What is the Passive Voice and How is it Formed?
The passive voice changes the focus of a sentence. Instead of focusing on the person or thing doing the action (the agent), it focuses on the person or thing receiving the action.
The basic structure for the passive voice is always a form of the verb ‘be’ + the past participle of the main verb.
- In an active sentence, the subject performs the action: The company launched a new product.
- In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action: A new product was launched by the company.
The verb ‘be’ changes tense to match the original active sentence. For example:
- Present Simple: is/are + past participle (English is spoken here.)
- Past Simple: was/were + past participle (The letter was sent yesterday.)
- Present Perfect: has/have been + past participle (The report has been finished.)
- Future Simple: will be + past participle (The project will be completed soon.)
- Modals: modal + be + past participle (The problem can be solved.)
When Should You Use the Passive Voice?
At C1 level, using the passive voice correctly shows advanced control of English. It is often preferred in specific situations:
- When the agent (the doer) is unknown or unimportant:
- My car was stolen last night. (We don't know who stole it.)
- The decision has been made. (Who made it is not important here.)
- When the agent is obvious or general:
- He was arrested for shoplifting. (Only the police can arrest someone.)
- Taxes are paid annually. (Everyone knows people pay taxes.)
- In formal, academic, or scientific writing:
- To maintain an objective tone and focus on processes or results.
- The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.
- New evidence has been presented to support the theory.
- To avoid naming the agent:
- When you want to be polite or avoid blame.
- Mistakes were made during the planning stage. (Instead of "You made mistakes.")
- To keep the subject consistent:
- When the topic of the sentence is the same across several sentences, using the passive can help maintain flow.
If you need to mention the agent, use the preposition 'by': The novel was written by Gabriel García Márquez.
Advanced Passive Structures for C1 English
C1 learners should be comfortable with more complex passive constructions, especially those involving reporting verbs.
- Impersonal Passive with It:
- Used with verbs like say, believe, think, know, report, expect, understand.
- Structure: It + passive reporting verb + that + clause.
- It is believed that the economy will improve next year.
- It has been reported that the meeting was postponed.
- Personal Passive with Infinitive:
- Also used with reporting verbs, but the subject of the that-clause becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Structure: Subject + passive reporting verb + infinitive (to be / to have been).
- The economy is believed to improve next year. (Same meaning as the impersonal passive example above.)
- The meeting was reported to have been postponed. (Use to have been for past actions.)
- He is known to be a brilliant scientist.
- Passive with verbs that take two objects:
- Verbs like give, offer, tell, send, show, teach, promise, pay can form two passive sentences.
- You can make either the direct or indirect object the subject.
- Active: They gave her a promotion.
- Passive 1 (indirect object as subject): She was given a promotion.
- Passive 2 (direct object as subject): A promotion was given to her.
- Passive with Phrasal Verbs:
- The preposition or adverb remains part of the verb.
- Active: They called off the meeting.
- Passive: The meeting was called off.
- Active: Someone broke into my house.
- Passive: My house was broken into.
| Tense | Active Example | Passive Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars. | Cars are made. |
| Present Continuous | They are making cars. | Cars are being made. |
| Past Simple | They made cars. | Cars were made. |
| Past Continuous | They were making cars. | Cars were being made. |
| Present Perfect | They have made cars. | Cars have been made. |
| Past Perfect | They had made cars. | Cars had been made. |
| Future Simple (will) | They will make cars. | Cars will be made. |
| Future (going to) | They are going to make cars. | Cars are going to be made. |
| Modals | They must make cars. | Cars must be made. |
| Modal Perfect | They should have made cars. | Cars should have been made. |
例
- The new policy is being implemented across all departments.
- It is widely understood that climate change poses a significant threat.
- The ancient ruins are believed to have been built over 2,000 years ago.
- Several key findings were highlighted in the research paper.
- He was awarded a scholarship for his outstanding academic achievements.
- The project should have been completed by now.
- All necessary precautions had been taken before the experiment began.
- The suspect is reported to be assisting the police with their inquiries.
- The problem could have been avoided if better planning had been done.
- The new software will be installed next week.
練習
スペイン語話者がよく犯す間違い
Spanish speakers often make specific errors when using the English passive voice due to differences between the languages.
- Incorrect use of 'be' verb:
- Spanish uses 'ser' for passive. Sometimes learners mistakenly use other verbs or incorrect forms of 'be'.
- 誤り： The book was wrote by him.
- 正しい： The book was written by him. (Remember the past participle!)
- Overuse of active voice in formal contexts:
- In Spanish, the active voice is often preferred even in formal writing where English would use the passive.
- Incorrect (in a formal report): We observed a significant increase in sales.
- 正しい： A significant increase in sales was observed. (More objective and formal.)
- Confusion with reflexive structures:
- Spanish often uses reflexive 'se' for impersonal or passive meanings (e.g., Se habla español). This is not directly translated to English passive.
- 誤り： Spanish speaks here.
- 正しい： Spanish is spoken here.
- Omitting the preposition in phrasal verbs:
- When a phrasal verb is made passive, the preposition or adverb must stay with the verb.
- 誤り： The meeting was called. (If the phrasal verb was call off)
- 正しい： The meeting was called off.
よくある質問
Why is the passive voice important for the C1 Advanced (CAE) exam?
The passive voice is crucial for the C1 Advanced exam, especially in Writing Part 1 (essay) and Part 2 (reports, proposals, reviews). It allows you to write formally, objectively, and academically, which is often required for these tasks. Using advanced passive structures like It is believed that... または He is said to be... demonstrates a high level of grammatical control.
Can all verbs be used in the passive voice?
No, only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can be used in the passive voice. Intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take a direct object, like arrive, sleep, go, happen) cannot form a passive sentence because there is no object to become the subject.
What is the difference between 'It is said that...' and 'He is said to be...'?
Both are advanced passive structures. It is said that... is an impersonal construction, focusing on the general belief or report. He is said to be... is a personal construction, where the person (or thing) being reported about becomes the subject of the passive sentence, followed by an infinitive. They often convey similar meanings but offer different ways to structure the information.
When should I avoid using the passive voice?
While important, overuse of the passive can make your writing sound unnatural, vague, or overly formal. Avoid it when the agent is important and you want to emphasize who performed the action, or when the active voice makes the sentence clearer and more direct, especially in less formal contexts.
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