Look at these examples to see how the passive voice is used.
A lot of olive oil is produced in Italy.
This book was written by Angela Davis.
The suspect will be released tomorrow.
This product has not been tested on animals.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use the passive voice to change the focus of the sentence.
My bike was stolen. (passive – focus on my bike)
Someone stole my bike. (active – focus on someone)
We often use the passive:
- when we prefer not to mention who or what does the action (for example, it's not known, it's obvious or we don't want to say)
- so that we can start a sentence with the most important or most logical information
- in more formal or scientific writing.
How we make the passive
We make the passive using the verb be + past participle. We start the sentence with the object.
| Avatar | was | directed by James Cameron. |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| Object | + be + | past participle |
It is not always necessary to add who or what did the action.
| My flight | is | cancelled. |
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| Object | + be + | past participle |
Only the form of be changes to make the tense. The past participle stays the same. Here are examples of the passive in its most common tenses.
| Tense | Example | Structure |
| Present simple | Alioli is made from oil, garlic and salt. | is/are + past participle |
| Present continuous | The hall is being painted this week. | is/are being + past participle |
| Past simple | John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. | was/were + past participle |
| Past continuous | The signs were being put up last week. | was/were being + past participle |
| Present perfect | Oranges have been grown here for centuries. | has/have been + past participle |
| Past perfect | When he got home, he found that his flat had been burgled. | had been + past participle |
| Future simple | The work will be finished next week. | will be + past participle |
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello wasan0909,
We're happy to help you with specific questions about a sentence or two, but I'm afraid our support doesn't include checking our users' texts or homework.
Except for sentences 4, 6 and 8, all of these are run-on sentences and need to be broken into two sentences where the comma is. That is more of a punctuation error than a grammar error, though.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Laura Olivia,
I think the first sentence is the best option, but the reason is rather complex.
First of all, we should note that the question here is not really about passive forms, but rather about the difference between these two constructions:
1. report sb to be + verbing
2. report sb verbing
You could rewrite your examples using 'People have reported...' and still use either form; the fact a passive form is used in your examples does not change the question of which of these forms is used.
I'm going to use a different context for the sake of clarity, and then we'll go back to your context for comparison.
The form report sb to be + verbing has the meaning 'we have information about the person's activity'. For example:
The form report sb + verbing has the meaning 'officially complain about someone while they are engaged in an activity'
For example:
Now, it is possible to see the form report sb + verbing as simply omitting 'to be', but I think this leads to ambiguity, which we generally try to avoid. This is why I think example 1 is the best option.
With reference to your context, I think the context is sufficiently clear that there is very little chance of ambiguity. Reporting theft is an expected action, so the sentence would be immediately understood. Thus, while the first example is better in my view, in this particular context I think the second is also acceptable.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi aattttuujj,
The passive in the past perfect is: had been + past participle. Good luck with your test :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Kaisoo93,
You can reformulate sentences such as these to have a subject and a finite verb form, but it is not always passive. Depending on the context, an active form may be required:
Your second example also likely requires an active form:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi danohara,
I've updated the table now. Thanks so much for letting us know about the correction :)
Jonathan
The LearnEnglish Team