Introduction

Look at the difference between these two sentences:

You must submit your FYP by April 30th at the latest.

Your FYP must be submitted by April 30th at the latest.

The first sentence is an active sentence:
The subject (you, the person who did the action) comes first, followed by the verb form and finally, the object (the FYP, the thing that received the action).

The second sentence is a passive sentence:
The object of the first sentence (the FYP) has become the subject.
The verb form has also changed. Often, in a passive sentence, the person doing the action is not mentioned.

Passive verb forms have two main parts: an auxiliary verb (usually a tense of the verb to be) + the past participle of the main verb

e.g The results are updated regularly.

The passive (or active) is not itself a tense. But it can be used with nearly any tense - the tense is indicated by the form of the verb to be.

Here are some examples of the passive in different tenses

Common Errors

1. Use of incorrect past participle of irregular verbs.

e.g. A memo was circulate to all staff. All delegates have been chose by the committee. The stolen documents have been founded. A memo was circulated to all staff. All delegates have been chosen by the committee. The stolen documents have been found.

2. Missing auxiliary with passive verbs

e.g. The shipments dispatched weekly. She afraid that the information would ruin her chances. The shipments are dispatched weekly. She was afraid that the information would ruin her chances.

3. Redundant auxiliary with active voice

e.g. He was decided to publish his findings in a professional journal. They were understood that funding was impossible. We wanted to explore the opportunities we will be encounter next year. He decided to publish his findings in a professional journal. They understood that funding was impossible. We wanted to explore the opportunities we will encounter next year.

4. Incorrect form of the main verb

e.g. All safety procedures are review annually. The largest population sample was choose. All safety procedures are reviewed annually. The largest population sample was chosen.

5. Incorrect use of the passive with intransitive verbs

e.g.		Several errors have been arisen in the blueprint.
		Several errors have arisen in the blueprint.

6. Redundant auxiliary with active voice (modal verbs)

e.g. During managerial meetings they would be discuss policy. Staff should have been completed their assessments by Friday. During managerial meetings they would discuss policy. Staff should have completed their assessments by Friday.

Click here for a short 10-question interactive quiz.