There are 9 parts of speech or word classes in English language:
– nouns
– pronouns
– determiners
– verbs
– prepositions
– adjectives
– adverbs
– conjunctions
– interjections

In composing sentences, we can use:

– active voice
subject does the action
Wall Street Journal published that report.
Wall Street Journal = subject

– passive voice
subject is the recipient of action
That report was published by Wall Street Journal.
That report = subject

Pattern Sentence of Passive Voice

Subject + Verb be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Verb be:
– be
– am
– is
– are
– was
– were
– been
– being

Verb forms:
– base form: walk, eat, come, cut
– past simple: walked, ate, came, cut
– past participle: walked, eaten, come, cut
– -s form: walks, eats, comes, cuts
– -ing form: walking, eating, coming, cutting

Subject + Verb be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active voice:
Google employs me.

Passive voice:
I am employed by Google.
I is employed by Google. (wrong verb be)
I am employ by Google. (wrong verb form)
I employed by Google. (wrong, no verb be)

Active voice:
John called Lisa last week.

Passive voice:
Lisa was called by John last week.
Lisa were called by John last week. (wrong verb be)
Lisa was call by John last week. (wrong verb form)
Lisa called by John last week. (wrong, no verb be)

Passive Voice in Present Simple

Subject + am/is/are + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: They visit me every day.
Passive: I am visited by them every day.

Active: They visit him every day.
Passive: He is visited by them every day.

Active: They visit us every day.
Passive: We are visited by them every day.

Passive Voice in Present Continuous

Subject + am/is/are + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: He is asking me for help.
Passive: I am being asked by him for help.

Active: He is asking Jane for help.
Passive: Jane is being asked by him for help.

Active: He is asking us for help.
Passive: We are being asked by him for help.

Passive Voice in Present Perfect

Subject + have/has + been + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: John has contacted me.
Passive: I have been contacted by John.

Active: John has contacted her.
Passive: She has been contacted by John.

Active: John has contacted us.
Passive: We have been contacted by John.

Passive Voice in Present Perfect Continuous

Subject + have/has + been + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: John has been calling me.
Passive: I have been being called by John.

Active: John has been calling her.
Passive: She has been being called by John.

Active: John has been calling us.
Passive: We have been being called by John.

Passive Voice in Past Simple

Subject + was/were + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: They visited me last night.
Passive: I was visited by them last night.

Active: They visited him last night.
Passive: He was visited by them last night.

Active: They visited us last night.
Passive: We were visited by them last night.

Passive Voice in Past Continuous

Subject + was/were + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: He was asking me for help.
Passive: I was being asked by him for help.

Active: He was asking Jane for help.
Passive: Jane was being asked by him for help.

Active: He was asking us for help.
Passive: We were being asked by him for help.

Passive Voice in Past Perfect

Subject + had + been + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: John had contacted me.
Passive: I had been contacted by John.

Active: John had contacted her.
Passive: She had been contacted by John.

Active: John had contacted us.
Passive: We had been contacted by John.

Passive Voice in Past Perfect Continuous

Subject + had + been + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: John had been calling me.
Passive: I had been being called by John.

Active: John had been calling her.
Passive: She had been being called by John.

Active: John had been calling us.
Passive: We had been being called by John.

Passive Voice in Future Simple

Subject + will be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: They will visit me tomorrow.
Passive: I will be visited by them tomorrow.

Active: They will visit him tomorrow.
Passive: He will be visited by them tomorrow.

Active: They will visit us tomorrow.
Passive: We will be visited by them tomorrow.

Passive Voice in Future Continuous

Subject + will be + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: He will be meeting me tonight.
Passive: I will be being met by him tonight.

Active: He will be meeting Tim tonight.
Passive: Tim will be being met by him tonight.

Active: He will be meeting us tonight.
Passive: We will be being met by him tonight.

Passive Voice with Modal Verbs

Subject + modal verb + be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Modal verbs:
– can
– could
– will
– would
– may
– might
– shall
– should
– must
– ought to

Active: John will do the report.
Passive: The report will be done by John.

Active: John may contact her.
Passive: She may be contacted by John.

Active: John should tell us.
Passive: We should be told by John.

Passive Voice with Phrasal Verbs

Subject + be + Phrasal Verb + past participle (+ by + agent)

Active: John picked me up.
Passive: I was picked up by John.

Active: She looks after John’s mother.
Passive: John’s mother is looked after by her.

Active: They called off the meeting.
Passive: The meeting was called off by them.

Passive Voice with Need to / Want to / Have to

Subject + need + to + be + past participle (+ by + agent)
Subject + want + to + be + past participle (+ by + agent)
Subject + have + to + be + past participle (+ by + agent)

This report needs to be finished.
She wants to be heard.
They have to be invited to the party.

Passive Voice with Gerunds

Subject + verb be + being + past participle (+ by + agent)

They love being admired by their fans.
I hate being told what to do.
We enjoy being treated well at this hotel.