What is the Passive Voice and Why Do We Use It?

The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of the sentence receives the action, rather than performing it. This means the focus shifts from the ‘doer’ of the action to the action itself or the ‘receiver’ of the action.

We use the passive voice in several key situations:

• When the action is more important than the person doing it: The event or result is the main point, not who caused it. For example, The film is loaded into the camera automatically.
• When we don’t know who did something: If the agent is unknown or unclear, the passive voice is ideal. For instance, The camera was put together in a factory.
• In formal writing: It is frequently used in news reporting, scientific writing, and academic texts. This style often focuses on processes and events, making the writing more objective. For example, A factory was set alight during the weekend and two million pounds’ worth of damage was caused.
• When the agent is obvious: If it’s clear who performed the action, we can omit the agent. For example, She was arrested for speeding. (It’s obvious police made the arrest.)

How Do We Form the Passive Voice?

The basic structure for forming the passive voice is simple: a form of the verb to be + the past participle of the main verb.

• Basic Form: to be + past participle. The verb to be changes its tense to match the original active sentence. For example, potato crisps are packaged in plastic (present simple).
• With Modals: For modal verbs, the structure is modal + be + past participle. 例如，, The problem could be removed with ease.
• Informal Passive with 'Get': In informal situations, especially when something negative happens, you can sometimes use get 而不是 be. 例如，, He got fired from his job.
• Passive Infinitives: When you need an impersonal statement in the present, use to be + past participle. 例如，, The President is believed to be in contact with the team. For past actions, use to have been + past participle. 例如，, The suspect is believed to have been seen near the bank.

When Do We Use 'by' with the Agent?

The 'agent' is the person or thing that performs the action in an active sentence. In the passive voice, we can mention the agent using by + agent, but only when it adds important information.

• Include 'by + agent' when the doer is important: If knowing who performed the action is crucial or surprising, include it. For example, The novel was written by a 12-year-old author.
• Omit 'by + agent' when the doer is unimportant, unknown, or obvious: This is the most common use of the passive voice. For example, The new road will be built next year. (We don't know or care who exactly will build it.) Or, My car was stolen last night. (The thief is unknown.)

Passive with Two Objects: Which One to Choose?

Some verbs, like give, tell, send, show, can have two objects in the active voice: a direct object (the thing) and an indirect object (the person).

For example, in My uncle gave me some money for my birthday, me is the indirect object and some money is the direct object.

When forming the passive, you can usually make either object the subject of the passive sentence. However, it is more common to make the person (indirect object) the subject:

• More common: I was given some money by my uncle.
• 较少见： Some money was given to me by my uncle.

示例

• The tea industry has been saved by new innovations.
• It was viewed with suspicion by many people.
• Potato crisps are packaged in plastic to keep them fresh.
• A time-consuming ritual has been transformed into a quick process.
• The old documents could be removed with ease.
• The keys had accidentally been left in the car.
• The new software is still being used by thousands of users.
• The product was able to be produced at a lower cost.

练习

西班牙语母语者常犯的错误

Spanish speakers often encounter specific challenges with the passive voice:

• Overusing the active voice: In Spanish, the active voice is often used where English would prefer the passive, especially with impersonal statements (e.g., Se habla español aquí often translates to Spanish is spoken here, 而不是 One speaks Spanish here). Remember to use the passive for formality or when the agent is unknown.
• Incorrect 'to be' conjugation: A common error is forgetting to conjugate the verb to be correctly for the subject and tense. For example, saying The car was repair 而不是 The car was repaired. Always use the correct form of to be 以及 past participle.
• Confusion with 'get' passive: 虽然 get can be used informally, it's not always interchangeable with be. Stick to be for formal contexts and general passive use.

常见问题

What is the main difference between active and passive voice?

In the active voice, the subject performs the action (e.g., The chef cooked the meal.). In the passive voice, the subject receives the action (e.g., The meal was cooked by the chef.). The focus shifts from the doer to the action or receiver.

Can all verbs be used in the passive voice?

No, only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be used in the passive voice. Intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take an object, like sleep, arrive, go) cannot form a passive construction.

Is the passive voice always more formal?

The passive voice is generally considered more formal and objective, which is why it's common in academic and scientific writing. However, it's also used in everyday speech when the agent is unknown or unimportant. It's about choosing the right focus for your message.

How is the passive voice relevant for the B2 First (FCE) exam?

The passive voice is crucial for the B2 First exam, especially in the Writing and Speaking papers. You'll need to demonstrate your ability to use a range of complex grammatical structures, including the passive, to express ideas clearly and formally. It's often tested in transformations and gap-fill tasks, and using it correctly will help you achieve a higher score in tasks like reports or essays.

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