Passive Voice: be + past participle

B1 Grammar

1. Simple explanation

In an active sentence, the doer — the person or thing that does the action — comes first: 'A mechanic repaired the car.' In a passive sentence, the receiver — the person or thing the action happens to — comes first: 'The car was repaired (by a mechanic).' Every passive is built the same way: BE + past participle (the past participle is the third form of the verb: repair → repaired, write → written, build → built). Only the BE part changes to show the time.

2. Detailed explanation

Start from zero. Every action has a doer — the person or thing that does the action — and a receiver — the person or thing that the action happens to. In 'The cat chased the mouse,' the cat is the doer and the mouse is the receiver. A normal sentence like this is called active voice, because the doer is the subject — the subject is the person or thing the sentence is about — and the doer 'acts.' A passive sentence turns the sentence around: the receiver becomes the subject, and the doer moves to the end or disappears: 'The mouse was chased by the cat.'

The passive has one recipe in every tense: BE + past participle. The past participle is the third form of a verb — go, went, gone; build, built, built; write, wrote, written. Only the BE part changes with the tense: present 'is made,' past 'was built,' future 'will be finished,' with a modal verb 'can be done,' present perfect 'has been sent.' Step by step: 'Workers built the bridge in 1960' → move the receiver to the front ('The bridge'), choose BE in the same tense ('was'), add the past participle ('built'), and add the doer with by only if it matters — here we can drop it: 'The bridge was built in 1960.'

Take two more examples apart. 'Dinner is served at seven': dinner (the receiver) + is (BE, present) + served (past participle of serve). No doer — we do not know or do not care who serves it. 'The windows were broken by the boys': windows (receiver) + were (BE, past, plural) + broken (past participle) + 'by the boys' (the doer — we keep it because it matters). Rule: use by only when the doer is important or surprising. In most passive sentences — about 80 in 100 — speakers drop the doer completely.

Why does English love the passive? Four reasons. One: the doer is unknown — 'My car was stolen.' Two: the doer is obvious — 'He was arrested' (of course, by the police). Three: news and reports focus on what happened, not who did it — 'Three people were injured.' Four: science and processes describe steps, not people — 'The water is heated, and then the powder is added.' In casual speech, Americans also use a short 'get' passive: 'He got fired,' 'She got invited.' It means the same, but it sounds informal.

3. Formula / structure

Step by step — how to build a sentence:

by + doer:

future:

modal:

past:

present:

4. When to use it

• The doer is unknown: 'My wallet was stolen.'
• The doer is obvious: 'He was arrested last night.' (Clearly by the police.)
• The doer doesn't matter — processes: 'Coffee beans are picked, dried, and roasted.'
• News and reports — the event matters more: 'Three people were injured in the accident.'
• Science and formal writing: 'The liquid is heated to 100 degrees.'
• The receiver is the topic: 'This hospital was opened in 2010. It is visited by thousands of patients every year.'

5. When NOT to use it

• Don't force the passive when the doer is the real news: in everyday speech 'Mom made this cake' is warmer than 'This cake was made by Mom.'
• Never drop BE or double it: ✗ 'The house built in 1960' / ✗ 'The house was was built' → ✓ 'The house was built in 1960.'
• Don't use the base verb instead of the participle: ✗ 'It was stole' → ✓ 'It was stolen.'
• Verbs with no receiver (happen, arrive, sleep) cannot be passive: ✗ 'The accident was happened' → ✓ 'The accident happened.'
• Don't add a useless 'by' phrase: ✗ 'The letter was written by someone' → ✓ 'The letter was written.'

6. Positive examples

• Dinner is served at seven.
• This car is made in Germany.
• The bridge was built in 1889.
• The thief was caught by the police.
• The rooms are cleaned every day.
• The new school will be opened in September.
• English is spoken in many countries.
• The letter was written by my grandfather.
• Lunch can be ordered online.
• The museum was visited by thousands of tourists last year.
• My car is being repaired today.
• The report has been finished.

7. Negative examples

• This door is not locked at night.
• The homework wasn't done by half the class.
• Meat is not sold in this store.
• The windows weren't cleaned yesterday.
• Tickets cannot be bought at the door.
• The email wasn't sent yesterday — it went out this morning.

8. Questions

• When was this house built?
• Is English spoken in this office?
• Was your car repaired by the dealer?
• Where are these shoes made?
• Has the report been finished yet?
• Will the results be announced today?

9. Short answers

• Was the car stolen? — Yes, it was. / No, it wasn't.
• Is lunch served here? — Yes, it is.
• Were the windows broken? — Yes, they were.
• Has it been fixed? — Yes, it has. / No, it hasn't.
• Will it be ready tomorrow? — Yes, it will.

10. Common mistakes

11. American English notes

12. Similar grammar — comparison

13. Natural spoken English

• 'He got fired last week.'
• 'She got invited to the wedding.'
• 'My phone got stolen on the train.'
• 'We're being watched — smile!'
• 'Dinner's being served — come sit down.'
• 'It was made in China, I think.'

14. Real-life examples

• News headlines: 'Man arrested after bank robbery.' / 'New bridge opened by mayor.'
• Signs: 'Tickets are sold here.' / 'This door is alarmed.'
• Food labels: 'Best served cold.' / 'Made in the USA.'
• At the hotel: 'Breakfast is served from 6 to 10.'
• Science class: 'Water is made of hydrogen and oxygen.'
• Office email: 'Your request has been received and will be answered within two days.'

15. Mini dialogue

16. Summary

17. Practice exercises

Warm up with the first questions, then take the full quiz — every answer has a detailed explanation (parts 19–20 of this lesson: answer key + explanations live inside the quiz feedback).

18. The full quiz

50 questions, mixed formats, in difficulty order: easy → medium → intermediate → challenging → advanced.

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