Passive voice (advanced: all tenses, reporting verbs)
In advanced English the passive voice works across all tenses and is often combined with reporting verbs (say, believe, think, expect) to present information impersonally or to emphasize the action rather than the doer.
The passive across all tenses
Every tense forms its passive with the matching tense of 'be' plus the past participle, so 'is/are done', 'was/were done', 'has/have been done', 'will be done', and 'is/are being done' are all possible. We use the passive when the action matters more than who did it, or when the doer is unknown or obvious. To name the doer, we add 'by + agent', but we often leave it out.
- •The contract is signed every quarter.
- •The bridge was being repaired when we arrived.
- •All the tickets have been sold already.
- •The results will be announced next week.
Modals and perfect/continuous passives
Modal verbs form the passive with 'modal + be + past participle', as in 'must be checked' or 'should have been done'. Perfect and continuous passives let us be precise about time: 'has been built' (already complete) versus 'is being built' (in progress now). These structures are common in formal, academic, and business English.
- •This form must be completed in black ink.
- •The mistake should have been noticed earlier.
- •A new hospital is being built near the station.
- •By June the project will have been finished.
Reporting verbs in the passive (impersonal passive)
With reporting verbs like 'say', 'believe', 'think', 'know', and 'expect', we can use two impersonal passive patterns. The first uses an empty subject: 'It is said that he is rich.' The second moves the subject forward and uses a 'to'-infinitive: 'He is said to be rich', or 'He is said to have been rich' for an earlier time. This style sounds objective and is typical of news reports.
- •It is believed that the painting is a fake.
- •The CEO is thought to be planning to resign.
- •The suspect is reported to have left the country.
- •Scientists are said to have discovered a new species.