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Frequent learner mistakes involving passive constructions.
An ordinary passive normally requires a transitive verb with a direct object.
In an active sentence, the direct object becomes the subject of the passive. Intransitive verbs such as arrive, sleep, and happen normally cannot form an ordinary passive.
Passive constructions require the appropriate form of be or another passive auxiliary construction.
Common errors include The house built last year instead of The house was built last year, and The work has completed instead of The work has been completed.
The lexical verb in a basic passive construction must be in the past participle form.
Common mistakes include was wrote instead of was written and has been broke instead of has been broken.
After be in passive constructions, use the past participle rather than the ordinary Past Simple form when the two forms differ.
For example, The letter was written is correct, not The letter was wrote.
Perfect passive constructions require been between the perfect auxiliary and the past participle.
For example, The work has been completed and The building had been damaged.
Being is used in progressive passive forms, while been is used in perfect passive forms.
Compare The road is being repaired with The road has been repaired.
The passive must preserve the intended tense and aspect of the active construction.
For example, They are building the house becomes The house is being built, while They built the house becomes The house was built.
Core modal passives use modal + be + past participle.
Common errors include The form must completed instead of The form must be completed.
Past modal passive constructions use modal + have been + past participle.
For example, The report should have been sent, not The report should have sent.
Passive infinitives use to be + past participle.
Common errors include The work needs to completed instead of The work needs to be completed.
Passive gerunds use being + past participle.
For example, He dislikes being ignored, not He dislikes be ignored.
Choose active or passive voice according to which participant performs or receives the action.
Learners may accidentally reverse the roles of the agent and receiver when converting an active sentence to a passive one.
The direct object of the active sentence normally becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
For example, Someone stole my phone becomes My phone was stolen, not Someone was stolen by my phone.
Use by to introduce an agent and with to introduce an instrument, material, or means.
Compare The window was broken by the boy with The window was broken with a hammer.
Do not add a generic or obvious agent when it contributes no useful information.
The passive is often more natural without phrases such as by people, by someone, or by the workers when their identity is not relevant.
Do not omit the agent when identifying who performed the action is essential to the meaning.
For example, The decision was made by the board may be necessary when contrasting the board with another organization.
Do not form an ordinary passive from an intransitive verb that has no direct object.
Incorrect examples include He was arrived yesterday and The accident was happened suddenly.
When a passive construction comes from a verb followed by a preposition, the required preposition usually remains.
For example, She was looked after by her parents, not She was looked by her parents.
When a verb has two objects, choose the appropriate passive subject and preserve the remaining object correctly.
For example, They gave me a book can become I was given a book or A book was given to me.
Reporting passive constructions require the correct relationship between the passive verb and the infinitive.
For example, He is believed to have left is correct, not He is believed that he has left in the same personal passive pattern.
Distinguish get + past participle used as a passive/change-of-state construction from get + object + past participle used causatively.
Compare He got injured in the accident with He got his car repaired.
Do not use passive voice merely because it appears more formal.
When the agent is important and the active construction is shorter and clearer, active voice is usually preferable.
Choose passive or active voice according to which participant should be the main topic or receive emphasis.
A passive construction can improve cohesion when the affected participant is already the topic of the surrounding discourse.
Passive voice is common in formal and technical writing but is not inherently more formal than active voice.
Both voices can be appropriate in academic and professional writing depending on clarity, emphasis, and communicative purpose.
Accurate passive usage requires control of formation, tense, verb patterns, agent phrases, meaning, and register.
Review whether the verb can be passivized, whether the correct auxiliary and participle are used, whether the agent should be included, and whether active or passive voice best serves the context.