Passive Voice
Passive voice reorganizes a clause so that the affected person or thing becomes the grammatical subject. Cambridge notes that the agent can be omitted or added in a by-phrase and that passive choice changes information focus rather than simply marking a sentence as wrong or weak.
In the passive voice, the subject is presented as affected by the action rather than as the doer. Use it when that information structure fits the message, including when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately backgrounded.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Passive voice is not inherently incorrect. It also cannot normally be formed from genuinely intransitive verb uses because there is no object to promote to subject.
Further guidance
Application
Use passive structure when the affected participant is the useful topic or when the agent is unknown, unimportant, obvious, or intentionally omitted.
Core Rule
The standard passive is typically formed with a form of “be” plus a past participle, with the affected participant as subject.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Passive voice — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct grammar-reference evidence for passive voice structure, information focus, optional agents, common uses, and limits with intransitive verbs.