Knowing when and how to write (or speak) in passive voice in English is an important language skill to have, especially if you’re preparing for exams like IELTS and OET. Using the passive voice well can improve your writing and help you do well on these tests. In this guide, we’ll discuss why the passive voice is useful and we will see how to create passive voices in your writing. I have included many examples for your understanding.  After reading the guide please do the practice exercises at the end.

Benefits of Using Passive Voice

Passive voice allows the writer to highlight the action or the outcome rather than focusing on the subject performing the action. This is particularly useful when the action itself is more important than the doer. 

Emphasis on the Action or Result

For example:  “Ms. Peterson was asked to do regular exercise.”

In this sentence, the emphasis is on the request made to Ms. Peterson, rather than who made the request.

Objectivity and Formality

Using passive sentences can make your writing sound more formal and impartial, which is often better for academic, scientific, and professional writing. This is especially helpful for IELTS and OET sections that need a formal writing style.

For instance: “She was educated regarding the importance of diabetic diet.”

This sentence sounds more formal and objective than “We educated her regarding the importance of diabetes.”

Politeness and Indirectness

Passive voice can be used to soften statements, making them less direct and therefore more polite or diplomatic. This is particularly useful in sensitive contexts, such as medical correspondence, where maintaining a respectful tone is crucial.

For example: “A mistake was made in the medication dosage.”

This phrasing is less direct and more considerate than saying “You made a mistake in the medication dosage.”

Variety in Sentence Structure

Using passive voice can add variety to your writing, making it more engaging. It helps avoid repetitive sentence patterns and keeps the writing dynamic.

How to Form Passive Voice Sentences

When you use passive voice, you shift the focus from who is doing the action to the action itself. In this discussion, we will talk about the two main ways to make passive voice sentences: one uses forms of the verb “be” with past participles, and the other uses models with “be” and past participles.

Method 1: BE Forms of the Verb + Past Participle

What Are the BE Forms of the Verb?

The “be” forms of the verb are various conjugations of “to be” depending on the tense and subject. These include:

• Present: am, is, are
• Past: was, were
• Future: will be
• Present Perfect: has been, have been
• Past Perfect: had been

What Are Past Participles?

Past participles are the form of a verb used in perfect tenses and passive voice. They often end in -ed for regular verbs (e.g., “asked,” “played”) but can vary for irregular verbs (e.g., “written,” “done,” “eaten”).

How to Make Passive Voice Sentences with BE Forms of the Verb + Past Participle

• Start with the right form of “be”: Choose the correct form of “be” (am, is, are, was, were, will be, has been, have been, had been) based on the tense of the sentence.

• Add the past participle: Use the past participle form of the main verb. This is usually the -ed form for regular verbs, but irregular verbs will have special forms (e.g., “done,” “written”).

Examples:

Present Simple:

• Active: “The chef cooks the meal.”
• Passive: “The meal is cooked by the chef.”

Past Simple:

• Active: “The teacher taught the lesson.”
• Passive: “The lesson was taught by the teacher.”

Future Simple:

• Active: “The company will launch the product.”
• Passive: “The product will be launched by the company.”

Present Perfect:

• Active: “They have completed the project.”
• Passive: “The project has been completed by them.”

Past Perfect:

• Active: “She had written the report.”
• Passive: “The report had been written by her.”

Method 2: Modal + BE + Past Participle

What Are Modals?

Modals are helper verbs that show that something is necessary, possible, allowed, or able to happen. Common modals include:

• Can, could
• May, might
• Will, would
• Shall, should
• Must

How to Make Passive Voice Sentences with Modal + BE + Past Participle

• Start with the modal: Choose the correct modal verb (can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must).
• Add “be”: Always follow the modal with “be.”
• Add the past participle: Use the past participle form of the main verb.

Examples:

Can:

• Active: “She can solve the problem.”
• Passive: “The problem can be solved by her.”

Should:

• Active: “The manager should approve the request.”
• Passive: “The request should be approved by the manager.”

Must:

• Active: “They must follow the rules.”
• Passive: “The rules must be followed by them.”

Might:

• Active: “The team might finish the project early.”
• Passive: “The project might be finished early by the team.”

For more tips on improving your English writing skills, check out my blog post on how to write complex sentences.

Exercises

(The answers to the exercises are located at the end.)

Exercise 1: Transforming Active to Passive with BE Forms

Rewrite the following active sentences in passive voice:

1. The engineer designs the bridge.

2. The children will clean the room.

3. The artist has painted the mural.

4. The committee had reviewed the proposal.

5. The chef prepares the meals.

Exercise 2: Transforming Active to Passive with Modals

Rewrite the following active sentences in passive voice using modals:

1. The students can complete the assignment.

2. The nurse should monitor the patient.

3. The board must approve the budget.

4. The technician might fix the issue.

5. The team will present the report.

Exercise 3: Transforming Active to Passive

Rewrite the following active sentences in passive voice:

1. The nurse gave the patient the injection.

2. The researchers conducted a thorough study.

3. The committee will review the applications.

4. The chef prepares the meals daily.

5. The teacher explained the grammar rules.

Exercise 4: Identifying Passive Voice

Identify whether the following sentences are in active or passive voice:

1. The book was read by millions of people.

2. The company will announce the new policy next week.

3. A new bridge was constructed over the river.

4. The manager reviewed the report.

5. The proposal was rejected by the board.

Answers

Exercise 1:

• 1. The bridge is designed by the engineer.
• 2. The room will be cleaned by the children.
• 3. The mural has been painted by the artist.
• 4. The proposal had been reviewed by the committee.
• 5. The meals are prepared by the chef.

Exercise 2:

• 1. The assignment can be completed by the students.
• 2. The patient should be monitored by the nurse.
• 3. The budget must be approved by the board.
• 4. The issue might be fixed by the technician.
• 5. The report will be presented by the team.

Exercise 3:

• 1. The patient was given the injection by the nurse.
• 2. A thorough study was conducted by the researchers.
• 3. The applications will be reviewed by the committee.
• 4. The meals are prepared daily by the chef.
• 5. The grammar rules were explained by the teacher.

Exercise 4:

• 1. Passive
• 2. Active
• 3. Passive
• 4. Active
• 5. Passive