Look at these examples to see how the passive voice is used.
The interview was recorded yesterday.
Cleaner sources of energy must be developed.
An electrical fault is believed to have caused the power cut.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
We can use the passive voice to change the focus of the sentence.
Aliya Monier directed the film.
(focus on Aliya Monier)The film was directed by Aliya Monier.
(focus on The film)
We often use the passive:
- so that we can start a sentence with the most important or most logical information
- 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)
- in more formal or scientific writing.
Be + past participle
The most common way to form the passive is subject + be + past participle.
The new smoke alarm was installed yesterday.
The 'doer' of the action is called the agent. Most of the time, the agent is not mentioned, but if important, the agent can be mentioned using the preposition by.
The new smoke alarm was installed yesterday by the company director herself.
We can also use the passive voice with modal verbs such as can, must and should, by using modal + be + past participle.
A podcast can be made with minimal resources.
The accident must be reported to the police.
New laws should be created to regulate electric scooters.
The passive with get
In informal English, get is sometimes used instead of be to form the passive.
My bicycle got stolen last night.
(= My bicycle was stolen last night.)
The impersonal passive
The impersonal passive is used with reporting verbs such as allege, believe, claim, consider, estimate, expect, know, report, say, think, understand, etc. It reports what an unspecified group of people say or believe.
The impersonal passive has two forms:
it + be + past participle + (that) + subject + verb:
It is estimated that millions of people visit the site every year.
It is believed that the walls date from the third century BCE.
It is reported that mosquitoes transmit the disease.
someone/something + be + past participle + infinitive:
Millions of people are estimated to visit the site every year.
The walls are believed to date from the third century BCE.
Mosquitoes are reported to transmit the disease.
Note that the infinitive can be simple (as above), perfect (for a past action) or continuous (for an action in progress).
Millions are estimated to visit the site this year. (simple infinitive)
The walls are believed to have been built in the third century BCE. (perfect infinitive)
Mosquitoes are reported to be transmitting the disease. (continuous infinitive)
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello teachers,
Could you please explain to me which is the correct passive transformation of this sentence?
Active sentence: People said that she moved to London.
Passive sentence: "She was said to have moved to London." or "She was said to move to London."
Do we use "to have moved" or "to move", teachers?
Thanks a lot in advance.
Best regards,
Hello Thu3009,
The correct form here is 'to have moved' as you are describing a single action in the past (before people said it), not a regular or habitual action.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
How can we change the voice of the sentence "It is estimated that millions of people visit this site every year."
Hello Ayesha27,
I've answered one question on transformation like this for you but generally we don't just provide answers like this. We focus on explanations to help our users understand, not just giving correct answers. Otherwise we end up doing users' tests or homework for them, which is not our job.
If you want to try answering it yourself, we'll be happy to give you some feedback on your answer ;)
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
People/Expert/They estimated that millions of people visit the site every year.
How's it, please!
Hello again Ayesha27,
That is almost correct.. You have the right construction but you have used a past tense (estimated), whereas in the original sentence the form is present (is estimated). You should say this:
Note also that it's better to use plural forms for a general meaning, so people and they are fine, but you should say experts not expert.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I am very grateful to you for this clarification! Keep on doing this great job!!
Hello Bo Bo,
Both sentences express the same idea so there is little difference in meaning. The choice is really up to you. I would only say that the second sentence can be used even with large or small expenses (buying some chocolate in a shop) whereas the first would be more likely with larger expenses.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I think in the sentence "They made many people redundant, some of whom had worked there for years. Many people _____ redundant, some of whom had worked there for years" we can also use "were made".