When should I use passive voice?

In one line

The rule

In passive voice, the object of the action becomes the subject of the sentence.

For example: Active: The chef cooked the meal. → Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.

Let's understand it simply

Imagine you are watching a cricket match. If you say, "Virat hit the ball," you are using active voice (Virat is doing the action). But if you say, "The ball was hit," you are using passive voice (the ball is the focus, not who hit it).

Sometimes, you care more about the action or the result than about who did it. For example, in a crowded bus, you might say, "My wallet was stolen." You don't know who stole it, but the action (stealing) is important.

How it works

1. Find the object in the active sentence (the thing receiving the action).
2. Make that object the subject of the new sentence.
3. Use the correct form of "to be" (is, was, were, etc.) plus the past participle (like "cooked," "stolen").
4. Add "by..." if you want to say who did it (optional).

The story behind it

The idea of passive voice comes from Latin and old English grammar. Writers and speakers needed a way to talk about actions when the doer was unknown, unimportant, or obvious. Over time, passive voice became a tool in English to shift focus from the doer to the action or result.

Where you see it in real life

• News reports: "A new bridge was built in the city." (Who built it is less important than the fact it was built.)
• Science experiments: "The solution was heated to 100°C." (Focus is on the process, not the person.)
• Crime reports: "The jewels were stolen last night." (The thief is unknown.)
• Instructions: "The rice should be washed before cooking." (Anyone can do it.)
• Official notices: "Water supply will be stopped tomorrow." (Who will stop it is not important.)

Why it matters

• Helps you write reports, news, and instructions clearly.
• Useful when you don't know who did the action.
• Makes writing sound more formal or polite.
• Needed in science and academic writing.

Common mistakes

• Using passive voice everywhere. (Active voice is clearer for most writing.)
• Forgetting to change the verb form ("is cook" instead of "is cooked").
• Making sentences confusing by not saying who did the action when it's needed.

Remember it

If you care more about the action or the result than the doer, use passive voice.