How to make the passive voice

The passive voice requires two parts:

1. the verb to be in one of its tenses

2. the past participle of a verb

examples:

a. I was told the good news about my grammar exam.

b. I am not being taken for a fool.

 

To change a verb voice from the active to the passive:

1. use the same verb tense:

Somebody stole my wallet. (simple past)... My wallet was stolen.

2. Make sure you know the past participle of the verb:

Somebody is seeking me at the moment for information leading to an arrest.
At the moment, I am being sought for information leading to an arrest.

3. Decide whether the 'by phrase' is necessary or not to the meaning of the sentence:

compare: I was told by someone... I was told by my teacher. (first one doesn't require the 'by phrase' for the complete meaning)

 

Remember the reasons for using the passive:

1. You don't know who did the action.

2. You don't want to know or reveal who did the action.

3. Everyone knows who did the action; it's obvious who did it.

4. Common statements like announcements.

5. To better connect parts of a sentence or paragraph.