susan was helping her grandmother.
Kevin will take care of the garden while his neighbours are away.
Passive Voice
In a passive voice clause, the agent and the object switch positions although their function is the same. Therefore, the sentence must contain at least one object in order for the Passive Voice to be possible. When we put the object in the position of the subject of the sentence, it is called the Passive Voice.
Every Saturday, lunch is made by Peter for his whole family.
Susan’s grandmother was being helped by Susan.
The garden will be taken care of by Kevin while his neighbours are away.
Usage of Passive Voice
Below are some of the reasons why the Passive Voice is used.
- The focus of the sentence is shifted from the agent to the object
- The baby was being put down for a nap by the babysitter when the phone rang (the focus is now on the baby).
- My laundry is usually done by my mom (the focus is now on the laundry).
- The agent is not important (because the focus is shifted to the object)
- My grandparents will be moved to a senior’s facility this week (who will move my grandparents isn’t important).
- Aunt Mary could be put in the hospital this week if her condition worsens (who puts her in the hospital isn’t important).
- The agent isn't known
- My son’s bicycle was stolen (we do not know who stole the bicycle).
- The menu for the wedding has been decided (we do not know who has decided on the menu, but the action is complete).
- The agent is already understood
- The criminal was arrested in front of the station (of course, the police arrested the criminal).
- The worst of the damage had already been done by the time the firefighters arrived (of course, a fire caused the damage).
- The subway is used quite a bit in this city (of course, people use the subway).
Structure
In order to make a sentence in Passive Voice, you need two components:
- At least one form of the verb “be”
- The past participle of the main verb
You will notice below that not all Active Voice tenses are possible in Passive Voice.
| Verb Tense | “Be” Verb | Past Participle of the main verb |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | am / is / are | p.p. |
| Past Simple | was / were | p.p. |
| Future Simple | will be | p.p. |
| Present Continuous | is / am / are + being | p.p. |
| Past Continuous | was / were + being | p.p. |
| Present Perfect (Simple) | has / have + been | p.p. |
| Past Perfect (Simple) | had + been | p.p. |
| Future Perfect (Simple) | will have + been | p.p. |
| Present / Future Modals | modal + be | p.p. |
| Past Modals | modal + have + been | p.p. |
As seen above in Usage of Passive Voice, we don’t always need to include the agent (“by”...). Sometimes a complement follows the verb instead.
Examples:
- My grandparents will be moved to a senior’s facility this week.
- Aunt Mary could be put in the hospital this week if her condition worsens.
- The criminal was arrested in front of the station.
- The subway is used quite a bit in this city.