Passive Voice in English

The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the person or thing performing it, or when the doer is unknown or unnecessary.

It is extremely common in formal English, news articles, scientific writing, business communication, and everyday conversations.

What is the passive voice?

Compare these two sentences:

Active Voice

✔ The manager approved the proposal.

Passive Voice

✔ The proposal was approved by the manager.

In the passive voice, the focus changes from the person doing the action to the object receiving the action.

How to form the passive voice

The passive is formed with:

Subject + be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Examples:

✔ The report was finished yesterday.

✔ The emails are sent every morning.

✔ The project will be completed next week.

✔ The meeting has been postponed.

Active vs. Passive

Active Passive
Someone stole my bike. My bike was stolen.
They built the bridge in 2010. The bridge was built in 2010.
The company hired a new employee. A new employee was hired.
We will announce the results tomorrow. The results will be announced tomorrow.

Notice that the agent ("by someone") is often omitted because it is obvious or unimportant.

Passive voice in different tenses

Present Simple

✔ They clean the office every day.

→ The office is cleaned every day.

Past Simple

✔ They repaired the computer.

→ The computer was repaired.

Present Continuous

✔ They are building a new hospital.

→ A new hospital is being built.

Present Perfect

✔ They have cancelled the meeting.

→ The meeting has been cancelled.

Future Simple

✔ They will deliver the package tomorrow.

→ The package will be delivered tomorrow.

Modal Verbs

✔ You must wear a badge.

→ A badge must be worn.

✔ We should finish the report today.

→ The report should be finished today.

When do we use the passive voice?

1. When the doer is unknown

✔ My wallet was stolen.

(We don't know who stole it.)

2. When the doer is not important

✔ English is spoken all over the world.

3. In formal writing

✔ Applications must be submitted before Friday.

✔ Safety procedures should be followed at all times.

4. In business English

✔ Your request has been received.

✔ Payment has been processed.

✔ The contract was signed yesterday.

Common mistakes

Forgetting the verb "be"

❌ The report finished yesterday.

✔ The report was finished yesterday.

Using the wrong participle

❌ The project was complete yesterday.

✔ The project was completed yesterday.

Using the passive when the active is clearer

Sometimes the active voice is more natural.

Passive:

✔ The decision was made by the CEO.

Active:

✔ The CEO made the decision.

In everyday conversation, the active voice is often preferred unless you want to emphasize the action.

Passive with "by"

Use by only when the person or thing performing the action is important.

✔ Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

✔ The presentation was prepared by our marketing team.

Often, by is unnecessary.

✔ The package was delivered this morning.

Quick summary

Tense Passive Structure
Present Simple is / are + past participle
Past Simple was / were + past participle
Present Continuous is / are being + past participle
Present Perfect has / have been + past participle
Future will be + past participle
Modal Verbs modal + be + past participle

Advanced Passive Structures

English also uses the passive voice with reporting verbs such as:

• believe
• think
• say
• expect
• know
• consider
• report
• suppose
• understand
• estimate

These structures are very common in newspapers, academic writing, and professional English.

1. Subject + Passive Reporting Verb + Infinitive

This structure focuses on the person or thing being discussed.

Examples:

✔ He is believed to live in London.

✔ She is expected to arrive tomorrow.

✔ The company is considered one of the best in the industry.

✔ The project is thought to be successful.

✔ They are known to work long hours.

✔ The medicine is said to be effective.

This structure sounds much more natural than using "People say..." or "Everyone thinks...".

2. It + Passive Reporting Verb + That Clause

Another common way to report information is:

It + passive verb + that...

Examples:

✔ It is believed that he lives in London.

✔ It is expected that sales will increase next year.

✔ It is thought that the economy will recover soon.

✔ It is reported that several employees resigned.

✔ It is estimated that the project will cost two million dollars.

Compare the two structures

Both sentences have the same meaning.

✔ He is believed to be innocent.

✔ It is believed that he is innocent.

✔ The company is expected to grow rapidly.

✔ It is expected that the company will grow rapidly.

The first structure is generally more concise and is often preferred in formal English.

Common Reporting Verbs

Believe: She is believed to live abroad.
Expect: They are expected to arrive soon.
Think: He is thought to be very wealthy.
Know: She is known to speak five languages.
Consider: This software is considered reliable.
Report: Two people are reported to be missing.
Say: The restaurant is said to be excellent.
Suppose: He is supposed to start next week.
Estimate: Losses are estimated to exceed one million dollars.
Understand: The CEO is understood to have resigned.

Be supposed to

Although it looks similar, be supposed to has a different meaning. It usually expresses expectation, obligation, or what is intended to happen, rather than reporting information.

Examples:

✔ I'm supposed to finish this report today.

✔ You're supposed to wear a badge.

✔ The train is supposed to arrive at 8:30.

Notice the difference:

He is supposed to arrive at 9:00.
(Expected or scheduled.)

He is believed to be in Paris.
(People believe this is true.)

Common Mistakes

❌ It is supposed that he will arrive at 9.

Although grammatically possible, native speakers almost always say:

✔ He is supposed to arrive at 9.

Or, if you mean "people believe":

✔ It is believed that he will arrive at 9.

Practice

Final tip

The passive voice is especially useful in professional English because it allows you to sound more formal and objective. You'll hear it frequently in meetings, reports, emails, contracts, company policies, and news articles. Mastering it will make both your spoken and written English sound more natural and professional.