Passive Voice: Additional Uses and Nuances

Upper Intermediate (B2)en

Passives

Passive Voice: Additional Uses and Nuances

The passive voice is not only about grammatical form, but also about choice. It allows speakers and writers to control focus, sound more formal or neutral, and sometimes avoid stating who is responsible for an action. In this lesson, the focus is on understanding why the passive voice is used, as this is just as important as knowing how to form it.

1. When to Mention the Doer (by + agent)

In many passive sentences, the doer of the action (called the agent) is not mentioned. However, the agent can be included when it adds meaningful information to the sentence.

Use by + agent when:

the doer is important to the message
the doer is unusual or unexpected
you want to assign responsibility

Examples:

“The novel was written by a famous author.”
“The decision was made by the board.”
“The painting was damaged by vandals.”

In contrast, we usually omit the agent when it is obvious, unknown, or not important. In these cases, mentioning it would add no real value.

Examples:

“The suspect was arrested.”
“The emails were sent yesterday.”

2. Passive in Formal and Academic Contexts

The passive voice is especially common in formal and professional contexts. It is widely used in reports, academic writing, news articles, instructions, and official announcements.

This is because the passive:

it sounds neutral and objective
it removes personal opinion
it focuses on processes and results

Examples:

“The data was collected over a six-month period.”
“New regulations are being introduced.”
“The results will be published next week.”

In these contexts, the writer is often less important than the information itself.

3. Passive with Modal Verbs

The passive voice can also be used with modal verbs to express obligation, advice, possibility, or necessity. This structure is extremely common in rules, instructions, and formal recommendations.

Structure:

modal + be + past participle

Examples:

“The form must be completed by Friday.”
“The issue should be addressed immediately.”
“The rules can be changed if necessary.”
“The problem might be resolved soon.”

This is very common in:

rules
instructions
formal recommendations

4. Passive with Reporting Verbs (Impersonal Passive)

Another important use of the passive is with reporting verbs, especially when the source of information is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately not mentioned.

Common reporting verbs:

say
believe
think
expect
report

Structures:

It + is / was + past participle + that…
subject + is / was + past participle + to…

Examples:

“It is believed that the economy will improve.”
“The company is expected to grow rapidly.”
“It was reported that several files were lost.”

Purpose:

to sound formal
to avoid naming a source
to present information objectively

This structure is frequently used in news reports and formal writing to present information objectively and impersonally.

5. Passive vs Active: Style Choice

Both active and passive sentences can be grammatically correct. The choice between them depends on what you want to emphasize.

Compare:

Active: “The committee rejected the proposal.”
Passive: “The proposal was rejected.”

Compare:

Active: “Someone leaked the information.”
Passive: “The information was leaked.”

Passive is preferred when:

the action is more important than the agent
the agent is unknown or irrelevant
neutrality or formality is needed

6. Common Passive Errors to Avoid

Using the wrong form of be
Incorrect: “The report is finish.”
Correct: “The report is finished.”
Forgetting the past participle
Incorrect: “The door was close.”
Correct: “The door was closed.”
Overusing by + agent
Incorrect style: “The email was sent by someone.”
Better: “The email was sent.”

7. Final Summary
The passive voice is used to:

shift focus strategically
sound formal, neutral, or objective
describe processes and results
avoid naming responsibility
report information impersonally

Related Vocabulary

Expand your vocabulary with words related to this grammar topic