The Indicative Mood-the Passive Voice
The passive voice:
In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action of the verb rather than performing the action itself.
The passive voice is formed using a form of the verb to be followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Here’s an example of an active sentence and its corresponding passive sentence:
Active: The cat chased the mouse.
Passive: The mouse was chased by the cat.
In the passive sentence, the mouse is the subject, but it is not performing the action of the verb chased.
Instead, it is receiving the action of the verb from the cat.
The passive sentence also includes the form of the verb to be (was) and the past participle of chased (chased).
In general, the passive voice is used when the focus is on the object of the action, rather than the doer of the action.
It can be used to emphasize the object, to avoid assigning blame or responsibility, or to simply change the emphasis of a sentence.
However, the passive voice can also make a sentence less direct and less clear, so it’s important to use it judiciously.
Here are a few more examples of sentences in the passive voice:
The car was hit by a truck.
The cake was baked by my sister.
The report will be reviewed by the committee.
The book has been read by millions of people.
The passive voice for all four tenses (present, past, future, and future in the past):
| Tense | Form of “to be” | Past participle | Example |
| Present | am/is/are | -ed/-en | The cake is baked by John. |
| Past | was/were | -ed/-en | The cake was baked by John. |
| Future | will be | -ed/-en | The cake will be baked by John. |
| Future in the past | would be | -ed/-en | The cake would be baked by John. |
Note that the past participle for regular verbs is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.
However, irregular verbs have different past participles that need to be memorised.
Also, keep in mind that not all verbs can be used in the passive voice.
Only transitive verbs (i.e., those that have a direct object) can be used in the passive voice.
Intransitive verbs cannot be used in the passive voice.
The basic structures to form passive voice:
Affirmative: Subject + form of to be + past participle + by + agent (optional)
Negative: Subject + form of to be + not + past participle + by + agent (optional)
Interrogative: Form of to be + subject + past participle + by + agent (optional)
Some examples using the verb bake:
Affirmative:
The cake is baked by John. (Present tense)
The cake was baked by John. (Past tense)
The cake will be baked by John. (Future tense)
Negative:
The cake is not baked by John. (Present tense)
The cake was not baked by John. (Past tense)
The cake will not be baked by John. (Future tense)
Interrogative:
Is the cake baked by John? (Present tense)
Was the cake baked by John? (Past tense)
Will the cake be baked by John? (Future tense)
Note that the agent (i.e., the doer of the action) is optional and may not be included in the sentence.
Also, keep in mind that the form of to be changes depending on the tenses.
Passive voice with BY:
Some examples of passive voice constructions:
Active: John baked the cake.
Passive: The cake was baked by John.
Active: The company will launch the new product next week.
Passive: The new product will be launched by the company next week.
Active: The teacher gave the students a test.
Passive: The students were given a test by the teacher.
Active: The storm destroyed the building.
Passive: The building was destroyed by the storm.
Active: The chef is cooking the dinner.
Passive: The dinner is being cooked by the chef.
When forming a passive sentence in English, the use of by is optional, depending on whether or not you want to include the agent (the person or thing that performs the action).
Passive sentences with and without BY:
With by:
Active: John painted the house.
Passive (with by): The house was painted by John.
Active: The company is launching the new product.
Passive (with by): The new product is being launched by the company.
Active: The dog chased the cat up the tree.
Passive (with by): The cat was chased up the tree by the dog.
In each of these examples, the agent (John, the company, the dog) is included in the passive sentence using by.
Without by:
Active: The storm destroyed the building.
Passive (without by): The building was destroyed in the storm.
Active: The teacher gave the students a test.
Passive (without by): The students were given a test.
Active: The chef is cooking the dinner.
Passive (without by): The dinner is being cooked.
In each of these examples, the agent is not included in the passive sentence, but is implied. In these cases, by can be omitted.
Note that whether or not to include by depends on the context and the speaker’s intent.
Including by can make the sentence more specific and emphasise the doer of the action, while omitting by can make the sentence more general and shift the focus to the object of the action.
Passive sentences with WITH:
In English, the word with can also be used in passive voice constructions to describe the tool, instrument, or means by which the action is performed.
Active: The carpenter built the house with a hammer and nails.
Passive: The house was built with a hammer and nails by the carpenter.
Active: The company is printing the annual report with a high-quality printer.
Passive: The annual report is being printed with a high-quality printer by the company.
Active: The chef cooked the steak with a cast iron skillet.
Passive: The steak was cooked with a cast iron skillet by the chef.
In these examples, the phrase with a [tool or instrument] is used to describe how the action is performed.
In the passive voice, with is used to introduce the tool or instrument.
It’s important to note that with is used in passive sentences to describe the means by which the action is performed, not the agent (the doer of the action).
The agent is introduced with the preposition by.
Passive voice with modal verbs:
In English, passive voice constructions can also be formed using modal verbs (such as can, will, must, etc.) in addition to the verb to be.
Active: They can fix the car.
Passive: The car can be fixed.
Active: He should clean the house.
Passive: The house should be cleaned.
Active: She must finish the report.
Passive: The report must be finished.
To form the passive voice with modal verbs, simply use the appropriate modal verb followed by be and the past participle of the main verb.
Passive sentences with modal verbs and by:
The subject of the sentence is still the receiver of the action, and the agent can be included or omitted as desired, using the preposition by.
Active: They can fix the car with a wrench.
Passive: The car can be fixed with a wrench by them.
Active: He will clean the house with a vacuum cleaner.
Passive: The house will be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner by him.
Active: She must finish the report by tomorrow.
Passive: The report must be finished by tomorrow by her.
Passive voice for a variety of reasons:
To emphasize the object of the action, rather than the subject:
In some cases, we want to put more emphasis on what is being acted upon (the object), rather than who is doing the action (the subject).
For example, instead of saying John hit the ball, we might say The ball was hit by John, which puts more emphasis on the ball and what happened to it.
To be more formal or objective:
In formal or technical writing, passive voice can be used to make the tone more objective and detached.
This can be useful in academic writing, scientific reports, or legal documents where objectivity is important.
To avoid assigning blame or responsibility:
In some situations, we may want to avoid directly stating who did something, especially if it could be seen as negative or controversial.
For example, instead of saying I made a mistake, we might say A mistake was made, which is more neutral.
To make the sentence flow more smoothly:
In some cases, using passive voice can make a sentence flow more smoothly or reduce redundancy.
For example, instead of saying The company hired a new employee, and the new employee will start next week, we might say A new employee has been hired and will start next week.
However, it’s important to note that passive voice can also make sentences less clear or direct, and can sometimes obscure the doer of the action.
It’s important to use passive voice judiciously and with awareness of its effects on the sentence and the message being conveyed.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
The Indicative Mood – the Active Voice