Passive Voice: Top 15 Key Points

Understanding the passive voice is important for emphasizing the action or the object of the action rather than the subject. This guide covers the top 15 key points about passive voice in English.

No.	Key Point	Explanation	Examples
1	Basic Structure	Formed by the verb 'to be' + past participle.	"The book was read by her." "A new mall is being built in the city."
2	When to Use Passive	Used when the focus is on the action, not the doer, or when the doer is unknown.	"The window was broken." (doer unknown) "The novel was written by J.K. Rowling." (focus on the novel)
3	Passive with 'by' Phrase	The 'by' phrase indicates who performed the action. It can be omitted if the doer is unknown or unimportant.	"The cake was eaten by the children." "The letter was written." (doer not mentioned)
4	Passive in Different Tenses	Passive voice can be used in different tenses by changing the form of 'to be'.	"The cake is made." (present) "The cake was made." (past) "The cake will be made." (future)
5	Passive with Modals	Can be used with modal verbs.	"The cake can be made by her." "The rules must be followed."
6	Passive with Reporting Verbs	Often used in reported speech or formal writing.	"It is said that he is a genius." "The project was completed, as reported by the manager."
7	Passive for Formality	Used for a more formal tone in writing.	"The decision has been made." "Investigations are being conducted."
8	Avoiding Passive Overuse	While useful, it should not be overused, as it can make writing cumbersome and vague.	Overused: "The door was opened by him." Better: "He opened the door."
9	Passive Voice in Scientific Writing	Common in scientific or technical writing to focus on the process or object.	"The experiment was conducted at room temperature."
10	Changing Active to Passive	The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.	Active: "She wrote the book." Passive: "The book was written by her."
11	Passive with Infinitives	Passive infinitives are used after modal verbs or verbs usually followed by infinitives.	"She is expected to be promoted." "The new model is believed to be faster."
12	Passive with Gerunds	Passive gerunds can be used after prepositions or verbs followed by gerunds.	"The child is interested in being read to."
13	Using 'Get' in Passive	Informal alternative to 'be' in passive constructions.	"She got hired by the company." "He got promoted last year."
14	Passive in Questions	Passive voice can be used in questions.	"Was the book written by her?" "Are the rules being followed?"
15	Using Passive for Objectivity	Provides an objective tone by focusing on the action rather than the actor.	"Results are analyzed in this section." "The decision was made based on the data."