🍒👑Using the Passive Voice with Different Tenses👑🍒
We can use passive voice with most tenses.
To change the tense of a passive sentence, you change the form of the verb 'be'.
The main verb in a passive sentence is always in the past participle form.
Using the Passive Voice with Different Tenses
Tense
Active Voice
Passive Voice
💎Present Simple
James writes the letters.
The letters are written by James.
💎Past Simple
James wrote the letters.
The letters were written by James.
💎Present Continuous
James is writing the letters.
The letters are being written by James.
Present Perfect
James has written the letters.
The letters have been written by James.
💎Future Simple (going to)
James is going to write the letters.
The letters are going to be written by James.
💎Future Simple (will)
James will write the letters.
The letters will be written by James.
💎Past Continuous
James was writing the letters.
The letters were being written by James.
Past Perfect
The scientists had found the cure, but it was too late.
The cure had been found, but it was too late.
💎Future Perfect
The scientists will have found a cure by then.
A cure will have been found by then.
It is uncommon to use the passive voice with the following tenses:
💎Present Perfect Continous;
💎Future Continuous;
💎Future Perfect Continous;
💎Past Perfect Continous.
If we used the passive voice for these tenses, we would have two forms of the verb 'be' together.
This makes the sentence awkward and confusing.
We make the present perfect continuous tense in the active voice like this:
subject + have + been + verb (-ing)
The present perfect continuous tense in the passive voice would look like this:
subject + have + been + being + past participle
👑Active and Passive Voice: Tense-wise Rules👑
Simple Present tense
An Active sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Subject + first form of the verb + object
A passive sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Object of the active sentence + is/am/are + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active sentence
Changing an assertive sentence into the passive
Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I help you.
Passive: You are helped by me.
Active: I love my parents.
Passive: My parents are loved by me.
Active: We love our country.
Passive: Our country is loved by us.
Changing a negative sentence into the passive
Active: I do not write a letter.
Passive: A letter is not written by me.
Active: I do not abuse my servants.
Passive: My servants are not abused by me.
Active: I do not write novels.
Passive: Novels are not written by me.
Active: He does not tease her.
Passive: She is not teased by him.
Changing an interrogative sentence into the passive
Structure: Is/are/am + object of the active verb + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the passive verb
Active: Do you write a letter?
Passive: Is a letter written by you?
Active: Do you write stories?
Passive: Are stories written by you?
Active: Does she make candles?
Passive: Are candles made by her?
Active: Who does not obey you?
Passive: By whom are you not obeyed?
Active: Which newspaper do you read?
Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
Active: Does she do her duty?
Passive: Is her duty done by her?
Notes:
The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb.
Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive.
The following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not have objects.
The old man sat in a corner.
The child sleeps.
The wind blows.
The dog barks.
The fire burns.
He laughed aloud.
👑Passive Verb Tense👑
What do they mean?
Passive verb tenses identify the time of the action in your sentences. Make sure not to confuse passive verb tenses with the passive voice. While writing in the passive voice requires the use of passive verb tenses, tenses refer to the time of the action, and voice refers to how verbs function with respect to a sentence’s subject. Writing in the passive voice is only accomplished through the use of passive verb tenses, with each identifying when in time the passive action takes place.
How are they created?
Passive verb tenses are created by using the past participle form (expresses passive action) of a verb preceded with a “to be” verb. Sometimes linking verbs are used as well. For most regular verbs, the past participle is created by adding “en” or “ed” to the end of the verb. The ending for irregular verbs differs depending on the verb’s past participle form. When using passive tense verbs, the object of the verb is what is receiving the action of the verb. The subject of the verb is not always present in the sentence, and when it is included, it generally appears later in the sentence.
💎Simple present passive tense
Simple present tense signifies a current action that is habitual, a generalization or something that is a timeless fact. To create the passive form in this tense, “am,” “is” or “are” is used in conjunction with the past participle form of the verb.
Example 1: The students are taught by finding solutions to real-world problems.
Example 2: She is beaten by the runner from the school’s biggest rival.
Example 3: All citizens are considered equal under the U.S. Constitution.
💎Present perfect passive tense
Present perfect tense shows an action that takes place in the past but is relevant to the present or flows into the present. To create the passive form in this tense, “has been” or “have been” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 4: The dancers have been notified regarding their acceptance into the program.
💎Present progressive passive tense
The present progressive tense shows an action that is temporary or an ongoing activity. The passive form of this verb tense is created by using “am being,” “is being” or “are being” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 5: The purses are being manufactured overseas.
💎Simple past passive tense
The simple past tense shows a general or habitual action that occurred in the past, sometimes at a specific time. The passive form of this verb tense is created by using “was” or “were” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 6: The students were reprimanded by the principal for their actions.
💎Past perfect passive tense
The past perfect tense signifies an action that happened prior to a certain time or prior to a separate action in the past. The passive form of this tense is created by using “had been” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 7: The students had been excited about the meeting since the idea formed for it.
💎Past progressive passive tense
The past progressive tense signifies an action that is ongoing in the past or one that continues through a certain time in the past. The passive form of this tense is created by using “was being” or “were being” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 8: The teachers were being excluded from the student meeting.
💎Simple future passive tense
The simple future tense notates an action that is expected to take place at some point in the future. One way the passive form of this tense is created is by using “will be” followed by the past participle form of the verb. Another way the passive form of this tense is created is by using “am going to be,” “is going to be” or “are going to be” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 9: Sarah’s grades will be posted at the end of the semester.
Example 10: Sarah’s grades are going to be posted at the end of the semester.
💎Future perfect passive tense
The future perfect tense notates an action that is completed in the future prior to another future action or period in time. The passive form of the tense is created by using “will have been” followed by the past participle form of the verb.
Example 11: The economy will have been improved by more careful lending practices.
💎Future progressive passive tense
The future progressive tense identifies an action that is going to occur in the future with an emphasis on an action that is continuing. It forms an awkward construction that is rarely used, but it if formed by using “will be being” in front of the past participle of the verb.
Example 12: Your laundry will be being washed when you go home over spring break.
👑Examples of Active and Passive Voice👑
Active voice describes a sentence where the subject performs the action stated by the verb. In passive voice sentences, the subject is acted upon by the verb. Check out the examples below. Need more explanation? Check out the YourDictionary Active vs. Passive Voice infographic for an easy-to-understand visual explanation.
Sentences in Active and Passive Voice
Here are examples of sentences written in both the active voice and the passive voice, with the active voice sentence appearing first:
Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active)
At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive)
Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. (active)
The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. (passive)
Sue changed the flat tire. (active)
The flat tire was changed by Sue. (passive)
We are going to watch a movie tonight. (active)
A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (passive)
I ran the obstacle course in record time. (active)
The obstacle course was run by me in record time. (passive)
The crew paved the entire stretch of highway. (active)
The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew. (passive)
Mom read the novel in one day. (active)
The novel was read by Mom in one day. (passive)
The critic wrote a scathing review. (active)
A scathing review was written by the critic. (passive)
I will clean the house every Saturday. (active)
The house will be cleaned by me every Saturday. (passive)
The staff is required to watch a safety video every year. (active)
A safety video will be watched by the staff every year. (passive)
She faxed her application for a new job. (active)
The application for a new job was faxed by her. (passive)
Tom painted the entire house. (active)
The entire house was painted by Tom. (passive)
The teacher always answers the students’ questions. (active)
The students’ questions are always answered by the teacher. (passive)
The choir really enjoys that piece. (active)
That piece is really enjoyed by the choir. (passive)
Who taught you to ski? (active)
By whom were you taught to ski? (passive)
The forest fire destroyed the whole suburb. (active)
The whole suburb was destroyed by the forest fire. (passive)
The two kings are signing the treaty. (active)
The treaty is being signed by the two kings. (passive)
The cleaning crew vacuums and dusts the office every night. (active)
Every night the office is vacuumed and dusted by the cleaning crew. (passive)
Larry generously donated money to the homeless shelter. (active)
Money was generously donated to the homeless shelter by Larry. (passive)
No one responded to my sales ad. (active)
My sales ad was not responded to by anyone. (passive)
The wedding planner is making all the reservations. (active)
All the reservations will be made by the wedding planner. (passive)
Susan will bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale. (active)
For the bake sale, two dozen cookies will be baked by Susan. (passive)
The science class viewed the comet. (active)
The comet was viewed by the science class. (passive)
Who ate the last cookie? (active)
The last cookie was eaten by whom? (passive)
Alex posted the video on Facebook. (active)
The video was posted on Facebook by Alex. (passive)
The director will give you instructions. (active)
Instructions will be given to you by the director. (passive)
Thousands of tourists view the Grand Canyon every year. (active)
The Grand Canyon is viewed by thousands of tourists every year. (passive)
The homeowners remodeled the house to help it sell. (active)
The house was remodeled by the homeowners to help it sell. (passive)
The team will celebrate their victory tomorrow. (active)
The victory will be celebrated by the team tomorrow. (passive)
The saltwater eventually corroded the metal beams. (active)
The metal beams were eventually corroded by the saltwater. (passive)
The kangaroo carried her baby in her pouch. (active)
The baby was carried by the kangaroo in her pouch. (passive)
Some people raise sugar cane in Hawaii. (active)
Sugar cane is raised by some people in Hawaii. (passive)
These sentences illustrate how different the same sentence can sound when written in active or passive voice. Generally, it's better to write in the active voice. It's clearer and more direct. Passive voice sentences tend to be more wordy and vague but can still be useful in some situations, such as formal or scientific writing.
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