English Grammar: Passive Voice

Passive Voice: Verb Forms

Basic Forms

• The passive voice is formed using a form of the verb "to be" (in the present, past, or past perfect tense) and the past participle of the main verb.

Present Simple Passive

• Form: am/is/are + past participle
• Examples:
  • The ball is thrown by John. (The subject "ball" receives the action of the verb "throw".)
  • The new employee is trained by the HR department.

Past Simple Passive

• Form: was/were + past participle
• Examples:
  • The play was performed at the theater. (The subject "play" receives the action of the verb "perform".)
  • The package was delivered yesterday.

Past Perfect Passive

• Form: had been + past participle
• Examples:
  • The project had been completed by the deadline. (The subject "project" receives the action of the verb "complete".)
  • The new policy had been announced by the CEO.

Future Simple Passive

• Form: will be + past participle
• Examples:
  • The new product will be launched next month. (The subject "product" receives the action of the verb "launch".)
  • The report will be presented at the meeting.

Future Perfect Passive

• Form: will have been + past participle
• Examples:
  • The construction will have been finished by next year. (The subject "construction" receives the action of the verb "finish".)
  • The research will have been published by the time the conference starts.

Passive Infinitive

• Form: to be + past participle
• Examples:
  • The book is expected to be published next year. (The subject "book" receives the action of the verb "publish".)
  • The new employee is going to be trained by the HR department.

Passive Voice: Verb Forms

• The passive voice is formed using a form of the verb "to be" (in the present, past, or past perfect tense) and the past participle of the main verb.

Present Simple Passive

• Form: am/is/are + past participle
• Examples:
  • The ball is thrown by John (subject "ball" receives the action of the verb "throw")
  • The new employee is trained by the HR department

Past Simple Passive

• Form: was/were + past participle
• Examples:
  • The play was performed at the theater (subject "play" receives the action of the verb "perform")
  • The package was delivered yesterday

Past Perfect Passive

• Form: had been + past participle
• Examples:
  • The project had been completed by the deadline (subject "project" receives the action of the verb "complete")
  • The new policy had been announced by the CEO

Future Simple Passive

• Form: will be + past participle
• Examples:
  • The new product will be launched next month (subject "product" receives the action of the verb "launch")
  • The report will be presented at the meeting

Future Perfect Passive

• Form: will have been + past participle
• Examples:
  • The construction will have been finished by next year (subject "construction" receives the action of the verb "finish")
  • The research will have been published by the time the conference starts

Passive Infinitive

• Form: to be + past participle
• Examples:
  • The book is expected to be published next year (subject "book" receives the action of the verb "publish")
  • The new employee is going to be trained by the HR department

Sentence Structure

• Active voice: Subject performs the action described by the verb, e.g., "The dog bites the man."
• Passive voice: Subject receives the action described by the verb, e.g., "The man was bitten by the dog."

Voice in Writing Styles

• Active voice is typically used in:
  • Informative writing
  • Persuasive writing
  • Can be more engaging and easier to read
• Passive voice is often used in:
  • Scientific writing
  • Academic writing
  • Technical writing
  • Can be useful for emphasizing the action rather than the doer

Clauses and Phrases

• Independent clauses:
  • Contain a subject and a predicate
  • Can stand alone as a complete sentence
• Dependent clauses:
  • Do not contain a complete thought
  • Begin with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., because, although, if)
• Phrases:
  • Do not contain a subject or predicate
  • Function as a single part of speech (e.g., noun phrase, verb phrase)

Verb Conjugation

• Active voice verb conjugation:
  • Follows standard verb conjugation patterns
  • Changes depending on the subject (e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they)
• Passive voice verb conjugation:
  • Typically uses a form of "to be" (e.g., is, was, were) combined with the past participle
  • Changes depending on the subject (e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they)

Subject-Verb Agreement

• In both active and passive voices:
  • Singular subjects take singular verbs
  • Plural subjects take plural verbs
• Active voice subject-verb agreement: The subject performs the action, so the verb agrees with the subject
• Passive voice subject-verb agreement: The subject receives the action, so the verb agrees with the subject