Simple Passive (Present and Past) (B1)

The passive voice focuses on the action or the person/thing affected, rather than who does it. This is useful in formal writing and reports, and when the doer (the agent, e.g., by the chef) is unknown or unimportant. It is also common in everyday English: My bike was stolen.

1. What the Passive Voice Shows

Quick rule: be (is/are/was/were) + past participle → is cleaned / are cleaned / was cleaned / were cleaned.

In an active sentence, the subject does the action:

“The chef cooks the meal.” → chef = subject, cooks = verb, meal = object

In a passive sentence, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject:

“The meal is cooked by the chef.” → meal = subject, focus on what happens to it

Key idea: The passive focuses on the action or result, not the doer.

How to change active → passive:

You can make a passive when the active verb has an object. Many intransitive verbs (e.g., arrive, happen) cannot be passive: say "The accident happened," not "The accident was happened."

Move the object to subject position.
Choose be in the same tense as the active verb (is/are; was/were).
Use the past participle.
Add by + agent only if needed.

2. Forming the Simple Passive

Present Simple Passive

Structure: subject + is/are + past participle

Singular subject → is
Plural subject → are

Examples:

“The room is cleaned every day.”
“Letters are delivered in the morning.”

Past Simple Passive

Structure: subject + was/were + past participle

Singular subject → was
Plural subject → were

Examples:

“The room was cleaned yesterday.”
“The letters were delivered last week.”

Negative and Question Forms

Put not after be for a negative. Put be before the subject for a question.

Tense	Negative	Question
present simple passive	“The room isn’t cleaned every day.”	“Is the room cleaned every day?”
past simple passive	“The letters weren’t delivered yesterday.”	“Were the letters delivered yesterday?”

Short answers repeat only the form of be: “Is it cleaned every day?” — “Yes, it is.” / “No, it isn’t.”

Irregular Past Participles

The past participle is not always a regular -ed form. Irregular forms must be learned:

Base verb	Past participle	Passive example
write	written	“The report is written in English.”
break	broken	“The window was broken last night.”
take	taken	“The photos were taken in 2024.”
make	made	“The cake was made yesterday.”
do	done	“The work is done.”
give	given	“A prize was given.”
send	sent	“The email was sent.”
build	built	“The bridge was built in 1990.”
choose	chosen	“The winner was chosen.”

3. When to Use the Passive

Use the passive voice when:

The action is more important than the doer. Example: The bridge was built in 1990. (Who built it is not important.)
The doer is unknown. Example: The window was broken last night.
The context is formal or impersonal, and the doer is generic. Example: The rules are explained at the beginning of the course.

We often omit the ‘by …’ phrase (the agent). Add by + agent only when it is important.

Do not use the passive only to sound formal. When the doer is important, the active voice is often clearer and more natural in everyday English:

Natural focus on the doer: “Maya sent the email.”
Heavier when Maya is the real focus: “The email was sent by Maya.”

Use the passive when the email, action, or result is what matters. For example: “The painting was stolen by a famous art thief.”

In informal English, we also use get + past participle for events that happen to someone: "My bike got stolen."

4. Active vs Passive: Simple Comparison

Active (Present):

“The teacher corrects the homework.” → focus on who does it

Passive (Present):

“The homework is corrected by the teacher.” → focus on the homework, the action

Active (Past):

“The company launched the product last year.”

Passive (Past):

“The product was launched last year.”

Quick check

Try one question now

The dishes after every meal in our house.

Check your answer when you are ready.

5. Reporting actions in the passive

Use a by-phrase only when the agent matters: "The painting was stolen by a famous art thief." Omit it when it is unknown or unimportant: "The documents were signed yesterday."

Dates and time expressions help report when an action happened: "The bridge was built in 1990." / "The office is cleaned every day."

6. Two-object verbs

Both objects can become the passive subject:

Active: "They gave Maya a prize."
"Maya was given a prize." (more usual)
"A prize was given to Maya."

7. Practice Tips

Identify the object in active sentences → it becomes the subject in passive.
Choose the correct form of “be” → is/are for present, was/were for past.
Use the past participle of the main verb.

Examples to change from active to passive:

Active: “Someone delivers the mail every morning.”
Passive: “The mail is delivered every morning.”
Active: “The workers repaired the road last week.”
Passive: “The road was repaired last week.”

8. Key Takeaways

Passive voice shifts focus from the doer to the action or object.
Form: Present → is / are + past participle; Past → was / were + past participle
Negatives add not after be; questions put be before the subject.
Learn irregular past participles such as written, broken, and taken.
Use passive when:
- The action matters more than who did it
- The doer is unknown
- The context is impersonal, such as a report, rule, or instruction
Time expressions show when the passive action happens; the focus determines whether passive is appropriate.