Passive Voice — Present and Past
Shift focus from who does it to what gets done — a key skill for professional English
From Sourov’s world: In 18 years of hospitality, I noticed something: the language of professional service is full of passive voice. In a pre-shift briefing, you’d never hear “I set the table” — you’d hear “the table is set.” Not “someone polished the glasses” but “the glasses have been polished.” Not “the chef prepared the tasting menu” but “the tasting menu was prepared this morning.” When the result matters more than the person who did it, we use the passive. It’s formal, it’s precise, and it sounds professional.
📚 Language Focus
Meaning: Use the passive when the action or result is more important than the person performing it, or when the agent (doer) is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
Form:
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Staff set the table. | The table is set. |
| Past Simple | The chef cooked the steak. | The steak was cooked by the chef. |
| Present Perfect | Someone has cleaned the kitchen. | The kitchen has been cleaned. |
Adding the agent: Use by — but only when it adds useful information. If it’s obvious, leave it out.
CCQs: Do we know who did the action? — Sometimes. Is the action or the result more important here? — The action/result. Do we need to say who did it? — Only if it adds new information.
💡 Examples
🍽️ Restaurant service
- The menu is printed fresh every day.
- The wine was decanted thirty minutes before service.
- All allergies must be noted before the order is placed.
- The restaurant was awarded a Good Food Guide listing in 2018.
🌍 General use
- English is spoken in over 50 countries.
- The report was submitted yesterday.
- The new policy has been approved by the board.
✏️ Quick Check
Rewrite these active sentences in the passive. Keep the same tense.
- The manager checks the reservations every morning.
- Someone cleaned the bar after closing time.
- They have cancelled the event.
- A local winery produces this wine.
- The head chef prepares the daily specials.
Show answers ▼
- The reservations are checked every morning (by the manager).
- The bar was cleaned after closing time.
- The event has been cancelled.
- This wine is produced by a local winery.
- The daily specials are prepared by the head chef.
🗣️ Try It Yourself
Think about your workplace or daily routine. Write 4 sentences in the passive voice describing processes or routines — things that are done, were done, or have been done. Focus on the result, not the person. Share and discuss with a partner.
Independent project; not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. | Teacher background: Cambridge CELTA course completed — 120 supervised teaching-practice hours, 4 written assignments passed at the required standard.