The Passive Voice in English: A Helpful Guide


Introduction

📚 Struggling with the passive voice in English? No worries! This guide will walk you through everything you need to know. We’ll help you use it confidently and naturally in your everyday English.

The Basics

The Formula

  • Structure: form of “be” + past participle
  • Examples: is/was/will be + done/written/made

Examples:

  • “The book has been written.”
  • “The house was built last year.”

Tenses

  • Present: is/are + past participle
  • Past: was/were + past participle
  • Future: will be + past participle

Real-world examples:

  • “Dinner is being prepared.”
  • “The letter will be sent tomorrow.”

When to Use the Passive Voice

Common Situations

  • When you don’t know who did something
  • When who did it doesn’t matter
  • In academic or scientific writing
  • In formal procedures

Common Examples

In the Workplace

  • “The contract was signed this morning.”
  • “The project will be finished by Friday.”

Everyday Life

  • “The car is being fixed.”
  • “Dinner is served!”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Typical Errors

❌ “The house build yesterday”

✓ “The house was built yesterday”

Key Points

  • Never forget the form of “be”
  • Always use the past participle
  • Watch out for irregular verbs

Useful Phrases

Describing Actions

  • “This was done by…”
  • “It has been created…”

Instructions

  • “Must be completed by…”
  • “Can be used with…”

Tips for Success

  1. Memorize common irregular verbs
  2. Practice with basic sentences first
  3. Listen to native speakers
  4. Keep track of useful passive structures

Want to Learn More?

You can hear the passive voice used in real converstions on our Secret2English YouTube channel or our website!

Summary

Remember:

  1. Use “be” + past participle
  2. Use it when the doer isn’t important
  3. Learn those irregular verbs

Keep practicing, and you’ll be using the passive voice like a native speaker in no time!




🥇 Top recommendation: The quickest English learners I know all use natural immersion methods. That's exactly what sites like secret2english.com do with their real conversation videos. Nothing beats conversational immersion for rapid English improvement.