Are there tenses where passive voice cannot be used?

In one line

The rule

Passive voice is possible only when the verb has an object (a thing or person that receives the action).

Let's understand it simply

Imagine you are playing cricket. If you say, "I hit the ball," the ball is the object. In passive voice, you can say, "The ball was hit by me." But if you say, "I sleep," there is no object. You cannot say, "Sleep is done by me." So, passive voice needs an object in the sentence.

How it works

1. Check if the verb has an object (like "the ball" in "I hit the ball").
2. If yes, you can make a passive sentence ("The ball was hit").
3. If no object (like in "I sleep"), passive voice is not possible.
4. Some tenses, like Present Perfect Continuous ("I have been doing"), usually do not use passive voice because they rarely have an object.

The story behind it

English grammar rules grew over time as people tried to make sentences clearer. Passive voice was made to show what happens to the object. But if there is no object, there is nothing to "become" the subject, so passive voice cannot work.

Where you see it in real life

• "The roti is being cooked" (passive, because "roti" is the object)
• "The bus was cleaned" (passive, "bus" is the object)
• "I am running" (no object, so passive is not possible)
• "She has been singing" (no object, so passive is not possible)
• "They have built a house" (object = house, passive: "A house has been built")

Why it matters

• Helps you write better answers in exams.
• Makes your English sound more formal or polite.
• Useful in reports, news, and science writing.
• Knowing when you cannot use passive avoids grammar mistakes.

Common mistakes

• Trying to make passive voice from verbs with no object (like "go," "sleep").
• Using passive voice with tenses that do not fit, like Present Perfect Continuous ("has been being done" is very rare and awkward).
• Forgetting that some verbs never take an object (intransitive verbs), so passive is impossible.

Remember it

If there is no object, you cannot make a passive sentence.