The Passive Voice LEVEL 400

Form

be + past participle Present am / is / are + past participle Past was / were + past participle Will will be + past participle

Examples Rice is grown in Asia. My phone was made in China. I was born in Canada.

Examples The product will be sold internationally. The food won't be bought because it is too expensive.

Use

The passive is a different way to make English sentences. Students usually first learn the active.

Active Subject + Verb + Object

Examples The company sells computers. The man broke his umbrella. The worker will close the store.

In the passive, we are more interested in the object. Because of this, we say the object first.

Examples Computers are sold. His umbrella was broken. The store will be closed.

We are more interested in the object because of many different reasons.

The subject isn't important.

Examples The movie was released last week. (Which movie company = not important) English is spoken all over the world. (Who speaks English = not important)

The subject isn't known.

Examples My bicycle was stolen yesterday. (Who stole my bicycle = I don't know) My apartment will be bought soon. (Who will buy my apartment = I don't know)

The subject is clear.

Examples This building was built one hundred years ago. (Of course - builders built the building)

Examples Samsung products are made in Korea. (Of course Korean workers make Samsung.) Rice is grown in Asia. (Of course - Asian people make rice)

In passive sentences, you can add the subject with the preposition "by" if you think it is important, but sometimes this is strange, because the subject is clear.

Examples Chinese is spoken in China by Chinese people. Some Japanese cars are made in Canada by Canadians.

Examples The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo De Vinci. My photo was taken by my sister.

Optional Review Videos: The Passive Voice