Passive

Passive Voice
Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPod-Touch (made by ego4u)
Exercises on Passive
Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what
is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a
mistake.).
Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
 the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
 the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
 the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object
writes a letter.
Simple Present Active: Rita
Passive: A letter is written by Rita.
Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter.
Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita has written a letter.
Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.
Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.
Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.
Hilfsverben Active: Rita can write a letter.
Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.
Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object
is writing a letter.
Present Active: Rita
Progressive
Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.
Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.
Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.
Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.
Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.
Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.
Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.
Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.
Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.
Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.
Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.
Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes
the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you
want to put the focus on.
Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2
wrote a letter to me.

Active: Rita
Passive: A letter was written to me by Rita.
Passive: I was written a letter by Rita.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually
dropped.
Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive
sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no
object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive
voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.
Example: he says – it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In
English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception
is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain
auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is
to become the subject of the passive sentence.

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Passive Voice

Example: My bike was stolen.

Example: A mistake was made.

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

Tense Subject Verb Object

Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter.

Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Hilfsverben Active: Rita can write a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Tense Subject Verb Object

Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.

Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.

Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.

Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.

Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.

Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.

Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.

Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

wrote a letter to me.

Passive: A letter was written to me by Rita.

Passive: I was written a letter by Rita.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Example: he says – it is said

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

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