the passive voice is a verb construction that is used to describe an action in which the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action, rather than the performer of the action. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is typically preceded by the verb to be and followed by the past participle of the main verb.
“The cake was baked by the chef.” (In this sentence, the subject “cake” is the recipient of the action of being baked, and the performer of the action, the chef, is mentioned in the prepositional phrase “by the chef.”)
“The car was washed by the owner. (In this sentence, the subject “car” is the recipient of the action of being washed, and the performer of the action, the owner, is mentioned in the prepositional phrase “by the owner.”)
The passive voice is often used to describe an action without specifying the performer of the action, or to emphasize the result of the action rather than the performer.
Formation of the Passive Voice
The Passive Voice is formed by means of the auxiliary verb to be in the required form and Participle II of the notional verb. The Present, Past and Future Indefinite Passive are formed by means of the Present, Past and Future Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle II of the notional verb.
| Present Indefinite Passive | Past Indefinite Passive | Future Indefinite Passive |
|---|---|---|
| I am invited | I was invited | I shall be invited |
| He is invited | He was invited | He will be invited |
| She is invited | She was invited | She will be invited |
| We are invited | We were invited | We shall be invited |
| You are invited | You were invited | You will be invited |
| They are invited | They were invited | They will be invited |
The Present, Past and Future Perfect Passive are formed by means of the Present, Past, and Future Perfect of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle II of the notional verb.
| Present Perfect Passive | Past Perfect Passive | Future Perfect Passive |
|---|---|---|
| I have been invited | I had been invited | I shall have been invited |
| He has been invited | He had been invited | He will have been invited |
| She has been invited | She had been invited | She will have been invited |
| We have been invited | We had been invited | We shall have been invited |
| You have been invited | You had been invited | You will have been invited |
| They have been invited | They had been invited | They will have been invited |
The Present Continuous and the Past Continuous Passive are formed by means of the Present Continuous and the Past Continuous of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle II of the notional verb.
| Present Continuous Passive | Past Continuous Passive |
|---|---|
| I am being invited | I was being invited |
| He is being invited | He was being invited |
| She is being invited | She was being invited |
| We are being invited | We were being invited |
| You are being invited | You were being invited |
| They are being invited | They were being invited |
The Future Continuous, the Present Perfect Continuous, the Past Perfect Continuous and the Future Perfect Continuous are not found in the Passive Voice.
Use of the Passive Voice
The Passive Voice can be used:
#1. Without the doer of the action being mentioned (the usual case). In this case the doer is either unknown or unimportant.
In silence the soup was finished — excellent, if a little thick; and fish was brought. In silence it was handed. (Galsworthy)
Tom Tusher was sent off early, however, to a school in London. (Thackeray)
#2. With the doer of the action being mentioned. This occurs only when the doer of the action is to some extent emphasized. The noun or pronoun denoting the doer of the action is introduced by the preposition by.
He was wrenched from his blank wretchedness by the sound of the door opening from his mother’s room. (Galsworthy)
They were thus introduced by Holly. (Galsworthy)
This room was dimly lighted from the ceiling by a single electric lamp. (Bennett)
Use of tenses in the Passive Voice
The uses of tenses in the Active and in the Passive Voice are the same.
| Indefinite | Present | New schools are built every year. |
| Past | This school was built a month ago. | |
| Future | A new school will be built in our village in spring. | |
| Perfect | Present | The school has been built this month. |
| Past | The school had been built by the 1st of September. | |
| Future | I am sure the school will have been built by the 1st of September. | |
| Continuous | Present | A new school is being built in our street. |
| Past | When I returned to town, the school was still being built. |
All Forsytes have shells… in other words, they are never seen, or if seen would not be recognized. (Galsworthy)
The news was brought that the little boy at the “Three Castles” was ill. (Thackeray)
Further meetings will be held tonight and tomorrow night. (Daily Worker)
You have been told three times this week that she is coming home for a year for her health. (Shaw)
I have been very unhappy since she died. I have been slighted and taught nothing, and thrown upon myself, and put to work not fit for me. (Dickens)
By 12 o’clock a jury reasonably satisfactory to both sides had been chosen. (Dreiser)
Don’t you disturb him. He is working at his wonderful poem. An immortal work of art is being created. (Marryat)
When Mills got to the stables, a horse was being saddled. (Eliot)
To express an action going on at a definite moment in the future only the Future Continuous Active is possible.
To denote an action which began before a definite moment in the present, past or future, and continued up to that moment, the Present, Past and Future Perfect Continuous Active are generally used.
They have been reading the proofs for two hours.
When the editor-in-chief came, they had been reading the proofs for two hours.
The Present Perfect Inclusive Passive and the Past Perfect Inclusive Passive are found with verbs not used in the Continuous form, in negative sentences and with some non-terminative verbs.
She has always been admired.
The dictionary has not been used for months.
Uses of the Passive Voice peculiar to the English language
There are cases when the use of the Passive Voice. These cases are as follows:
#1. The verbs to accord, to advise, to allow, to ask, to award, to deny, to envy, to forbid (rare), to forgive, to give, to grant, to offer, to order, to pay, to prescribe, to promise, to refuse, to show, to teach, to tell are used in the Passive Voice. These verbs always take an object expressed by a noun or an infinitive. The action expressed by the Passive Predicate passes on to the subject and the object.
He was granted a ten days’ leave.
Has he been, shown the documents?
The patient was prescribed a strict diet.
He was ordered a change of scene.
We were told to wait.
#2. The Passive Voice is possible with intransitive verbs used with prepositions: to account for, to agree upon, to allude to, to arrive at (a conclusion, agreement, decision), to call for, to call upon, to comment upon, to count upon, to depend on (upon), to dispose of, to fire at, to hear of, to insist on (upon), to interfere with, to laugh at, to listen to, to look after, to look at, to look down upon, to look up to, to provide for, to put up at, to put up with, to read to, to refer to, to rely on, to run over, to send for, to speak about (of), to stare at, to talk about (to, over).
At last an agreement was arrived at.
Her strange behaviour was largely commented upon. He can be depended upon to keep strict silence.
This is certainly a great inconvenience, but it must be put up with. The article is often referred to.
Steerforth was looked up to by all the boys.
The composite verb to do away with the preposition with can be used in the Passive Voice.
In our country illiteracy was done away with many years ago.
The doctor was sent for.
The secretary will be sent for.
#3. The following verbal phraseological units can be used in the Passive Voice: to find fault with, to lose sight of, to make fun of, to make use of, to pay attention to, to put an end to, to set fire to, to take notice of, to take care
The poor child was always being found fault with. Soon the boat was lost sight of.
He was exceedingly absent-minded and was always made fun of. His remarks were taken no notice of.
The discussion was put an end to by his sudden arrival.