English course · Unit 28

The Passive Voice

Everyday English, scientific reports and reported speech

How to use this unit

We often use the passive when we want to focus on an action or on the person or thing affected by it, rather than on the person who does it.

Active: Someone stole my bicycle.

Passive: My bicycle was stolen.

The person who stole it is unknown or unimportant, so we do not need to say by someone.

In the exercises, write the part that completes the prompt or the whole sentence. The questions name the tense or construction when that is important. The answer checker accepts the alternatives listed in each answer key, including natural contractions where appropriate.

Remember: the passive is formed with a form of be + the past participle. The tense is shown by the form of be (or by the auxiliary verbs before it).

Step 1 · Read

Different reasons for using the passive

Everyday information: Your order has been dispatched. The parcel will be delivered tomorrow.

News: Several houses were damaged in last night's storm. No one was injured.

History: The bridge was built in 1890 and was restored in 2008.

Scientific report: The water was heated to 80°C. A small quantity of salt was added. The mixture was stirred, and the temperature was recorded.

In each example, the focus is on what happened, what was done or what the result was. We can add a phrase with by when the person or thing responsible is important: The novel was written by Mary Shelley.

Notice the forms

Tense	Passive form	Example
Present simple	am / is / are + past participle	English is spoken in many countries.
Past simple	was / were + past participle	The bridge was built in 1890.
Present perfect	has / have been + past participle	The results have been recorded.
Past continuous	was / were being + past participle	The road was being repaired.
Past perfect	had been + past participle	The samples had been labelled before the test began.

Step 2 · Present and past simple

Focus on what happens

Complete each sentence in the passive. Keep the tense shown by the context. Do not add a by-phrase unless the prompt asks for one.

1. A company makes these parts in Poland. These parts ______ in Poland. (present simple)

2. People speak English in many countries. English ______ in many countries. (present simple)

3. Someone stole my bicycle last night. My bicycle ______ last night. (past simple)

4. The storm damaged several houses. Several houses ______ by the storm. (past simple)

5. Someone invented this device in 1920. This device ______ in 1920. (past simple)

Suggested answers

These parts are made in Poland.
English is spoken in many countries.
My bicycle was stolen last night.
Several houses were damaged by the storm.
This device was invented in 1920.

Step 3 · Scientific English

Reporting an experiment

Read this short report. Notice how the passive keeps attention on the procedure and the results, rather than on the person doing each action.

Experiment: How temperature affects dissolving

Two beakers were filled with 100 ml of water. One beaker was heated to 60°C, while the other was kept at room temperature. The same quantity of sugar was added to each beaker. Each mixture was stirred for the same length of time, and the time taken for the sugar to dissolve was recorded. The results were compared.

Complete the report with the correct past simple passive form.

1. Two beakers ______ with 100 ml of water.

2. One beaker ______ to 60°C.

3. The same quantity of sugar ______ to each beaker.

4. The time taken for the sugar to dissolve ______.

Suggested answers

Two beakers were filled with 100 ml of water.
One beaker was heated to 60°C.
The same quantity of sugar was added to each beaker.
The time taken for the sugar to dissolve was recorded.

Scientific English: scientists also use the active, for example, We measured the temperature. The passive is useful when the procedure or result matters more than who performed the action.

Step 4 · Past perfect passive

What had happened before something else?

Use the past perfect when you need to show that an event happened before another past event. The passive form is had been + past participle.

The samples had been labelled before the experiment began.

The medication had been administered before the doctor arrived.

1. The technician labelled the samples before the experiment began. The samples ______ before the experiment began.

2. The nurse gave the patient the medication before the doctor arrived. The medication ______ to the patient before the doctor arrived.

3. Someone cleaned the room before the next patient arrived. The room ______ before the next patient arrived.

4. The nurse recorded the observations before she spoke to the doctor. The observations ______ before she spoke to the doctor.

Suggested answers

The samples had been labelled before the experiment began.
The medication had been given to the patient before the doctor arrived.
The room had been cleaned before the next patient arrived.
The observations had been recorded before she spoke to the doctor.

Step 5 · Read and notice

A doctor and a nurse discuss a procedure

Doctor: How is the patient doing?

Nurse: She's recovering well. The procedure was completed at ten o'clock.

Doctor: Was she given a local anaesthetic?

Nurse: Yes, a local anaesthetic was administered before the procedure began.

Doctor: And was her blood pressure monitored?

Nurse: Yes, it was checked every fifteen minutes. Her blood pressure remained stable throughout.

Doctor: Was any medication given afterwards?

Nurse: Yes. The prescribed blood-thinning medication was administered, and her observations were recorded in her notes.

Doctor: Have the blood test results been received yet?

Nurse: Yes, they've been received, and the results have been added to her medical record.

This is a fictional language-learning dialogue, not medical advice. Notice the questions as well as the statements: Was she given…? and Have the results been received?

Complete the forms from the dialogue.

1. The procedure ______ at ten o'clock.

2. Her blood pressure ______ every fifteen minutes.

3. The blood test results ______. (present perfect passive)

Suggested answers

The procedure was completed at ten o'clock.
Her blood pressure was monitored every fifteen minutes.
The blood test results have been received.

Step 6 · Rhetorical transformation

Reporting what the nurse said

The relative speaks to a friend after talking to the nurse. The events happened before the relative reported them, so the past perfect passive is useful. This exercise also revises reported speech from Unit 27.

Friend: Have you heard anything about your husband?

Relative: Yes. I spoke to the nurse this morning. She told me that my husband had been woken at six o'clock and that a local anaesthetic had been administered before the procedure.

Friend: And what happened afterwards?

Relative: She explained that his blood pressure had been monitored every fifteen minutes. She also told me that his prescribed medication had been administered and that his observations had been recorded in his notes.

Friend: Have the test results arrived?

Relative: The nurse said that the results had been received and added to his medical record.

Complete each report. Use the passive and past perfect where the time relationship calls for it. You may type the missing phrase or the whole sentence.

1. Nurse: “Your husband was woken at six o'clock.” The relative said that her husband ______ at six o'clock.

2. Nurse: “A local anaesthetic was administered before the procedure.” The relative said that a local anaesthetic ______ before the procedure.

3. Nurse: “We monitored his blood pressure every fifteen minutes.” The relative said that his blood pressure ______ every fifteen minutes.

4. Nurse: “We recorded his observations in his notes.” The relative said that his observations ______ in his notes.

5. Nurse: “The results have been received.” The relative said that the results ______.

Suggested answers

The relative said that her husband had been woken at six o'clock.
The relative said that a local anaesthetic had been administered before the procedure.
The relative said that his blood pressure had been monitored every fifteen minutes.
The relative said that his observations had been recorded in his notes.
The relative said that the results had been received.

Remember: reported speech does not always require backshift. Here, the context makes it clear that the events happened before the relative reported them, so the past perfect is appropriate. In other contexts, a speaker may choose a different tense to reflect the time relationship or current relevance.

Step 7 · Mixed review

Choose the passive form that fits the context

These questions review the present simple, past simple, present perfect and past perfect passive. Read the whole sentence before answering.

1. In this laboratory, every sample ______ twice. (routine; check)

2. The new material ______ in 2022. (discover)

3. The repairs ______, so the road is open again. (complete)

4. The door ______ before the building was checked. (lock)

5. At noon yesterday, the road ______, so traffic was diverted. (repair)

Suggested answers

In this laboratory, every sample is checked twice.
The new material was discovered in 2022.
The repairs have been completed, so the road is open again.
The door had been locked before the building was checked.
At noon yesterday, the road was being repaired, so traffic was diverted.

Quick reference

Tense	Passive structure	Example
Present simple	am/is/are + past participle	The samples are checked.
Past simple	was/were + past participle	The samples were checked.
Present continuous	am/is/are being + past participle	The samples are being checked.
Past continuous	was/were being + past participle	The samples were being checked.
Present perfect	has/have been + past participle	The samples have been checked.
Past perfect	had been + past participle	The samples had been checked.

Final reminder: use the passive when the action, process or affected person/thing is the main focus. Mention the agent with by when it adds useful information; otherwise, leave it out.