Passive Voice in English: Form and Use

The passive voice puts the receiver of an action in the subject position and usually uses a form of be plus a past participle: “The package was delivered.” Use it when the action or receiver matters more than the doer, or when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. Use the active voice when the doer matters and should be clear.

The passive is not automatically formal, vague, or wrong. It is a normal choice in conversation, notices, news, instructions, and workplace updates. The useful question is not “Is passive bad?” It is “What should this sentence focus on?”

Active and passive voice show different focus

Voice	Structure	Example
Active	Doer + action + receiver	“Emma sent the invoice.”
Passive	Receiver + be + past participle	“The invoice was sent by Emma.”

The facts are similar, but the focus changes. The active sentence begins with Emma. The passive sentence begins with the invoice. If everyone already knows who handles invoices, “The invoice was sent” may contain all the information the listener needs.

Build the passive with be + past participle

Keep the tense on be. The main verb becomes a past participle:

Tense or form	Passive pattern	Example
Present simple	am / is / are + participle	“Orders are checked every morning.”
Past simple	was / were + participle	“The email was sent yesterday.”
Present continuous	am / is / are being + participle	“The room is being cleaned.”
Present perfect	has / have been + participle	“A decision has been made.”
Past perfect	had been + participle	“The door had been locked.”
Future with will	will be + participle	“The results will be announced Friday.”
Modal	modal + be + participle	“The form must be submitted by noon.”

Irregular participles matter. Use written, taken, seen, and broken, not wrote, took, saw, or broke.

Add a by-phrase only when the doer helps

The doer in a passive sentence is called the agent. Add it with by when it is new, surprising, or important:

• “The mural was painted by Emma.”
• “The final design was chosen by the students.”

Omit the agent when it adds little:

• “My bike was stolen last night.” The thief is unknown.
• “The road will be closed at six.” The authority closing it is not the point.
• “Your order has been shipped.” The company or warehouse is obvious.

A phrase such as by someone is grammatical, but it is usually unnecessary when the sentence already implies an unknown person.

Use the passive when the receiver is the topic

The passive works well when the conversation is already about the receiver:

“What happened to the window?”
“It was broken during the storm.”

It also fits processes, notices, and status updates:

• “Applications are reviewed in the order received.”
• “Parking is not permitted after midnight.”
• “The payment has been processed.”
• “Utilities are included in the rent.”

The last sentence often appears in housing information. Ledoly’s guide to U.S. apartment listings explains what to confirm when a listing says utilities are included.

Use active voice when responsibility matters

The active voice is often shorter and makes the actor clear:

• Clear responsibility: “Ben deleted the file.”
• Vague responsibility: “The file was deleted.”

The passive version may be appropriate if the person is unknown or irrelevant. It is weak if the reader needs to know who caused the problem. “Mistakes were made” names no one; “The billing team entered the wrong amount” supports action and accountability.

In workplace writing, choose the subject that helps the reader act. Ledoly’s guide to email English versus meeting English explains how a useful written record names the action, owner, and deadline.

The get-passive is common in informal speech

American speakers also use get plus a past participle, especially in conversation:

• “My bike got stolen.”
• “Several trees got damaged in the storm.”
• “Ben got promoted.”

The get-passive often emphasizes the event or a change, and it is common for unexpected or unwanted events. It is more conversational than the standard be-passive. In a formal notice, “The road was damaged” is usually a better fit than “The road got damaged.”

Not every be + participle describes an action

Some combinations describe a state:

• “The door is closed.” This may describe its current state.
• “The door was closed by Sam at nine.” The by-phrase and time show an action.

Context decides whether a participle behaves more like an adjective or part of a passive verb. Do not search for a hidden doer when the sentence simply describes a condition.

Only verbs with an object can normally become passive

An active object becomes the passive subject:

“Emma opened the door.” → “The door was opened.”

Verbs such as arrive, happen, and sleep do not normally take an object, so they do not form an ordinary passive. Say “The package arrived,” not “The package was arrived.”

Common passive-voice mistakes

• Missing be: “The letter was written,” not “The letter wrote.”
• Wrong participle: “The note was written,” not “was wrote.”
• Adjective instead of participle: “The rooms are cleaned daily,” not “are clean daily” when you mean the action.
• Unnecessary agent: “The package was delivered,” not usually “was delivered by someone.”
• Hidden responsibility: use active voice when the reader needs to know who acted.

Practice: rewrite with the required focus

For items 1–6, use a form of be plus a past participle and keep every stated fact. Natural adverb positions are accepted. Keep a named agent when the prompt requires it; an unspecified someone or an implied you may be omitted when the meaning stays the same.

1. Emma updates the schedule every Friday. Begin with The schedule and keep Emma.
2. Someone stole Ben’s bike last night. Begin with Ben’s bike.
3. The team is reviewing the application. Begin with The application and keep the team.
4. The warehouse workers have already shipped the order. Begin with The order and keep the warehouse workers.
5. Mia will announce the results tomorrow. Begin with The results and keep Mia.
6. You must submit the form by noon. Begin with The form.
7. Choose the clearer voice when responsibility matters: “The file was deleted” or “Ben deleted the file.”
8. Rewrite conversationally with a get-passive: “The storm damaged several trees.”

Answer key

1. The schedule is updated by Emma every Friday. “Every Friday, the schedule is updated by Emma” and “The schedule is updated every Friday by Emma” are also natural.
2. Ben’s bike was stolen last night. By someone is grammatical but normally omitted because it adds no useful information.
3. The application is being reviewed by the team.
4. The order has already been shipped by the warehouse workers. The order has been shipped already by the warehouse workers is also grammatical. Keep the named agent because the prompt explicitly requires it.
5. The results will be announced by Mia tomorrow. “The results will be announced tomorrow by Mia” and “Tomorrow, the results will be announced by Mia” are also natural.
6. The form must be submitted by noon. By you is grammatical but normally omitted because the instruction already addresses the reader.
7. Ben deleted the file. The active version clearly assigns responsibility.
8. Several trees got damaged in the storm. “Several trees got damaged by the storm” is also grammatical, but in the storm is more natural for the event.

Frequently asked questions

What is the passive voice in English?

The passive voice makes the receiver of an action the subject. Its most common form is be plus a past participle: “The package was delivered.”

When should I use passive voice?

Use it when the action or receiver is the topic, or when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. Processes, notices, status updates, and news often use the passive for this reason.

Is passive voice grammatically wrong?

No. Passive voice is a normal English structure. Active voice is often shorter and clearer, but passive voice is useful when it gives the sentence the right focus.

What is the difference between was stolen and got stolen?

Was stolen is the standard be-passive and fits any register. Got stolen is more conversational and puts extra attention on the event or change, especially when it was unexpected or unwanted.

Sources

• British Council LearnEnglish: Passives — explains be plus the past participle across common tenses, changes in focus, and when the agent can be omitted.
• VOA Learning English: The Passive Voice with Get — explains the conversational get-passive, its form, and its use with action verbs.
• Purdue OWL: Active Versus Passive Voice — compares clarity, focus, and concision in active and passive sentences.