Passive Voice Examples Sentences | Clear Grammar Models

passive voice examples sentences show how the subject receives an action so you can build clear passive patterns in your own writing.

Passive voice can look strange at first, yet you meet it in news reports, school notices, user manuals, and formal emails every day. When the subject receives an action instead of doing it, you have a passive sentence. Once you see the pattern, you can control it instead of guessing.

This guide brings together clear passive voice models, side-by-side active versions, and short steps for changing one into the other. The sentences follow the grammar pattern explained by Cambridge Grammar and British Council LearnEnglish, then reshapes them into friendly, classroom-style examples you can reuse.

What Is Passive Voice In Simple Terms

In English, a passive sentence places the receiver of the action in the subject slot. The basic pattern is:

Subject + form of “be” + past participle (+ by + doer of the action)

In “The window was broken by the ball,” the window did not break itself. It received the action. The phrase “was broken” is the passive verb, and “by the ball” names the thing that caused the action. Many passive sentences remove the “by” phrase when the doer is unknown, unhelpful, or obvious from context.

According to both Cambridge and British Council sources, passive voice usually appears with transitive verbs, the ones that can take an object, such as “eat,” “build,” or “write”. You can also form passive patterns across many tenses by changing the form of “be” while keeping the past participle steady.

Common Passive Patterns And Short Models

The table below sets out common passive voice structures with short sample sentences. You can treat it as a quick model bank while you build your own lines.

Pattern	Form Of “Be”	Example Passive Sentence
Present simple passive	am / is / are + V₃	The homework is checked every evening.
Past simple passive	was / were + V₃	The book was written in 1995.
Present continuous passive	am / is / are being + V₃	The room is being cleaned right now.
Past continuous passive	was / were being + V₃	Snacks were being served during the break.
Present perfect passive	has / have been + V₃	The results have been posted on the noticeboard.
Future simple passive	will be + V₃	The certificates will be given out next week.
Modal passive	modal + be + V₃	The form must be completed before class.
“Get” passive (informal)	get + V₃	The glass got broken during the party.

When you read each line, try to picture a basic active version in your head. That habit makes the structure feel natural rather than strange or mechanical.

Passive Voice Examples Sentences In Everyday English

When learners search for passive voice examples sentences, they usually want clear, short lines that show how native speakers use this structure in daily life. The next groups give you that kind of model, with active versions beside them so the change stands out.

Short Passive Voice Examples

Each pair below shows an active sentence first and a passive sentence second.

Active: The teacher explains the rules. / Passive: The rules are explained by the teacher.
Active: Someone locked the door. / Passive: The door was locked.
Active: The coach will choose the team. / Passive: The team will be chosen by the coach.
Active: People speak English here. / Passive: English is spoken here.
Active: They are cleaning the lab. / Passive: The lab is being cleaned.
Active: They had finished the test. / Passive: The test had been finished.
Active: They might cancel the match. / Passive: The match might be cancelled.
Active: Somebody stole my phone. / Passive: My phone was stolen.

Notice how the object from the active line moves to the front in the passive line. The tense stays the same, and the meaning stays close, but the spotlight moves from the person who does the action to the thing that receives it.

Passive Sentences Across Common Tenses

The next set keeps one basic idea while the tense changes. This helps you see how “be” moves while the past participle stays fixed.

Present simple: The letters are delivered every morning.
Past simple: The letters were delivered yesterday.
Present continuous: The letters are being delivered now.
Past continuous: The letters were being delivered when I arrived.
Present perfect: The letters have been delivered already.
Future simple: The letters will be delivered tomorrow.
Modal: The letters should be delivered before noon.

If you swap “letters” with other nouns such as “meals”, “tickets”, or “results”, you gain many more passive voice examples without changing the grammar frame.

Passive Voice Sample Sentences For Learners

Passive voice shows up in different settings: emails, reports, research writing, and polite notices. This section gives you model sentences taken from those settings so you can recycle the patterns in your own work.

Passive Voice In Emails And Messages

Writers often use passive forms in messages when they want to sound polite, neutral, or less direct. Here are some useful lines.

Your request has been received and will be answered soon.
The meeting has been moved to Wednesday.
The payment was not recorded in our system.
The documents will be sent to you by the end of the day.
You have been invited to join the project group.
The file has been attached to this email.

Notice how these sentences avoid naming “we” or “I” in every line. The passive form keeps the message calm and business-like, which works well in many work or school settings.

Passive Voice In Study And Research Writing

Many research reports and lab texts use passive voice to place the process or result at the centre of the sentence. In these lines, the method or result comes first, and the person who did the work fades into the background.

The samples were stored at room temperature.
The data were collected from 100 students.
The survey was carried out over three weeks.
The solution was heated until it boiled.
The results were compared with earlier studies.
A new method was developed for this experiment.

If you read again through the model sentences from British Council and Cambridge, you will see the same pattern: “be” plus past participle, often with no “by” phrase, because the action itself matters more than the person behind it.

Passive Voice In Notices And Public Signs

Short notices and signs often use passive voice to give rules without naming any person. These are common in schools, libraries, and public places.

Mobile phones must be switched off in the exam hall.
Food and drink are not allowed in the computer lab.
All visitors are asked to sign in at reception.
Bags should be placed under the desk.
Lost items will be kept at the front office.

Each notice sounds firm but not personal. The rule is the star of the sentence, so passive voice suits the task.

Passive Voice Examples Sentences For Practice Sets

This section links the models above into short practice sets. You can copy each group into your notes, then write extra sentences by changing the subject or time phrase while keeping the passive frame.

Daily Life Passive Sets

The room is cleaned every morning.
The emails are answered before lunch.
The bus timetable is updated once a month.
The lights are turned off at midnight.

Try swapping “room” with “classroom” or “kitchen”, and swap “every morning” with a different time marker. You get new sentences without changing the basic passive pattern.

School And Campus Passive Sets

The timetable is shared with all students.
The exam papers are checked by two teachers.
The lab rules are explained at the start of the term.
Scholarship results are announced on the website.

These sample sets make passive voice feel like a normal tool in student life instead of a rare grammar trick.

How To Change Active Sentences To Passive Step By Step

So far you have seen many passive lines. Now you can train your eye to change active sentences into passive ones. Use this simple set of steps when you meet a new active sentence.

Steps For Turning Active Into Passive

Find the verb and object. In “The teacher wrote the report,” the verb is “wrote” and the object is “the report”.
Move the object to the subject place. “The report” moves to the front of the sentence.
Choose the right form of “be”. Match the tense of the active verb. “Wrote” is past simple, so you choose “was”.
Add the past participle of the main verb. “Write” becomes “written”.
Add “by + doer” if needed. If you want to name the person, you add “by the teacher”.

Follow that pattern a few times and you will start to move between active and passive without long thinking. The table below shows the change line by line.

Active Sentence	Passive Version	Note
The teacher wrote the report.	The report was written by the teacher.	Past simple stays past simple in the passive form.
They built this bridge in 2010.	This bridge was built in 2010.	“By them” is not needed, so it is left out.
Someone has stolen my bike.	My bike has been stolen.	Present perfect becomes “has been” + V₃.
They are painting the walls.	The walls are being painted.	Continuous aspect adds “being” before V₃.
The school will announce the results tomorrow.	The results will be announced tomorrow.	Future simple uses “will be” + V₃.
The committee can change the rules.	The rules can be changed by the committee.	Modal verb stays, then “be” + V₃.
They are going to hold the meeting online.	The meeting is going to be held online.	“Going to” future can also take a passive form.

When you practise, start with short active sentences that have a clear object. Once you feel steady with those, you can move on to longer lines with time phrases, adverbs, and extra clauses.

Common Passive Voice Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Many learners copy passive forms from textbooks but slip into small errors when they build their own sentences. This section lists common trouble spots and quick ways to fix them.

Missing “Be” Or Using The Wrong Form

One of the most common mistakes is dropping the “be” verb or choosing the wrong tense. Learners write lines such as “The report written yesterday” instead of “The report was written yesterday”. Always check that your passive verb has both the right form of “be” and the past participle.

Using An Intransitive Verb In Passive Voice

Some verbs do not take an object, so they cannot form a normal passive line. A sentence such as “He arrived” has no object, so you cannot turn it into “was arrived”. When you are unsure, ask yourself, “Does this verb take something?” If the answer is no, keep the sentence in active voice.

Overusing “By” Phrases

Passive voice does not always need “by + person”. In many cases the reader does not need to know who did the action. Sentences such as “The exam was cancelled” or “The rules were changed last year” work well without a “by” phrase. Use “by + doer” when the doer is surprising, important for the story, or required for clarity.

Mixing Active And Passive In One Clause

Another trap is mixing parts of active and passive in a single clause, such as “The report was wrote by the teacher”. Here “was wrote” mixes a past simple form with a passive helper. The correct form is “was written”. When you write passive voice examples sentences for your own notes, check that the main verb sits in its past participle form.

Using Passive Voice Where Active Works Better

Passive voice is a helpful tool, not a rule that must control every sentence. In stories, personal emails, and many essays, active voice keeps the message lively and direct. Use passive forms when you want to stress the result, keep the doer in the background, or sound neutral and formal. Mix both voices so your writing stays clear and flexible.

Final Tips On Using Passive Voice Well

Passive voice moves the spotlight from the person who acts to the thing that receives the action. Once you see the frame “be + past participle”, you can read and write these sentences without stress. The examples and tables above give you a store of patterns to copy, adapt, and extend in your own tasks.

As you practise, say the active and passive pairs aloud. Notice how the subject moves, how the verb changes, and how the meaning stays close. Within a short time, you will read a new sentence, spot the voice, and change it when your message needs a different tone.