Hey there! 👋🏼 This blog post complements our YouTube video, Learn Passive Voice in English: Interactive Guide with Practical Examples. Watch the video or keep reading to learn more about the passive voice and how to use it in real life conversations.

What is the ‘passive voice’?

Passive voice is commonly used in English, perhaps more than what you are used to. When we use the active voice, the person doing the action, also known as the doer, comes first in the sentence. For example, “Kelly watches a movie.” This way, we focus on who is doing something. In the passive voice, the thing receiving the action, also known as the recipient, comes first. For example, “A movie is watched by Kelly.” In this passive sentence, the focus is on what is happening to the movie, not who is doing it. This can change the tone and emotion conveyed by the sentence. 

To see real-life uses of the passive voice we will take a look at another episode featuring our friends Kelly and Luna who make plans to hang out. In each scene we will find different examples of passive sentences and discuss how and why passive voice is employed in each one. Keep reading to learn some practical ways you can use passive voice when communicating in English.

Scene 1: 

Kelly: “Hey Luna, what are you up to? Do you want to come over to my house and watch an episode of ‘Business Marriage’?” 

Luna: “Hey Kelly, I’m just relaxing at home. Oh, “Business Marriage’? Is that a new show? I haven’t heard about it.” 

Kelly: “Yes, it’s a new Japanese drama, the theme is ‘contract marriage,’ I think you will like it! I’m on episode 2, but we can rewatch episode 1 if you’d like?” 

Luna: “That’s okay, I think I can catch up from episode 2. I’ll head over to your house in a few minutes.” 

Kelly: “Great, see you then!” 

Explanation 1

Which sentence is in passive voice? 

Actually, none of the sentences are in the passive voice. All of the actions are expressed in the active voice, where the subject of the sentence performs the action. 

Here’s a breakdown:

1. Kelly: “Hey Luna, what are you up to? Do you want to come over to my house and watch an episode of ‘Business Marriage’?”

• In the first sentence, Kelly is performing the action of asking Luna to come to her house and watch a show.

2. Luna: “Hey Kelly, I’m just relaxing at home. Oh, ‘Business Marriage’? Is that a new show? I haven’t heard about it.”

• Next, Luna is performing the action of relaxing and speaking.

3. Kelly: “Yes, it’s a new Japanese drama, the theme is ‘contract marriage,’ I think you will like it! I’m on episode 2, but we can rewatch episode 1 if you’d like?”

• In the third sentence, Kelly is describing the drama and suggesting that she and Luna start from episode 1.

4. Luna: “That’s okay, I think I can catch up from episode 2. I’ll head over to your house in a few minutes.”

• Following that sentence, Luna decides to go to Kelly’s house and announces her plans.

5. Kelly: “Great, see you soon!”

• In the final sentence, Kelly is confirming the plan for Luna to come over to her house. 

Scene 2:

Luna gets up from the couch and walks towards her room to grab her purse before heading out the door. She is excited to meet up with Kelly and watch the new show she just learned about. Meanwhile, a snack is being made by Kelly for her and Luna to share as they watch the show. She thinks they will have a lot to discuss once they finish the series. As Kelly walks back into the living room, she hears the doorbell ring. It must be Luna.

Explanation 2

Which sentence is in passive voice? 

The third sentence, “Meanwhile, a snack is being made by Kelly for her and Luna to share as they watch the show,” is in the passive voice.

In this sentence, the subject “a snack” is the recipient or receiver of the action “is being made” and the person doing the action is “Kelly.” The focus is on the snack being prepared, not on Kelly who is doing the preparation."

Scene 3: 

Kelly and Luna start to watch ‘Business Marriage’ as they enjoy some popcorn and drinks. The protagonist is played by a young actress named Yuuka Sugai. Neither Luna nor Kelly have seen this actress in a drama before. 

Explanation 3

Which sentence is in passive voice? 

The second sentence, “The protagonist is played by a young actress named Yuuka Sugai,” is in passive voice. 

In this sentence, the subject “the protagonist" is the recipient or receiver of the action "is played,” and the person doing the action is “a young actress named Yuuka Sugai.”  This is a classic example of the passive voice, where the focus is on the action and the recipient rather than the person doing the action.

Common Reasons to use Passive Voice

Now that we’ve seen a few examples of passive voice, let’s talk about some of the reasons why we use passive voice in English. 

• When the action is more important than the person doing it or to avoid blaming the person for the action they’ve done. 

Sometimes we want to emphasize what happened and not who did it. For example: "The window was broken." We don’t know who broke the window and that information is not really important to the speaker. The fact that the window is broken is the more important piece of information. Sometimes, the person doing the action is omitted to avoid placing blame on that person. If you said, “John broke the window” it sounds like you are blaming John for a negative action, while “The window was broken,” sounds more like a fact than an accusation. 

• To Emphasize the Receiver of the Action:

The speaker might want to highlight the subject and receiver of the action rather than the doer of the action. For instance: "Three hundred new homes are being built in the area." In this sentence the speaker is trying to bring attention to how many homes were being built, which were 300. 

• In formal, polite, neutral or academic situations:

Using the passive voice can make the speaker sound more formal or impersonal. This adds a neutral tone that does not suggest any particular emotions. For example, “The experiment was conducted at room temperature." It can also make the speaker sound more polite and less direct, such as in the sentence, “Your request is being processed.”  

These are just a few examples of how passive voice can be used. Keep in mind that it can appear in other contexts not mentioned here. It’s also important to remember that speakers often combine sentence structure, stress, and intonation to convey specific meanings. Therefore, you cannot rely solely on sentence structure to fully understand what is being communicated. Now, can you convert one of the active sentences from our story into passive? Share your sentences in the comments below!

That is all for this post.

I hope you found this guide on passive voice useful. Now, can you convert one of the active sentences from our story into passive? Share your sentences in the comments below!