Passive Voice — Actions Without Agents
English passive restructures the sentence; Chinese uses 被 or omits agent
Category: Passive Voice
The Rule
English passive: subject + be + past participle (+ by agent). 'The window was broken.' Active: 'Someone broke the window.' Chinese uses 被 (bei) but passive is used less frequently.
Why This Matters
Chinese passive with 被 often implies something negative (被骗 = was deceived). English passive is neutral and very common, especially in academic/formal writing. Chinese speakers either avoid passive or overuse active voice where passive is more natural.
Examples
• English is spoken worldwide. — "英语在全世界被使用。" [Passive for general truths — no specific agent] • The building was designed by a famous architect. — "这栋建筑是由一位著名建筑师设计的。" ['By' introduces the agent] • Dinner is served at 7 PM. — "晚餐在7点供应。" [Passive common in formal/institutional contexts]
Common Mistakes
❌ The cake was ate by the children. ✅ The cake was eaten by the children. → Passive requires PAST PARTICIPLE (eaten), not past simple (ate). ❌ The problem was solve yesterday. ✅ The problem was solved yesterday. → Must use past participle form: solved. Regular verbs add -ed.
Quick Tip
Passive = be + PAST PARTICIPLE. Memorize irregular past participles (write→written, break→broken, eat→eaten). Regular ones just add -ed (solve→solved).
Passive = be + PAST PARTICIPLE. Memorize irregular past participles (write→written, break→broken, eat→eaten). Regular ones just add -ed (solve→solved).
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: The cake was ate by the children. → Correct: The cake was eaten by the children.. Passive requires PAST PARTICIPLE (eaten), not past simple (ate).
Incorrect: The problem was solve yesterday. → Correct: The problem was solved yesterday.. Must use past participle form: solved. Regular verbs add -ed.
Quiz
Which is correct passive?