📖 Notes
LESSON 11 OF 16
Active & Passive Voice
Choosing Who's in Charge of the Sentence
Passive voice isn't wrong — it's a deliberate tool for when the agent of an action is unknown, unimportant, or simply less important than the action itself.
Passive Formation
Subject + be + Past Participle
Passive Across Tenses
GrammarPresent Simple: is/are + PP Past Simple: was/were + PP Present Perfect: has/have been + PP Future: will be + PP Present Cont: is/are being + PP Past Perfect: had been + PP Modal: can/must be + PP
When to Use Passive
- Agent unknown: "The window was broken."
- Agent unimportant: "The exam was cancelled."
- Formal or scientific writing
- To emphasise the action itself, not who did it
Active → Passive Transformation
➡️
Active
"The teacher explains the grammar rule."
⬅️
Passive
"The grammar rule is explained."
➡️
Active
"Scientists have discovered a planet."
⬅️
Passive
"A planet has been discovered."
⚠️
Common Error
✗ The homework was did. → ✓ The homework was done. — The passive always needs the past participle (done), never the past simple form (did).