We can say, “The cake was eaten,” instead of just “Someone ate the cake.” How come? You are seeing the passive voice in action!
Understanding the passive voice is key to reading news, understanding formal English, and improving your writing.
1. Active vs. Passive: What’s the Difference?
- Active Voice (The doer is important): The chef prepares the meal. (Subject > Verb > Object)
- Passive Voice (The action/object is important): The meal is prepared by the chef. (Object) Be > Verb > Subject)
In the passive voice, the focus shifts to who or what receives the action, rather than who does it.
2. How to Form the Passive Voice
The formula is simple: Subject + Verb “to be” + Past Participle.
- Active: They built the house.
- Passive: The house was built.
Note: The verb “to be” changes based on the tense (is/was/will be).
3. When to Use the Passive Voice
We use the passive voice when:
- The actor is unknown: My bike was stolen! (I don’t know who did it).
- The action is more important than the actor: The new road will be finished in June.
- The actor is obvious: The criminal was arrested. (Obviously by the police).
- In formal/scientific writing: The experiment was conducted.
4. A Simple Tip
If you are unsure if a sentence is passive, look for a form of “to be” + a past participle. Another trick? If you can add “by monkeys” at the end and it makes sense, it is likely passive! (e.g., The pizza was eaten by monkeys.)
Try it yourself: Change “The artist painted the picture” to passive voice!