What Is Passive Voice?
Active: "The teacher explains the lesson." (subject does the action)
Passive: "The lesson is explained by the teacher." (action is done to the subject)
When to Use Passive Voice
1. Writing Task 1 — Process Diagrams (MUST use)
"The cocoa beans are harvested and then fermented for several days."2. When the action is more important than who did it
"The bridge was built in 1990." (We care about the bridge, not who built it)3. In formal writing
"Mistakes were made." (More formal than "We made mistakes")4. When you don't know who did the action
"My car was stolen." (We don't know who stole it)Passive Voice Forms
Present simple: "English is spoken worldwide."
Past simple: "The building was constructed in 2000."
Present perfect: "The report has been completed."
Future: "The project will be finished by next week."
Modal: "The rules must be followed."
Common IELTS Mistakes
- Overusing passive — Use it when appropriate, not always
- Wrong form: ❌ "The work was do" → ✅ "The work was done"
- Confusing active/passive: ❌ "The government decided to be implemented" → ✅ "The policy was implemented by the government"
Passive in IELTS Writing
Task 1 (Process):
"The raw materials are collected, processed, and packaged."
"Finally, the product is distributed to retailers."
Task 2 (Essay):
"It is believed that education plays a crucial role in development."
"More investment should be made in renewable energy."
Passive in IELTS Speaking
Part 2: "The skill I want to learn is photography, which I think is a wonderful art form."
Part 3: "New policies are being introduced by the government to address this issue."
When NOT to Use Passive
Don't use when:
Example:
❌ "The report was written by me and then it was submitted by me to the professor"
✅ "I wrote the report and submitted it to the professor"
Practice
Write 5 active sentences, then convert them to passive. Do this daily for 1 week. You'll know when to use passive naturally.
Practice on Our Portal
Our Grammar Portal at grammar.bharatdn.com has passive voice exercises. Practice daily for best results.
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