Why use the passive voice?
In order to get higher marks in the grammar column of your writing task (See IELTS Writing Band Descriptors – 2017), you should try using the passive voice to express your points and ideas.
Why is the passive voice hard to use accurately? This tense is quite hard to use accurately, as it doesn’t exist in lots of languages.
Passive Voice Explanations
Here I will give you explanations of the most used tenses in the passive voice, with phrases you can use, especially in your task 2.
Remember the point of the passive is what you are focusing your attention on in the sentence.
Ask: What is the most important part of the sentence?
Ask: Can that part of the sentence(subject in the passive) do what you are describing by itself (if yes – use the active verb) or does it need a person/ thing to make the action happen? (if yes – use the passive verb)
Remember
You can’t make a passive form of the sentence if the active verb is an intransitive verb, which means it doesn’t need an object.
Some Examples:
1. Arrive
2. Cry
3. Die
4. Go
5. Laugh
6. Lie
7. Sneeze
8. Talk
9. Work
He will arrive at 5.00pm. – The verb form of the passive
To Be + past participle
Present simple
Present Simple Active:
They grow oranges in Seville (plural) – Subject verb object
In the passive the focus of attention is the object of the active sentence.
In this active sentence the object is oranges.
In the passive sentences the object moves to the beginning of the sentence
Present Simple Active becomes Present Simple Passive
Present Simple Passive:
Oranges are grown in Seville (plural of verb to be)(grown by people)
You use the passive when the main idea (here grow oranges) is done by something or somebody
A useful present simple passive expression for Task 2:
It is thought that/It is believed that
Past simple
Past Simple Active:
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in 1595
Subject verb object(singular)
They built very simple houses in the past(plural)
Past Simple Passive:
Romeo and Juliet was written in 1595 (by somebody so passive is used)(singular of the verb to be)
Very simple houses were built in the past (plural of the verb to be)
A useful past simple passive for Task 2:
In earlier times it was thought/believed that
Present perfect
Present perfect simple Active:
Millions of people have visited
Subject verb
Buckingham Palace
Object
Buckingham Palace has been visited by millions of people
A useful present perfect simple passive for task 2
It has been suggested that …
A useful present perfect simple passive for task 1 (changes in a diagram)
In the second diagram the wooded area has been chopped down and a new school has been built there (these changes have been done by somebody – the passive is needed)
Past Perfect
Past perfect simple active:
If you look at the second diagram, you can see that in 2010 a new school had replaced the old factory
For Task 1 (changes in a diagram) a Useful way to use:
Past perfect simple passive:
If you look at the second diagram, you can see that in 2010 the old factory had been replaced by a new school
Future Simple
Future Simple Active:
The local community will take steps to help
Future simple passive:
steps will be taken by the local community
Useful expression for task 2
Passive infinitive
to be + past participle(a future tense)
An important point to be considered is….
Practise, Practise, Practise
How to improve
You need to do the following exercises to help the rules of the passive and when to use it become fixed in your head and easy to use correctly.
Here are some exercises to consolidate your knowledge.
Correct the following:
A) A huge number of crimes have significantly reduced
B) the crime rate has been dropped remarkably
Change the following into the passive:
1. After the car crash, someone called the emergency services.
_____________________________________________________________
2. Pepe waiter serves the main course every day.
_____________________________________________________________
3. Everyone had told me about the changeable English climate.
_____________________________________________________________
4. My brother has painted the bedroom.
_____________________________________________________________
5. You can’t use the internet before 6.00 am.
_____________________________________________________________
Change the following into the active:
1. The Christmas Dinner is always cooked by my mother
_____________________________________________________________
2. The grass was cut by the gardener yesterday.
_____________________________________________________________
3. A point to be considered…
_____________________________________________________________
4. If this law had been imposed by the government, criminals might have been caught much more quickly.
_____________________________________________________________
5. 68,000 cups of tea will have been drunk in an average Brit’s lifetime.
_____________________________________________________________
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Thank you very much for your useful information. Please, can passive voice be used for giving opinion?
Hi Chibuzor
Thank you for your interest in our site and that is an excellent question, especially for people who are hoping for band 7 or more.
As you know the passive is the where you express your opinion in a neutral way.
Yes, the passive can express your opinion but without using ‘I’ (the first person singular)
For example
It is believed (I believe or people believe)
It has been noted that imposing road tax on cars is a useful way to raise revenues. (I note/ people note that imposing road tax…)
if fines were imposed on factories that pollute the atmosphere, this would undoubtedly reduce the amount of pollution. ( I think that if the government imposed fines on factories, this would undoubtedly reduce pollution)
You will see from the tone that the use of the passive is more formal. The grammar is more complex and you will achieve better marks from using it.
Hope this helps.
Let us know when you have achieved the IELTS band you need.
Andrea
Thank you very much information and pointers. I would appreciate if you could provide the answers to those exercises so that I would be able to assess my progress.
Thank you once again.
Well Done for working on your passive grammar, Chibuzor.
Here are the answers for you.Chibuzor
Andrea
Answers to the passive exercises from the Passive Blog.
A) A huge number of crimes have BEEN significantly reduced (they had to be reduced by somebody, so this sentences needs a passive)
B) the crime rate has been dropped remarkably (drop here is an intransitive verb. It doesn’t need an object, so it can’t be used in the passive)
Change the following into the passive:
1. After the car crash, someone called the emergency services.
the emergency services were called.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2. Pepe the waiter serves the main course every day.
___The main course is served by Pepe the waiter every day._(the course has to be served by somebody, so it is also important to put in the person, too.)______________________________________________________
3. Everyone had told me about the changeable English climate.
I have been told about the changeable English climate (it doesn’t matter who did the telling, so the person isn’t necessary.)
_____________________________________________________________
4. My brother has painted the bedroom.
The bedroom has been painted by my brother. (who painted the bedroom is important, so that is mentioned)
_____________________________________________________________
5. You can’t use the internet before 6.00 am.
The internet can’t be used before 6.00 am. (This is a general instruction, so you don’t need to put a person)
_____________________________________________________________
Change the following into the active:
1. The Christmas Dinner is always cooked by my mother
My mother always cooks the Christmas Dinner_____
2. The grass was cut by the gardener yesterday.
The gardener cut the grass yesterday
_____________________________________________________________
3. A point to be considered…
__ Consider this point
___________________________
4. If this law had been imposed by the government, criminals
might have been caught much more quickly.
If the government had imposed this law, they might have caught criminals much more quickly. _____________________________________________________________
5. 68,000 cups of tea will have been drunk in an average
Brit’s lifetime.
An average Brit will drink 68,000 cups of tea in his life time._____________________________________
Excellent work
Thank you for this exercise. It has helped me to focus on both active and passive voice and has improved my way of writing.
Thank you once again.
Thank you and great to see you on the site Ali.
Your research will really help you in the next exam.
Don’t forget to let us know how you get on when you take the exam.
Good Luck
Andrea
Dear Andrea ,
I’m Vaishali . I’m from India
I got 6 bands in ielts test twice
I aim to rise Band 6 to 7+
Please help me to do so.
Hoping to hear from you soon !!
Dear Ms.Andrea,
I’d like to adumbrate on use of “Passive Voice” , that you have shared:
The passive voice is used when the person who did the action:
1) Unknown
2) Obvious/Important
3) people in general
4)Less important than object.
Use of Passive voice is extremely tricky. The best phrase that I remember is” putting the cart before the horse”c ; when it comes in choosing between active voice and passive voice.
Moreover, I’d like to emphasize on the contribution of” British English “; It is a small step for man, one giant-leap for mankind.
I don’t think getting high band in IELTS is like tilting at windmills.
This website is a great website ; In other words, it is the greatest thing since slice bread, I really love this site.
Mr Price and Ms Andrea are having a midas touch; for me they have really helped my English to the next level; I’m really impressed by the bells and whistles of this great website.
Cheers
Dear Kallol
Many thanks for your compliments on our site and the additions to the blog on the passive. They are very helpful.
That is an excellent way of remembering that by putting the cart in front of the horse, you are moving the object of an active sentence to the subject of the passive sentence.
I’m sure with a lot of hard work, that absolutely no IELTS candidate, especially followers of this site, will be tilting at windmills.
I was driving through La Mancha recently and was sad to note that the very windmills that Don Quixote tilted at are now modern renewable energy windmills. I’m sure that is no reason to stop dreaming and to being able to achieve your dreams, still.
I look forward to more insights from you.
Best of luck in the exam and let us know how you get on.
Andrea