Passive Voice

English sentences can be in either active or passive voice.  

The difference between active and passive is the placement of the
subject and the object.
In active sentences the subject goes first.  In passive sentences the object, or the receiver of the action, goes first.

(Active)        Jeff stole the money.
(Passive)      The money was stolen by Jeff.

Consider this active sentence:

• The boy broke the window.
  

Subject:        The boy
Object:          The window

To make the sentence passive:1.  Switch the subject and the object
2.  Add the verb To Be
3.  Put the original verb in past participle

• The window was broken by the boy.
  

When creating passive sentences from active sentences remember the verb must have a direct object.

• Bill slept until 9:00 am.
  

    (No direct object = No passive sentence)

• Bill ate breakfast at 9:30 am.  
  

    (Breakfast is the direct object)
    (Breakfast was eaten by Bill.)

The verb "to be" must be in the same tense as the active sentence.

• Bill ate breakfast.  
  

    (Active, simple past)

• Breakfast was eaten by Bill.  
  

    (Passive, simple past)

• Bill will eat breakfast.  
  

    (Active, simple future)

• Breakfast will be eaten by Bill.  
  

    (Passive, simple future)

The passive is often used in three situations:

1.  The “doer” of the action is not known.

• My bicycle was stolen.                    
  

    (It is not known who stole the bicycle.)

2.  The “doer” of the action is obvious or not important.

• Spanish is spoken in Mexico.        
  

    (The subject,people, is obvious.)

3.  The object is the most important part of the sentence.

• The diamond was stolen by two thieves.
  

This list shows the active and passive sentences for all the
major verb tenses.

Verb Tense	Active	Passive
Simple Present	I speak English.	English is spoken (by me).
Simple Future	I will speak English.	English will be spoken (by me).
Simple Past	I spoke English.	English was spoken (by me).
Present Continuous	I am speaking English.	English is being spoken (by me).
Past Continuous	I was speaking English.	English was being spoken (by me).
Future Continuous	I will be speaking English.	English will be being spoken (by me).
Present Perfect	I have spoken English.	English has been spoken (by me).
Past Perfect	I had spoken English	English had been spoken (by me).
Future Perfect	I will have spoken English.	English will have been spoken(by me).
Present Modals	I should speak English.	English should be spoken (by me).
Past Modals	I should have spoken English.	English should have been spoken (by me).