LESSON 8
Passive voice and reporting
Focus on what happened, not who did it, and report opinions formally.
The idea
The passive (be + past participle) puts the action first. Use it when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant: My bike was stolen. It sounds polite in complaints: The wrong item was sent.
Reporting structures let you mention general opinions without naming anyone: It is believed that…, It is expected that…, or Prices are expected to rise. Do not use the passive everywhere; “I received your email” is better than “Your email was received by me.”
The pattern
- subject + be + past participle (+ by …)
- It is said / believed / expected + that + clause
- subject + is said / expected / thought + to + verb
- must / should / will + be + past participle
The rest of this lesson is in the full plan.
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