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
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".
Hello SERJ-,
That's correct, but this is a multiple-choice task and 'were made' is not one of the options provided.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Try making use of periods and commas to make trick question. This is too easy.
Hello, I answered an exam.The direction was: Change the sentence into passive voice.
Jane baked a cake yesterday.
My answer was:
A cake was baked by Jane yesterday.
But My teacher told me the correct was:
A cake was baked yesterday by Jane.
Could someone explain me, please? Thanks.
Hello Laurencia,
Both positions are correct. Adverbials of time like 'yesterday' are very flexible in terms of their position and both sentences are perfectly OK.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Tea
Hello, I am Nancy from Ecuador. I really appreciate this platform, I have been practicing my English, But I would like you to apload more resources to practice listening.
Hello team,
"It is quite difficult for a single salary to support the whole family these days."
In the sentence above, I wanna know if we can use "non-person noun" after "for" and it is a meaningful sentence.
Normally, I have seen many sentences with "nouns referring to person" after "for" for that sentence pattern as in these examples.
It is important for "everyone" to exercise regularly.
Please kindly explain. Thank you in advance.
Best regards
Bo Bo
Hello Bo Bo Kyaw,
You're correct that we generally use this construction with people or with anthropomorphised machines (in other words, machines we describe as if they were people with their own habits, such as cars, phones and computers). However, we do occasionally use this construction with inanimate objects, especially when it is something that can produce a result or have a consequence. Finance, as in your example, is one area we see this. For example:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Bo Bo,
Great question! Yes, it is absolutely possible to use a "non-person noun" after "for" in this sentence structure, and it can still be meaningful. Here's a detailed explanation:
Understanding the Structure:
In sentences like "It is [adjective] for [noun] to [verb]", the noun after "for" indicates the subject that experiences or is impacted by the adjective and the verb. While it's more common to see personal nouns or pronouns (e.g., him, everyone), non-person nouns can also work as long as they fit logically into the sentence.
Non-Person Nouns After "For":
In your example:
"It is quite difficult for a single salary to support the whole family these days,"
The non-person noun "a single salary" functions logically as the subject affected by the difficulty of supporting the family. The sentence is perfectly valid because the noun phrase makes sense in the context.
Examples of Non-Person Nouns:
Here are more examples to show this pattern with non-person nouns:
Why It Works:
Non-person nouns can be used after "for" when:
Summary:
Your sentence is grammatically correct and meaningful. The use of "a single salary" after "for" works because it fits the structure and conveys a logical idea. While personal nouns are more common, non-person nouns are equally valid when the context supports them.
Best regards,
Luis Fernando.