Active Or Passive | When To Use Passive Voice

We use passive structures when we want to talk about an action, but are not interested in stating who or what does/did it.

• Promises should be kept. (passive)
• Smoking must be banned. (passive)
• This house was built in 1990.
• The house is being painted.

Some verbs can be used in both active and passive forms with similar meanings. Examples are: to worry/to be worried; to drown/to be drowned.

Sometimes active and passive infinitives can be used with very similar meanings.

• There is a lot of work to do.
• There is a lot of work to be done.

See Also

Sections in this article

Active and passive voice

Choice of passive structures

Passive verb forms

Verbs not used in the passive

Passives: agents

Passives: verbs with two objects

Passives: sentences with infinitive and clause objects

Passives: verbs with object and infinitive

Passives: object complements