Passive: forms

The most commonpassive structure isbe+-edform:

Five million peoplewatchthe show every week.(active present simple ofwatch)

The showis watchedby five million people every week.(passive present simple ofbe + -edform ofwatch)

The table gives examples of the most common forms in the passive.

We use passive forms of tenses in the same way as we use their active equivalents. For example, we use the present simple in the passive to talk about general or permanent states, or general facts we think are true at the present time:

Mr Lloyd and Mrs JamesteachGeography.(present simple active)

Geographyis taughtby Mr Lloyd and Mrs James.(present simple passive)

We don’t often use perfect continuous forms (have/has been being+ -edform) in a passive structure. We usually find a way to reword sentences like this.

We can form passive structures with verbs that are followed by an object (transitive verbs) and some clauses where the verb isfollowed by a preposition:

My favourite mugwas broken.(Someone broke my favourite mug.)

Their carwas broken intoand the radiowas taken.(Someone broke into their car and took their radio.)

The holidayhasn’t been paidforyet.(No one has paid for the holiday yet.)

We can’t make passive forms from verbs which do not have objects (intransitive verbs):

The parcelarrivedin the post this morning.

Not:The parcel was arrived…

We don’t usually use the passive with some verbs that describe a state or situation (state verbs):

Theywere havinglunch.

Not:Lunch was being had.

Some verbs are more common in the passive than the active voice. These includebe born, be populated, be stranded, be taken aback:

Wherewereyouborn?

Thousands of passengershave been strandedat airports all over Europe after heavy snowfalls.

When verbs have two objects, either object can be the theme or subject of the passive structure, depending on what we want to focus on:

Her mothergaveeach child a present.(active)

A presentwas givento each child (by her mother).(passive)

Each childwas givena present (by her mother).(passive)

We don’t form passive structures with verbs likebe, become, seemwhere the complement of the verb refers back to the subject (linking verbs):

After six years of training shehasfinallybecomea doctor.