The passive: swap the camera.
Same action, different focus. The active looks at who does it; the passive looks at what happens to the thing. See the swap, then test yourself with a short quiz.
The house was painted by Ana.
Passive: the camera swaps to the thing. passive →
Which passive do I need?
Start from what you want to say.
The passive, step by step
From the basic form to the reporting passive.
- my bikewas stolen(someone)How to Form the Passivebe + past participleMy bike was stolen. The report has been sent.
- the resultswill be published(someone)When to Use the Passivethe thing matters more than the doerThe results will be published on Monday.
- this bookwas writtenby my grandmotherThe Passive With Byby + the doer, when it mattersThis book was written by my grandmother.
- Imy haircut(a hairdresser)Have Something Donesomeone does it for youI had my hair cut.
- the castleis said to be haunted(people)It Is Said That…: The Reporting Passiveit is said, he is believed toThe castle is said to be haunted.
The pairs people mix up
You understand it. Now find it in your own writing.
Paste an email or an essay. Clarigram marks the mistakes you actually make, shows the rule behind each one as a picture, and builds your practice from them.
Questions people ask
What is the passive voice?
A way of building a sentence so the thing affected is the subject: The house was painted. In the active, the doer is the subject: Ana painted the house. The action is the same; the focus changes.
How do you form the passive?
be + past participle, with be in the tense you need: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, can be made.
When should I use the passive?
When the thing or the result matters more than who did it, or when the doer is unknown or obvious. It's common in formal writing, news and process descriptions.