Passive Voice in Present Simple
The passive voice in present simple is one of English's most useful grammatical structures, allowing you to shift focus from who performs an action to what happens or what receives the action. Formed with am/is/are + past participle, this construction transforms active sentences by making the object become the subject, creating a different emphasis and perspective on the same information.
What makes passive voice particularly valuable is its ability to highlight results, processes, and facts without necessarily mentioning who performs the action. This makes it essential in formal writing, scientific descriptions, news reports, and situations where the action itself is more important than the person doing it, or when the doer is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant.
The passive voice also allows for more formal, objective, and diplomatic language. Instead of directly stating who makes mistakes or who causes problems, passive constructions can present information more tactfully whilst maintaining clarity and precision. This makes it invaluable in professional communication, academic writing, and polite conversation.
Understanding when and how to use passive voice effectively will elevate your English, making your communication more sophisticated and allowing you to vary your sentence structures for better flow, emphasis, and style in both spoken and written English.
Formation
Structure
Subject + am/is/are + past participle + (by + agent)
The subject receives the action, and the agent (doer) can be omitted or mentioned with 'by'
Active to Passive Examples:
Active:
The teacher explains the lesson.
Passive:
The lesson is explained (by the teacher).
Active:
People speak English worldwide.
Passive:
English is spoken worldwide.
All Forms:
- I am invited to the party.
- You are expected to arrive early.
- He/She/It is made in Italy.
- We are told to wait here.
- They are paid weekly.
Negative and Question Forms
Positive:
- The cake is baked daily.
- Letters are delivered at 9am.
- This brand is trusted globally.
Negative:
- The cake is not baked today.
- Letters aren't delivered on Sundays.
- This brand isn't trusted here.
Questions:
- Is the cake baked fresh?
- Are letters delivered today?
- Where is this brand made?
Common Mistakes Across All Conditionals
✗ The letter written yesterday.
✓ The letter was written yesterday.
Don't forget the form of 'be' (am/is/are) - passive voice requires it.
✗ English is speak worldwide.
✓ English is spoken worldwide.
Use the past participle form, not the base verb.
✗ The cake are baked fresh.
✓ The cake is baked fresh.
The verb must agree with the subject (singular 'cake' needs 'is').
✗ The book is wrote in 2010.
✓ The book was written in 2010.
Use the correct irregular past participle (written, not wrote).
Active vs Passive: When to Choose
Use Active Voice When:
- The doer is important or interesting
- You want direct, clear communication
- Writing informally or conversationally
- The subject is known and relevant
Example: "Shakespeare wrote Hamlet" (focuses on Shakespeare)
Use Passive Voice When:
- The action/result is more important
- The doer is unknown or unimportant
- Writing formally or scientifically
- You want to avoid assigning blame
Example: "Hamlet is performed worldwide" (focuses on the play)
Key Past Participles for Passive Voice
Regular Verbs:
- clean → cleaned
- repair → repaired
- deliver → delivered
- publish → published
Common Irregular:
- make → made
- write → written
- speak → spoken
- build → built
Same Form:
- cut → cut
- put → put
- cost → cost
- hurt → hurt
Quick Reference Guide
Remember:
- Formation: am/is/are + past participle
- Focus: What happens, not who does it
- Tone: More formal and objective than active voice
- Agent: Can be omitted or mentioned with 'by'
- Questions: Move am/is/are before subject
- Negatives: Add 'not' after am/is/are
- Agreement: am/is/are must agree with the subject