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.”

For example, The painting was damaged by vandals keeps the unusual and important agent; The painting was damaged keeps the focus on the result.

In contrast, we usually omit the agent when it is unknown, irrelevant, or easy to assume in the context (e.g., in hospital reports: “He was admitted last night” — the exact staff member is 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 voice:

• sounds neutral and objective
• reduces emphasis on the writer/speaker
• focuses on processes and results

Examples:

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

For example, The data were collected over a six-month period focuses on the research process, not on the researchers.

In academic writing, data is often treated as plural: The data were collected. In general English, it is also commonly singular: The data was collected.

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.”

Perfect modal passive

For past reference, use modal + have been + past participle.

• In rules, it can express a required prior action: “All fields must have been completed before the form can be submitted.”
• In conversation, it can express deduction: “The form must have been completed already.”

Passive with phrasal and prepositional verbs

Some multi-word verbs can form a passive. Keep the particle or preposition with the verb:

• “The meeting was called off.”
• “The baby was looked after by a neighbour.”
• “This bed has been slept in.”

Do not remove the final preposition: This bed has been slept is incomplete.

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 + base verb … (to-infinitive)
• subject + is / was + past participle + to have + past participle … (earlier action)
• There + is/are + past participle + to be …

Examples:

• “It is believed that the economy will improve.”
• “The company is expected to grow rapidly.”
• “It was reported that several files were lost.”
• “He is believed to have left the country.” / “He is believed to be in hiding.”
• “There is said to be a problem.” / “There are thought to be several causes.”

The two main impersonal patterns can express the same report:

• “People say that he is in hiding.” → “It is said that he is in hiding.” → “He is said to be in hiding.”
• “People believe that she left early.” → “It is believed that she left early.” → “She is believed to have left early.”

Use the to-infinitive when the reported situation is current or general, and to have + past participle when it happened earlier.

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 (agent omitted): “The information was leaked.”
• Passive (agent included if relevant): “The information was leaked by a member of staff.”

Keep the agent when it carries important new information, especially when it is a long phrase at the end of the sentence:

• “The proposal was rejected by the committee that had commissioned it.”

Passive is preferred when:

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

End-weight: putting long information later

English often prefers a short subject before a long phrase. The passive can make a sentence easier to follow by moving a long agent to the end:

• Less natural: “The committee that had commissioned it rejected the proposal.”
• Smoother when the proposal is the topic: “The proposal was rejected by the committee that had commissioned it.”

Choose this pattern when the result is the main point and the agent is long or contains new information.

The get-passive

In informal English, get + past participle is another passive pattern. It often describes an unexpected event, especially an unpleasant one, or a change of situation:

• “I got stopped at customs.”
• “He got promoted last year.”
• “Their car got damaged in the storm.”

Compare He was promoted (neutral and suitable for formal writing) with He got promoted (more conversational and focused on the event). The get-passive is rare in academic writing.

Two passive forms with double-object verbs

Verbs such as give, send, offer, tell, and pay can have two objects. Both objects may become the subject of a passive sentence:

• Active: “They gave Anna a prize.”
• More common: “Anna was given a prize.”
• Also possible: “A prize was given to Anna.”

The person-as-subject form is usually more natural in English, especially when the person is already the topic of the conversation.

6. Common Passive Errors to Avoid

Because passive is common in formal writing, small form errors stand out. Watch for these typical problems:

• Using the wrong verb form (use a past participle)
  Incorrect: “The report is finish.”
  Correct: “The report is finished.”
• Passivising an intransitive verb
  Incorrect: “The accident was happened.”
  Correct: “The accident happened.”
• Using the wrong auxiliary form
  Incorrect: “The report was been sent.”
  Correct: “The report was sent.”
• Mixing an ongoing passive with a finished-time expression
  Incorrect: “The report is being sent yesterday.”
  Correct: “The report was sent yesterday.”
• Passivising a verb that does not take an object
  Incorrect: “The house was belonged to my aunt.”
  Correct: “The house belonged to my aunt.”
  Belong has no normal passive. A good time was had exists as a fixed, rather formal expression, but it is not a useful model for making ordinary passives.
• Using the wrong pattern after a reporting verb
  Incorrect: “It is believed him to be guilty.”
  Correct: “He is believed to be guilty.” / “It is believed that he is guilty.”
• Overusing by + agent
  Often unnecessary: “The email was sent by someone.” (If the person is unknown and not important.) Preferred: “The email was sent.”
  But keep a realistic agent for contrast: “The email was sent by a colleague, not by the system.”

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