Introduction to Passive Voice
The Passive Voice is a grammatical structure in which the focus is on the action being performed, rather than who or what is performing the action. In other words, the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than doing it.
Active Voice: The chef cooked the meal.
Passive Voice: The meal was cooked by the chef.
Modals in Passive Voice
In passive voice, modals (e.g., must, can, should) are followed by be and the past participle of the main verb. This structure is used to express necessity, possibility, permission, advice, or obligation in the passive form.
Subject + modal (must/can/should, etc.) + be + past participle
Passive Voice with Indirect Objects
1. Sentences with Two Objects in Passive Voice
In some sentences, there are two objects: a direct object (the thing being acted on) and an indirect object (the person or thing receiving the action). When changing such sentences to the passive voice, you can make either object the subject of the sentence, depending on what you want to emphasize.
Structure 1 (Emphasizing the Indirect Object):
Indirect object + be + past participle + (by + subject)
Structure 2 (Emphasizing the Direct Object)::
Direct object + be + past participle + (to/for + indirect object)
A. Active Sentence:
The company offered the employees (indirect object) a bonus (direct object).
Passive Sentence 1 (Emphasizing Indirect Object):
The employees were offered a bonus by the company.
Passive Sentence 2 (Emphasizing Direct Object):
A bonus was offered to the employees by the company.
B. Active Sentence:
He sent his friend (indirect object) a letter (direct object).
Passive Sentence 1 (Emphasizing Indirect Object):
His friend was sent a letter by him.
Passive Sentence 2 (Emphasizing Direct Object):
A letter was sent to his friend by him.
Passive Voice in Questions
To form questions in the passive voice, you need to change the structure of the sentence. For yes/no questions, the auxiliary verb (be) comes before the subject, followed by the past participle of the main verb. For wh- questions, you place the question word (who, what, when, etc.) at the beginning, followed by the auxiliary verb, subject, and past participle.
1. Yes/No Questions in Passive Voice
In yes/no questions, the order is:
Structure:
Auxiliary verb + subject + past participle + (by + agent)
1. Active: Did the company send the email?
Passive: Was the email sent by the company?
2. Active: Is she painting the house?
Passive: Is the house being painted by her?
3. Active: Will they finish the project?
Passive: Will the project be finished by them?
2. Wh- Questions in Passive Voice
In wh- questions, the order is:
Structure:
Wh- question word + auxiliary verb + subject + past participle + (by + agent)
1. Active: Who wrote the letter?
Passive: Who was the letter written by?
2. Active: When will they complete the task?
Passive: When will the task be completed by them?
3. Active: Why did they cancel the event?
Passive: Why was the event cancelled by them?
4. Active: What is she cooking?
Passive: What is being cooked by her?
Passive Voice with ‘By’
1. Using ‘By’ to Show Who Performed the Action
In passive sentences, the person or thing doing the action (the agent) can be mentioned by using the preposition ‘by’. The agent is typically placed at the end of the sentence, after the past participle. This is useful when you want to emphasize who performed the action.
Structure:
Subject + be + past participle + by + agent
Examples
The project will be completed by the team.
The house is being cleaned by the workers.
The novel was written by the author.
The cake was baked by my mother.
2. Omitting the Agent (Who Did the Action) in Passive Sentences
In many passive sentences, the agent (the person or thing doing the action) is omitted when it is either unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context. This helps focus on the action itself rather than on who performed it.
Structure:
Subject + be + past participle (no mention of the agent)
Examples
The windows are being cleaned. (It’s obvious that cleaners are doing it.)
The new rules have been implemented. (The person who did it is unimportant.)
The decision was made yesterday. (It’s not necessary to say by whom.)
The cake was baked. (The focus is on the action, not who did it.)
When to Avoid the Passive Voice
1. Overuse of Passive Voice
Overuse of the passive voice can make sentences less direct, less clear, and harder to follow. It can also create wordy sentences that confuse readers or obscure who is responsible for the action. Passive sentences may sound awkward or too formal, especially when the person or thing performing the action (the agent) is left out.
2. Impact of Overuse
The impact of overusing the passive voice includes:
Examples
Lack of clarity: It can hide who is performing the action, leaving the subject unclear.
Example: Mistakes were made. (Who made them?)
Wordiness: Passive voice tends to use more words, making sentences less concise.
Example: The cake was eaten by the children.
3. When Active Voice Is Preferable
Active voice is typically clearer, more direct, and more engaging. It focuses on who is performing the action, which makes the writing easier to understand and more concise. Active voice is preferable in most cases, especially in informal or conversational contexts.