English Passive Voice: Formation, Uses & Examples
The passive voice shifts the focus from who does an action to what happens or what is affected. It appears in academic writing, journalism, formal instructions, and everyday speech. This guide covers every tense form, modal passives, and the key question — when should you actually use it? Browse all 48 examples or filter by category.
48 items · 6 topics
"The report is written every week"
Someone writes the report weekly (present simple passive)
"The report is written every week by the marketing team."
"Mistakes are made"
People make mistakes — a general truth in passive
"Mistakes are made, but the important thing is to learn from them."
"The car is being repaired"
Someone is repairing the car right now (present continuous passive)
"The car is being repaired at the garage — it will be ready tomorrow."
"English is spoken here"
People speak English in this place
"English is spoken here, so you don't need a translator."
"The windows are cleaned every month"
Someone cleans the windows monthly
"The windows are cleaned every month by a professional service."
"The data is being processed"
A system or person is processing the data at this moment
"Please wait — the data is being processed by the server."
"New employees are trained online"
The company trains new employees via online courses
"New employees are trained online during their first two weeks."
"The package is delivered to the door"
A courier delivers the package directly to the door
"The package is delivered to the door within 24 hours of ordering."
"The letter was signed by the manager"
The manager signed the letter (past simple passive)
"The letter was signed by the manager before it was sent."
"The bridge was built in 1920"
Workers built the bridge in 1920
"The bridge was built in 1920 and is still in use today."
"The meeting was cancelled"
Someone cancelled the meeting
"The meeting was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict."
"The files were being uploaded"
Someone was uploading the files at a specific past moment (past continuous passive)
"The files were being uploaded when the connection dropped."
"He was arrested last night"
Police arrested him last night
"He was arrested last night and released this morning."
"The invoice was sent on Monday"
Someone sent the invoice on Monday
"The invoice was sent on Monday, but payment has not arrived yet."
"The rules were changed without notice"
Someone changed the rules without informing anyone
"The rules were changed without notice, which frustrated many employees."
"The project was completed on time"
The team finished the project by the deadline
"Despite the challenges, the project was completed on time and within budget."
"The problem has been fixed"
Someone has fixed the problem (present perfect passive)
"The problem has been fixed — you can log in again now."
"Three emails have been sent"
Someone has sent three emails so far
"Three emails have been sent, but we haven't received a reply."
"The report had been submitted before the deadline"
Someone submitted the report before the deadline (past perfect passive)
"The report had been submitted before the deadline, so we were not penalised."
"The decision has been made"
Someone has made the decision (finality implied)
"The decision has been made — we are moving to the new office in January."
"The contract has been reviewed by legal"
The legal team has reviewed the contract
"The contract has been reviewed by legal and is ready to sign."
"All tickets have been sold"
Buyers have purchased every available ticket
"All tickets have been sold — the concert is fully booked."
"The evidence had been destroyed"
Someone had destroyed the evidence before a later point
"By the time the police arrived, the evidence had been destroyed."
"The app has been updated to version 3.0"
The development team has released version 3.0
"The app has been updated to version 3.0 with several new features."
"This must be done today"
It is necessary for someone to do this today
"This must be done today — the deadline cannot be moved."
"The form should be completed in full"
It is advisable or required to fill in every part of the form
"The form should be completed in full before submission."
"The package can be collected at reception"
It is possible to pick up the package at reception
"The package can be collected at reception between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m."
"Mistakes could be avoided"
It was possible to prevent the mistakes
"With better planning, these mistakes could be avoided."
"The results may be published next month"
There is a possibility the results will be published next month
"The results may be published next month if the review is completed."
"This issue might be caused by the update"
The update is possibly the cause of the issue
"This issue might be caused by the latest update — we are investigating."
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days"
Someone will return the fee to you within 5 days
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days of your cancellation request."
"Your request cannot be processed"
It is not possible to process your request
"Your request cannot be processed without a valid ID number."
"It is said that prices will rise"
People say that prices will increase (impersonal reporting)
"It is said that prices will rise significantly next year."
"He is believed to be innocent"
People believe he is innocent
"He is believed to be innocent, and his lawyers are confident of an acquittal."
"It is reported that ten people were injured"
News sources report that ten people were hurt
"It is reported that ten people were injured in the accident on the motorway."
"The CEO is known to prefer email"
People know that the CEO prefers to communicate by email
"The CEO is known to prefer email over phone calls for formal decisions."
"It is thought that the policy will change"
Many people think the policy will be changed
"It is thought that the policy will change after the upcoming election."
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country"
Authorities allege that the suspect has left the country
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country on a private flight."
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the broadcast"
Analysts estimate that 2 million viewers watched
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the live broadcast."
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol"
The manufacturer claims the drug lowers cholesterol
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol by up to 30% within three months."
"The thief was caught (actor unknown)"
Use passive when you do not know or need not mention the agent
"The thief was caught late last night — police have not released a name."
"The vaccine was developed in record time"
Use passive to put emphasis on the result, not who did it
"The vaccine was developed in record time and approved by regulators."
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception"
Use passive in formal instructions to sound impersonal and authoritative
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception and wear a visitor badge at all times."
"The samples were heated to 200°C"
Use passive in scientific writing to focus on method, not researcher
"The samples were heated to 200°C and held at that temperature for one hour."
"Twelve people were made redundant"
Use passive when the speaker wants to avoid naming the responsible party
"Twelve people were made redundant as part of the restructuring programme."
"The policy is reviewed annually"
Use passive for ongoing institutional processes where no single agent is highlighted
"The policy is reviewed annually by the compliance committee."
"This tower was constructed in 1890"
Use passive in historical writing when the doer is less important than the object
"This tower was constructed in 1890 and remains the tallest building in the city."
"The active voice is preferred in most writing"
Know when to choose active — passive should be deliberate, not default
"The active voice is preferred in most writing because it is clearer and more direct."
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you form the passive voice in English?
The passive voice is formed with the correct tense of "be" + the past participle of the main verb. For example: present simple — "is written"; past simple — "was written"; present perfect — "has been written"; future — "will be written"; modal — "should be written". The agent (doer) can be added with "by", but is often omitted.
When should you use the passive voice?
Use the passive when (1) the agent is unknown ("the window was broken"), (2) the agent is obvious or unimportant ("the suspect was arrested"), (3) you want to emphasise the result rather than the doer ("the vaccine was approved"), or (4) you are writing in a formal or scientific register where impersonality is expected.
What is the difference between "was done" and "has been done"?
"Was done" is the past simple passive — it refers to a completed action at a specific past time ("The report was sent yesterday"). "Has been done" is the present perfect passive — it emphasises that the action is relevant to the present ("The report has been sent — we can proceed"). Use "has been" when the past action still matters now.
What are reporting passives like "it is said that"?
Reporting passives (also called impersonal passives) are used in journalism, academic writing, and formal speech to present information without attributing it to a specific source. Common patterns: "It is said/reported/believed/thought/estimated/known/alleged that + clause" or "He is said/believed/known to + infinitive". They create an objective, distanced tone.
Should I avoid the passive voice in my writing?
No — avoid passive-phobia. The passive is a valuable tool when used deliberately. The issue is overusing it as a default. In most everyday and business writing, prefer the active voice for clarity. Switch to passive when it genuinely serves one of the four purposes above: unknown agent, emphasis on result, formal tone, or scientific register.
Hearing the passive voice used naturally in authentic conversations and news content is the fastest way to internalise when and how native speakers actually use it.
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