Grammar Basics
Day 27 · 30 Days English Challenge
Active and Passive Voice: Rules, Examples and Practice
· 6 min read
Day 27 speaking goal: Describe one event from the doer’s viewpoint or the receiver’s viewpoint.
You can start with the person doing an action or the thing receiving it. Learn both sentence patterns.
Jump to: Rules · Compare · Examples · Self-checks · Answers
27.1 Who or what comes first?
| Learn | Simple English |
|---|---|
| Rule | In these examples, active voice puts the doer first. Passive voice puts the person or thing receiving the action first. |
| Pattern | Lina repaired the bicycle → The bicycle was repaired by Lina. |
| Example | Lina repaired the bicycle. The bicycle was repaired by Lina. |
| Why | The event stays the same. The second sentence puts the bicycle first. |
27.2 Build a passive sentence
| Learn | Simple English |
|---|---|
| Rule | Use a form of be and a past participle, such as repaired, opened or written. Change be to show time. |
| Pattern | Is repaired. Was repaired. Will be repaired. |
| Example | The doors were opened at nine. |
| Why | Doors is plural, so use were. Opened is the past participle here. |
27.3 Say who did it when useful
| Learn | Simple English |
|---|---|
| Rule | Use by to name the doer. Leave the doer out when unknown, obvious or unimportant to your message. |
| Pattern | Passive sentence + by + doer. |
| Example | The window was broken by a branch. The road was closed. |
| Why | The first tells us what broke the window. The second focuses on the closed road. |
27.4 Questions and negatives
| Learn | Simple English |
|---|---|
| Rule | Put the first helping verb before the person or thing for a question. Add not after it for a negative. |
| Pattern | Was it repaired? It was not repaired. |
| Example | Will the bicycle be repaired? It will not be repaired today. |
| Why | Not every verb works in this pattern. Arrive has no object: say The bus arrived, not The bus was arrived. |
27.5 Compare the patterns side by side
| Time | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Regular present | They repair bikes. | Bikes are repaired. |
| Finished past | Lina repaired the bike. | The bike was repaired. |
| Future | They will repair the bike. | The bike will be repaired. |
| Question | Did Lina repair it? | Was it repaired? |
27.6 Everyday examples: notice the meaning
Lina repaired the bicycle.
💡 Active starts with the doer.
The bicycle was repaired by Lina.
💡 Passive starts with the affected item.
The bicycle was repaired yesterday.
💡 The sentence does not say who repaired the bicycle.
Bicycles are repaired here.
💡 A regular present process.
The road is cleaned every morning.
💡 Present passive with singular road.
The doors were opened at nine.
💡 Past be agrees with plural doors.
The letter was written yesterday.
💡 Write changes to written after was in this passive pattern.
The glass was broken by a branch.
💡 The cause is relevant.
The parcel will be delivered tomorrow.
💡 Future passive.
Will the parcel be delivered today?
💡 Will moves before the subject.
Was the bicycle repaired?
💡 Past passive question.
The window wasn’t replaced.
💡 A negative passive.
The tickets are sold online.
💡 A process with an obvious seller.
The meal was prepared by our team.
💡 By our team tells us who prepared the meal.
They will paint the wall.
💡 They do the action. The wall receives it.
The wall will be painted.
💡 Same event with a different topic.
The train arrived late.
💡 The train arrives; it does not arrive something. Do not make this sentence passive.
The door is closed.
💡 Context may describe a state rather than the closing event.
27.7 Common mistakes and why
❌ The letter was wrote.
✅ The letter was written.
The passive needs the participle written.
❌ The bikes was repaired.
✅ The bikes were repaired.
There is more than one bike, so use “were”.
❌ The train was arrived.
✅ The train arrived.
Arrive is not made passive in this ordinary meaning.
27.8 Try it yourself
Step 1: Write Lina repaired the bicycle. Start the next sentence with The bicycle.
Step 2: Make it a question.
Step 3: Make it negative. Say who did the action when that detail matters.
27.9 Five self-checks
Choose A or B for each question. Read the answers below after you finish.
1. Keep the same meaning as “Lina repaired the bike.” Which sentence starts correctly with the bike?
A. The bike was repaired by Lina.
B. The bike repaired Lina.
2. Choose the missing word: “The letter was ___ yesterday.”
A. wrote
B. written
3. Which sentence is correct?
A. The doors were opened.
B. The doors was opened.
4. Ask about a future delivery. Which question is correct?
A. Will the parcel delivered tomorrow?
B. Will the parcel be delivered tomorrow?
5. “The road was closed for repairs.” Does this sentence need to name who closed it?
A. Yes, every passive sentence must name the doer.
B. No, the important message can be the road closure.
Self-check answers and explanations
1. A — The bike was repaired by Lina.
💡 The bike receives the repair. Use was repaired, then name the doer with by Lina.
2. B — written
💡 Use written after was in this passive sentence.
3. A — The doors were opened.
💡 Doors is plural, so use were.
4. B — Will the parcel be delivered tomorrow?
💡 Keep be before delivered. Put will first for the question.
5. B — No, the important message can be the road closure.
💡 You can leave out the doer when that detail is unknown, obvious or unimportant.
27.10 Remember these points
Active: Lina repaired the bicycle.
Passive: The bicycle was repaired by Lina.
Use be + past participle for the passive.
Review any self-check you missed. Then say three examples aloud without looking.
Further reading: active vs passive voice · parts of a sentence
Grammar references: Cambridge: Passive forms