What is the difference between 'was writing' and 'was written'?

'Was writing' is past continuous active. The subject was doing the action. 'Was written' is past simple passive. The subject received the action. 'Shakespeare was writing Hamlet' (he was working on it). 'Hamlet was written by Shakespeare' (the play received the action).

Can I use passive voice without 'by'?

Yes. Many passive sentences do not include the agent. 'My car was stolen' is fine if you do not know who stole it. 'English is spoken worldwide' works without mentioning who speaks it. Only include 'by' when the doer is important.

How do I make questions in the passive voice?

Move the 'be' verb before the subject. 'The cake was baked' becomes 'Was the cake baked?' 'The reports have been finished' becomes 'Have the reports been finished?' For questions with 'who' or 'what': 'Who was the book written by?' or 'What was delivered this morning?'

Grammar Guide - Updated June 2026

Passive Voice: Rules, Examples and How to Use It

Learn when and how to use the passive voice in English. Clear explanations, tense tables, common mistakes, and practice exercises for all levels.

What is Passive Voice?

In English, we can say things in two ways: active voice and passive voice. The active voice focuses on who does the action. The passive voice focuses on what receives the action.

ACTIVE (who does it)

Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

Focus on Shakespeare (the doer)

PASSIVE (what gets the action)

Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

Focus on Hamlet (the receiver)

The structure of passive voice is: subject + be (conjugated) + past participle (+ by agent). The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Active vs Passive: Side by Side

This table shows how the same idea changes from active to passive. Notice how the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Active (who does it)	Passive (what receives the action)
The chef cooks the meal.	The meal is cooked by the chef.
The students completed the project.	The project was completed by the students.
Someone stole my phone.	My phone was stolen.
The company will launch a new app.	A new app will be launched by the company.
Millions of people speak English.	English is spoken by millions of people.

Quick tip: Not every passive sentence needs "by + agent". If the doer is unknown or obvious, you can leave it out. "My phone was stolen" is fine. "My phone was stolen by someone" is unnecessary.

When to Use Passive Voice

Many teachers tell you to avoid the passive voice. But the passive is useful in specific situations. Here is when it works best.

1. Scientific and academic writing

Scientists use passive voice to focus on the experiment, not the researcher. "The mixture was heated to 50 degrees" sounds more objective than "I heated the mixture."

2. The doer is unknown or not important

"My bike was stolen last night" works because you do not know who stole it. "The window was broken" works because who broke it is less important than the broken window.

3. Formal and official language

Signs, announcements, and official documents often use passive. "Passengers are requested to fasten their seatbelts" sounds more formal than "We request passengers to fasten their seatbelts."

4. Emphasis on the action itself

When the action matters more than who did it: "A cure for the disease was discovered in 2020." The discovery matters, not who discovered it.

5. General truths and facts

"English is spoken around the world" focuses on the fact, not on the people who speak it. "The bridge was built in 1995" focuses on the bridge, not the builders.

When NOT to Use Passive Voice

The passive voice is not always the right choice. Here are three cases where active voice is better.

1. When you want clear, direct writing

Passive can make sentences long and unclear. "The ball was kicked by John" is weaker than "John kicked the ball." Use active for stronger, clearer sentences.

Before: A decision was made to close the office.
After: The manager decided to close the office.

2. In creative and persuasive writing

Stories, advertisements, and personal writing need energy. Passive voice sounds flat and indirect. Active voice keeps readers engaged.

Before: The dragon was defeated by the knight.
After: The knight defeated the dragon.

3. When the doer is the most important part

If you want to highlight who performed the action, use active voice. "Einstein developed the theory of relativity" is better than "The theory of relativity was developed by Einstein."

Passive Voice in All Tenses

The passive voice changes form depending on the tense. The rule is always the same: be + past participle. But "be" changes to match the tense.

Tense	Active	Passive
Simple Present	Someone cleans the room.	The room is cleaned.
Present Continuous	Someone is cleaning the room.	The room is being cleaned.
Present Perfect	Someone has cleaned the room.	The room has been cleaned.
Simple Past	Someone cleaned the room.	The room was cleaned.
Past Continuous	Someone was cleaning the room.	The room was being cleaned.
Past Perfect	Someone had cleaned the room.	The room had been cleaned.
Simple Future (will)	Someone will clean the room.	The room will be cleaned.
Future (going to)	Someone is going to clean the room.	The room is going to be cleaned.
With Modals	Someone must clean the room.	The room must be cleaned.

Pattern to remember: The past participle always stays the same (cleaned). Only the "be" verb changes to show the tense. Once you learn the past participles, you just need to choose the right form of "be".

Passive with Modal Verbs

Modal verbs (can, must, should, might, could, may) combine with passive voice to express possibility, obligation, or permission. The structure is: modal + be + past participle.

Modal	Active	Passive	Meaning
Can	We can solve this problem.	This problem can be solved.	ability / possibility
Must	You must finish the report.	The report must be finished.	obligation
Should	You should check the results.	The results should be checked.	recommendation
Might / Could	They might cancel the event.	The event might be cancelled.	possibility
May	You may use this computer.	This computer may be used.	permission
Have to	We have to finish this today.	This has to be finished today.	necessity

To make modal passive sentences negative, add "not" after the modal: "This cannot be fixed today." "The rules should not be ignored." For past modals, use: modal + have been + past participle. Example: "The letter should have been sent yesterday."

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8 Common Mistakes with Passive Voice

Even advanced English learners make these mistakes. Watch out for these common errors when using the passive voice.

Wrong past participle

The most common mistake. "Was wrote" instead of "was written." Always use the past participle (third form), not the past simple.

Wrong: The email was wrote yesterday.
Right: The email was written yesterday.

Forgetting "be" in the passive form

Passive always needs a form of "be." Some learners skip it and use only the past participle.

Wrong: The cake baked by my mother.
Right: The cake was baked by my mother.

Overusing passive in informal writing

Passive sounds formal and distant. In emails, chats, and casual writing, active voice is more natural and friendly.

Too formal: A meeting was scheduled for Friday by the team.
Better: The team scheduled a meeting for Friday.

Confusing active and passive meaning

Sometimes the sentence structure is passive but the meaning is active. "I am interested in music" is not passive.

Not passive: I am interested in learning English. (adjective)
Passive: I was interested by the teacher's explanation. (action)

Double passive

Some verbs cannot be used in the passive twice in a row. This creates awkward, unnatural sentences.

Awkward: The package is attempted to be delivered.
Better: Someone is attempting to deliver the package.

Using passive with intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs (verbs without an object) cannot take passive form. You cannot say "was happened" or "was arrived."

Wrong: The accident was happened last night.
Right: The accident happened last night.

Missing "by" when the agent matters

If the doer is important to the meaning, include "by + agent." "Hamlet was written" is incomplete if the quiz asks who wrote it.

Incomplete: The iPhone was invented.
Complete: The iPhone was invented by Apple.

Wrong tense of "be" in the passive

Each tense requires a specific form of "be." "Is been" and "was being" for simple tenses are common errors.

Wrong: The house is been painted.
Right: The house is being painted.

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding of passive voice. Click on each exercise to reveal the answer.

Transform these active sentences into passive.

The chef prepares the dinner. The dinner is prepared by the chef.
The students wrote the essays. The essays were written by the students.
Someone has stolen my bag. My bag has been stolen.
The company will launch a new product. A new product will be launched by the company.
They are building a new hospital. A new hospital is being built.

Complete each sentence with the correct passive form.

English __________ (speak) around the world. is spoken
The letter __________ (send) yesterday. was sent
The report __________ (not/finish) yet. has not been finished
The window __________ (break) by a ball. was broken
This room __________ (clean) every day. is cleaned

Rewrite these active modal sentences into passive.

You must finish this project today. This project must be finished today.
We can solve this problem easily. This problem can be solved easily.
You should check the results carefully. The results should be checked carefully.
They might cancel the flight. The flight might be cancelled.
You may use this computer. This computer may be used.

The meeting __________ at 3 PM. (cancelled / was cancelled) was cancelled
The manager __________ the report. (wrote / was written) wrote
The cake __________ by my sister. (made / was made) was made
They __________ the building in 2010. (built / were built) built
All tickets __________ before the show. (sold / were sold) were sold

Each sentence has one mistake with passive voice.

The window was broke by the boy. The window was broken by the boy.
The project is finish by the team. The project is finished by the team.
The house is been painted right now. The house is being painted right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Passive voice is not grammatically wrong. It is a style choice. Use passive when the action or receiver is more important than the doer. Use active for clearer, stronger writing. Good writers use both.

No. Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be passive. Intransitive verbs like happen, arrive, sleep, and die do not have objects and cannot be used in passive form.

Three steps: (1) Move the object of the active sentence to the subject position. (2) Change the verb to "be + past participle" in the same tense. (3) Add "by + subject" if the doer is important.

"Was writing" is past continuous active. The subject was doing the action. "Was written" is past simple passive. The subject received the action.

Yes. Many passive sentences do not include the agent. "My car was stolen" is fine if you do not know who stole it. Only include "by" when the doer is important.

Move the "be" verb before the subject. "The cake was baked" becomes "Was the cake baked?" For questions with "who" or "what": "Who was the book written by?"

Related Grammar Guides

Present Simple: Rules, Examples and Exercises Past Tense: Rules, Examples and Exercises Modal Verbs: Rules, Examples and Exercises

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