Passive Voice

The action is more important than the person who performs the action

My car was stolen.  (Somebody stole my car)

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my car was stolen. I do not know who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone:

Jon made a mistake!

Form of Passive

Subject + to be + Past Participle

Check out the list of irregular verbs-click here

Example: An email was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

  • the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
  • the form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
  • the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped or omitted)

Examples of Passive Level 2

Tense Subject Verb Object
Simple Present Active: Jonwritesan email.
Passive: An email
is writtenby Jon.
Simple Past Active: Jonwrotean email.
Passive: An email
was writtenby Jon.
Present Perfect Active: Jonhas writtenan email.
Passive: An email
has been writtenby Jon.
Future I Active: Jonwill writean email.
Passive: An email
will be writtenby Jon.

Active: Joncan writean email.
Passive: An email
can be writtenby Jon.

Examples of Passive 

Tense Subject Verb Object

Present Progressive Active:  Jon is writing an email.
Passive:  An email is being written by Jon.
Past Progressive Active:  Jon was writing an email.
Passive: An email was being written by Jon.
Past Perfect Active:  Jon had written an email.
Passive: An email had been written by Jon.
Future II Active:   Jon will have written an email.
Passive: An email will have been written by Jon.
Conditional I Active:  Jon would write an email.
Passive: An email would be written by Jon.
Conditional II Active:  Jon would have written an email.
Passive: An email would have been written by Jon.



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