Active and Passive Voice

Lesson 2: Forming the Passive Voice Across Tenses

Lesson: 2 of 7 | Level: 🟠 Intermediate

1. Lesson Overview

The passive voice can be formed in every tense of English — and in each tense, the structural principle is the same: the appropriate form of be plus the past participle of the main verb. What changes from tense to tense is the form of be — whether it is is, was, has been, will be, is being, or any of the other tense forms the auxiliary be can take.

Mastering passive formation across all tenses is one of the most practically important grammatical skills in English — essential not only for producing correct passive sentences but for recognising and interpreting them in the academic, scientific, and professional texts that advanced learners read and write. This lesson presents the complete system of passive formation — working through every tense in English, with examples drawn from science, geography, and the natural world.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Form the passive voice correctly in all twelve tenses
• Identify the correct form of be for each tense in the passive
• Transform active sentences into passive sentences across all tenses
• Recognise and correct common errors in passive formation

2. Core Content

A. The General Principle

The passive voice is formed with:

Appropriate tense of BE + Past Participle of the main verb

The past participle of the main verb never changes — it is always the same form regardless of the tense. What changes is the tense form of the auxiliary verb be.

The by-phrase naming the agent is optional in all passive constructions — it is included only when the agent is known, relevant, and important to name.

B. Passive Formation — All Twelve Tenses

Simple Present Passive

Structure: am / is / are + past participle

For example:

Thousands of new deep-sea species are discovered every year as exploration technologies improve. The data is processed and archived at the central research facility before being made available to other institutions.

Active equivalents: Scientists discover thousands of new species every year. / The team processes and archives the data.

Present Continuous Passive

Structure: am / is / are being + past participle

For example:

The hydrothermal vent systems of the Indian Ocean are currently being mapped by an international team of researchers. New monitoring instruments are being tested at the Antarctic research station before their full deployment.

Active equivalents: An international team is currently mapping the systems. / Researchers are testing new instruments.

Present Perfect Passive

Structure: have / has been + past participle

For example:

More than five thousand species of deep-sea organism have been identified in hydrothermal vent ecosystems since their discovery in 1977. The methodology has been refined significantly since the first survey was conducted five years ago.

Active equivalents: Scientists have identified more than five thousand species. / Researchers have refined the methodology.

Present Perfect Continuous Passive

Structure: have / has been being + past participle

This construction is grammatically possible but extremely rare and awkward in practice — it is almost always replaced by the present perfect simple passive.

For example:

The site has been being monitored continuously since 2005. (grammatically possible but avoided) The site has been monitored continuously since 2005. (preferred — present perfect simple passive)

Simple Past Passive

Structure: was / were + past participle

For example:

Hydrothermal vent communities were discovered by scientists aboard the research vessel Alvin in 1977. The theory of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 and was initially rejected by the scientific establishment.

Active equivalents: Scientists discovered vent communities in 1977. / Wegener proposed the theory in 1912.

Past Continuous Passive

Structure: was / were being + past participle

For example:

At the time of the discovery, data was being collected from three separate monitoring stations simultaneously. The instruments were being calibrated when the unexpected seismic event was recorded.

Active equivalents: The team was collecting data. / Technicians were calibrating the instruments.

Past Perfect Passive

Structure: had been + past participle

For example:

By the time the expedition returned to port, all the samples had been collected, labelled, and stored in the refrigerated hold. The theory had been proposed decades earlier, but it had not been taken seriously by the scientific community until corroborating evidence emerged.

Active equivalents: The team had collected all the samples. / Scientists had proposed the theory decades earlier.

Past Perfect Continuous Passive

Structure: had been being + past participle

Like the present perfect continuous passive, this construction is grammatically possible but extremely rare and awkward — it is almost always replaced by the past perfect simple passive.

For example:

The data had been being collected for two years when the programme was terminated. (possible but avoided) The data had been collected for two years when the programme was terminated. (preferred)

Simple Future Passive

Structure: will be + past participle

For example:

The findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal before the end of the calendar year. New monitoring stations will be installed across the southern sector of the vent field during the next expedition.

Active equivalents: The team will publish the findings. / Engineers will install new monitoring stations.

Future Continuous Passive

Structure: will be being + past participle

This construction, like the perfect continuous passives, is grammatically possible but extremely awkward and is almost always avoided in practice.

For example:

The samples will be being analysed throughout the summer. (possible but avoided) The samples will be analysed throughout the summer. (preferred — simple future passive)

Future Perfect Passive

Structure: will have been + past participle

For example:

By the end of the decade, the entire vent field will have been mapped and catalogued using autonomous underwater vehicles. By 2050, more than half of the world’s coral reef area will have been destroyed by the combined effects of warming, acidification, and pollution if current trends continue.

Active equivalents: Scientists will have mapped the vent field. / Warming and acidification will have destroyed more than half of the coral reef area.

Future Perfect Continuous Passive

Structure: will have been being + past participle

This construction is so rare and so unwieldy that it is almost never used — the future perfect simple passive is invariably preferred.

For example:

By 2030, the site will have been being monitored for twenty-five years. (possible but extremely awkward — never used in practice) By 2030, the site will have been monitored for twenty-five years. (preferred — future perfect simple passive)

C. Summary Table — Passive Formation Across All Tenses

Note: Present perfect continuous passive, past perfect continuous passive, future continuous passive, and future perfect continuous passive are all grammatically possible but are almost universally replaced by their simple equivalents in practice. They are not included in the summary table for this reason.

D. Transforming Active Sentences into Passive Sentences — Step by Step

The transformation from active to passive follows a consistent four-step process:

Step 1 — Identify the direct object of the active sentence — this becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Step 2 — Move the original subject (the agent) to a by-phrase — or omit it if it is unnecessary. Step 3 — Change the verb to the passive form — appropriate tense of be + past participle. Step 4 — Check that all other elements — adverbials, time expressions, indirect objects — remain in their correct positions.

Consider the following transformation:

Active: Scientists at three independent laboratories are currently analysing the core samples collected during the expedition.

Step 1 — Direct object: the core samples collected during the expedition → becomes the passive subject. Step 2 — Agent: scientists at three independent laboratories → moves to by-phrase or is omitted. Step 3 — Verb: are analysing (present continuous active) → are being analysed (present continuous passive). Step 4 — Adverbial: currently remains in the same position.

Passive: The core samples collected during the expedition are currently being analysed at three independent laboratories.

Note that the by-phrase (by scientists at three independent laboratories) has been replaced by a location phrase (at three independent laboratories) — because the agent (scientists) is obvious and unimportant, while the location adds relevant information.

E. Sentences with Two Objects — Direct and Indirect

When an active sentence contains both a direct object and an indirect object, either can become the subject of the passive sentence — though it is more common for the indirect object to become the passive subject when it refers to a person.

Active: The committee awarded Darwin its highest honour.

Passive option 1 — indirect object as subject: Darwin was awarded its highest honour by the committee. Passive option 2 — direct object as subject: Its highest honour was awarded to Darwin by the committee.

The first option — with the person (Darwin) as the subject — is more natural and more commonly used.

For example:

The funding body has offered the research team a significant grant for the second phase of the expedition. The research team has been offered a significant grant by the funding body. (preferred — person as subject) A significant grant has been offered to the research team by the funding body. (also correct)

3. Usage in Context

• The simple present passive describes ongoing states, general facts, and regular processes — where the focus is on what happens rather than on who does it.

Thousands of new species of deep-sea organism are identified each year as the quality and coverage of deep-sea surveys improve. The raw data is collected at the monitoring stations, transmitted to the research vessel, and processed by the onboard analysis system in real time.

• The present continuous passive describes actions in progress at the present moment — ongoing processes where the focus is on the action rather than on the agent.

The hydrothermal vent systems of the western Indian Ocean are currently being mapped as part of a five-year international research collaboration. A new generation of deep-sea autonomous vehicles is being developed and tested specifically for operation in the extreme conditions of the hadal zone.

• The present perfect passive describes completed past actions with present relevance — connecting past achievements to the current state of knowledge or affairs.

More than five thousand species of deep-sea organism have been identified in hydrothermal vent ecosystems since the first communities were observed in 1977. The methodology has been refined and validated through several rounds of independent review and is now regarded as the standard approach in the field.

• The simple past passive describes completed past actions — placing the focus on what was done rather than on who did it.

The theory of continental drift was first proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1912 and was met with widespread scepticism from the geological establishment of the time. More than three hundred new species were recorded during the five-year survey of the deep Pacific — many of which had never previously been observed by science.

• The past continuous passive describes actions that were in progress at a specific past moment — ongoing processes at a point in the past.

At the time of the discovery, biological specimens were being collected from a depth of more than 2,500 metres using the submersible’s robotic sampling arms. The instruments were being calibrated and tested in preparation for the next dive when the unexpected seismic event disrupted the monitoring network.

• The past perfect passive describes completed past actions before another past point — establishing that the action was finished before a later event.

By the time the expedition returned to port, all the samples had been collected, catalogued, and stored in controlled conditions in the refrigerated hold. The theory had been proposed by Wegener in 1912, but it had not been accepted by the scientific community until the discovery of seafloor spreading in the 1960s.

• The simple future passive describes actions that will happen in the future — where the focus is on what will be done rather than on who will do it.

The findings will be submitted for peer review before the end of the month and are expected to be published in a leading journal by the spring. New monitoring stations will be installed across the southern sector of the vent field during the next expedition, significantly extending the coverage of the network.

• The future perfect passive describes actions that will have been completed before a specific future reference point.

By the end of the decade, the entire extent of the vent field will have been mapped, catalogued, and described in a comprehensive scientific atlas. By 2050, more than half of the world’s tropical coral reef area will have been permanently damaged or destroyed if current warming and acidification trends continue.

• The modal passive — modal + be + past participle — is used to express necessity, obligation, possibility, and permission in the passive voice.

All data must be archived in an accessible and durable format within thirty days of collection, as a condition of the funding agreement. The samples should be stored at a constant temperature of −20°C to prevent degradation before analysis.

• The modal perfect passive — modal + have been + past participle — is used to express past deduction, past obligation, and past possibility in the passive voice.

The monitoring network must have been damaged during the seismic event — the data stream stopped at the precise moment the tremor was recorded. Baseline measurements should have been established before the extraction operations began — the failure to do so represents a significant regulatory oversight.

• In transforming active sentences with two objects, prefer the indirect object (usually a person) as the passive subject.

The funding body offered the team a significant grant. → The team was offered a significant grant by the funding body. (preferred) The funding body offered the team a significant grant. → A significant grant was offered to the team. (also correct but less natural)

• Avoid the perfect continuous passive forms — have been being, had been being, will have been being — by replacing them with the corresponding simple passive form.

The site has been monitored continuously since 2005. (preferred over has been being monitored) The data had been collected for two years when the programme ended. (preferred over had been being collected)

4. Common Errors and Corrections

5. Lesson Mastery

After completing this lesson, you should now be able to:

    ✅ Form the passive voice correctly in all twelve tenses

    ✅ Identify the correct form of be for each tense in the passive

    ✅ Transform active sentences into passive sentences across all tenses

    ✅ Recognise and correct common errors in passive formation