Ch 3
Passive Voice
be + PP · by agent · present and past
In an active sentence, the subject does the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action.
Active
The chef cooked the meal.
Passive
The meal was cooked (by the chef).
When to use passive
When the agent (doer) is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
My wallet was stolen.
thief unknown
The report was written by the manager.
agent mentioned with "by"
subject + be (tense) + past participle → It is made in Italy. ✓
Present simple
is/are + PP — Coffee is grown in Brazil.
Past simple
was/were + PP — The letter was sent yesterday.
Present perfect
has/have been + PP — The bridge has been repaired.
Future (will)
will be + PP — The results will be announced soon.
Agent worth mentioning
Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare.
Agent not needed
My car was stolen. (= by someone — obvious, not useful)
Implied agent
English is spoken in 50+ countries. (no agent needed)
Don't always add "by someone" — if the agent is obvious or unknown, leave it out. The passive is strongest when the agent is absent.
Active: They build cars here. → Passive: Cars are built here. ✓
Step 1
Object (cars) → becomes the subject
Step 2
Verb becomes: be (same tense) + past participle
Step 3
Original subject → "by + agent" (optional)
Active: She wrote the email.
Passive: The email was written by her.
The letter was written by someone.
→
The letter was written. (drop "by someone")
unknown agent — don't state it
The meal is been cooked.
→
The meal has been cooked.
present perfect passive: has been + PP
It was builded in 1900.
→
It was built in 1900.
build → built (irregular past participle)
She was punished by her parents to arrive late.
→
She was punished by her parents for arriving late.
punish + for + -ing
Recap
Form
be (tense) + past participle
is made / was sent / has been repaired
Use
focus on result, not the doer
My wallet was stolen.
by + agent
only when it adds useful info
written by Shakespeare
Tenses
present · past · perfect · future
is/was/has been/will be + PP