Passive

The passive voice is simply a way to change the focus of a sentence from who did an action to what happened.
In an active sentence, the subject is the "doer."
In a passive sentence, the subject is the "receiver."

Voice	Subject	Verb	Object / Receiver	Focus
Active	The dog (doer)	bit	the man.	The dog (Who did it?)
Passive	The man (receiver)	was bitten	(by the dog).	The man (What happened to him?)

The Golden Formula
To build any passive sentence, you only need two things:
Subject + verb "to be" + Past Participle (V3)
The magic of the passive voice is that the main action is always a Past Participle (like eaten, cleaned, broken). To change the tense (past, present, future), you only change the verb "to be".

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Present Simple	The chef cooks the food.	The food is cooked.
Past Simple	The chef cooked the food.	The food was cooked.
Future (Will)	The chef will cook the food.	The food will be cooked.
Future (Going to)	The chef is going to cook the food.	The food is going to be cooked.
Present Continuous	The chef is cooking the food.	The food is being cooked.
Past Continuous	The chef was cooking the food.	The food was being cooked.
Present Perfect	The chef has cooked the food.	The food has been cooked.
Past Perfect	The chef had cooked the food.	The food had been cooked.
Future Perfect	The chef will have cooked the food.	The food will have been cooked.
Modals (Can/Should/Must)	The chef must cook the food.	The food must be cooked.

Teacher's Tip: We rarely use the Perfect Continuous tenses (like Present Perfect Continuous) in the passive voice because it sounds too clunky. "The food has been being cooked" is grammatically possible, but native speakers avoid it!

More Everyday Examples of Why We Use It
Here is a deeper look at the four main reasons native speakers reach for the passive voice, along with everyday examples.
1. We don't know who did the action
When the "doer" is a mystery, the passive voice is your best friend.

My umbrella was taken from the hallway. (Someone took it, but I have no idea who.)
The window had been broken before we arrived. (We don't know who broke it.)
My bike is being repaired right now. (I don't know the specific mechanic doing the work.)

2. It is completely obvious who did it
If everybody already knows who does the action, saying the person's name is just wasted breath.

The criminal was sentenced to ten years in prison. (It is obvious a judge did this.)
The streets are cleaned every morning. (We know the city workers clean them.)
Spanish is spoken in Mexico. (It's obvious that the people of Mexico speak it.)

3. The action or the result is the star of the show
Sometimes, what happened is just much more interesting or important than who did it. We see this all the time in news, science, and history.

A new hospital is being built in our town. (We care about the new hospital, not the construction company building it.)
Penicillin was discovered in 1928. (The discovery changed the world; the fact that Alexander Fleming did it is secondary information.)
Millions of emails are sent every single day. (The scale of the action is the focus.)

4. To be polite, formal, or avoid blaming someone
In business or customer service, using the active voice can sound aggressive or rude. The passive voice softens the blow.

A mistake was made on this invoice. (Much politer than saying "You made a mistake on this invoice!")
Your application has been rejected. (Softer than "We rejected your application.")
The payment will be expected by Friday. (More professional than "You must pay us by Friday.")

Post by **Imre**

The company employs five hundred people.
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.
The committee will announce the winner tomorrow.
The chef is preparing the special menu right now.
They were painting the house when the rain started.
Someone has stolen my bicycle!
The storm had destroyed the bridge before we arrived.
By next week, the team will have finished the project.
You must wear safety glasses in the laboratory.
The city is going to build a new park next year.
The teacher gave the students a difficult test.
Millions of people speak English around the world.
The mechanic fixed my car yesterday.
Students should submit their assignments by Friday.
We have cancelled the meeting.
The dog was chasing the cat.
A famous architect will design the new museum.
Someone had eaten all the cookies before I got home.
You can buy tickets online.
The kids are watching a movie in the living room.

Post by **Imre**

Tense	Active Question	Passive Question
Present Simple	Does the chef cook the food?	Is the food cooked (by the chef)?
Past Simple	Did someone steal the car?	Was the car stolen?
Future (Will)	Will they finish the project?	Will the project be finished?
Present Perfect	Has he fed the dog?	Has the dog been fed?
Wh- Question	Where do they make these shoes?	Where are these shoes made?

The Master Practice Quiz

Do they deliver the mail in the morning?
Did Shakespeare write Hamlet?
Will the company hire new employees next month?
Are the mechanics fixing my car right now?
Have they announced the test results yet?
Who broke this antique vase?
Can the students use calculators during the math exam?
Why did the teacher cancel the class?
Were the kids making a lot of noise?
Had someone locked the door before the robbery?
How do you cook this dish?
Where did they hide the treasure?
Is the city building a new bridge over the river?
Should we tell the boss about the mistake?
Will the heavy snow delay our flight?
Has the doctor examined the patient?
What did the thieves steal from the museum?
Who will give the presentation tomorrow?
Do they test all the products for safety?
Are they going to tear down the old cinema?

Post by **Imre**

People speak English all over the world.
Farmers grow coffee in Brazil.
Chefs clean the kitchen every night.
Mechanics repair cars in this garage.
They sell fresh bread at the bakery.
People play football in many countries.
The teacher checks our homework.
Tourists take many photos of the castle.
They make these shoes in Italy.
People lock the gates at 10 PM.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Beethoven wrote this famous song.
Someone stole my bicycle yesterday.
The artist painted that beautiful picture in 1995.
The workers built this house ten years ago.
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
The police caught the thief last night.
My mother baked a delicious cake for my birthday.
They invited hundreds of guests to the wedding.
The storm damaged several houses last week.

Post by **Imre**

You can speak English in this class.
Students must finish their homework on time.
People should wear masks in the hospital.
You can bake delicious bread in this oven.
Drivers must obey traffic rules.
Children should drink milk every day.
You can find cheap tickets online.
Everyone must clean their rooms.
You should wash fruits before eating them.
People can play football in the park.
You must lock the front door at night.
Teachers should help students with difficult questions.
You can buy fresh vegetables at the market.
Citizens must pay taxes every year.
You should read this interesting book.
Anyone can use this computer.
We must protect wild animals.
You should check your answers before submitting the test.
People can hear the music from outside.
You must park cars in the designated area.

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Post by **Imre**

The company is going to release a new smartphone next month.
They will build a new school in our neighborhood.
The teacher is going to give us a test tomorrow.
Chefs will prepare a special dinner for the party.
The mechanic is going to fix my car on Monday.
Millions of people will watch the final match.
The city is going to plant many trees in the park.
Someone will clean the office this evening.
The artist is going to paint a large mural downtown.
They will deliver the furniture on Friday.
The library is going to host a big book fair.
The government will announce the new rules soon.
My friend is going to bake a cake for my birthday.
The police will catch the thieves.
The students are going to perform a play next week.
The company will hire ten new workers.
The doctor is going to examine the patient.
They will close the old bridge next year.
The tour guide is going to show us the ancient castle.
The storm will damage several houses tonight.

[hr]

Post by **Imre**

The chef is cooking dinner in the restaurant kitchen.
The mechanic is repairing my car right now.
Students are writing essays in the classroom.
Workers are building a new bridge across the river.
The artist is painting a beautiful portrait of a woman.
Someone is cleaning the windows of our office.
Farmers are harvesting vegetables on the farm.
The teacher is explaining a difficult grammar rule.
They are delivering packages to the houses on this street.
The library is hosting a special event this afternoon.
The storm was damaging several buildings when we arrived.
Someone was stealing bicycles in the neighborhood last week.
The police were questioning the suspect at the station.
Chefs were preparing a huge feast for the wedding.
My mother was baking cookies when I got home.
The city council was planting new trees along the main avenue.
Students were performing a play on the school stage.
The doctor was examining the patient in room four.
Tourists were taking pictures of the old monument.
The company was releasing a new update for the software.

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