The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Verbs which cannot be used in the passive voice

Intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take an object) cannot be passive. For this reason, the following sentences have no passive equivalents:

We

arrived

home late at night.

Did

you

sleep

well?

He

was running

too fast.

Certain state verbs

Certain state verbs are not used in the passive even if they are transitive. Examples of such verbs are: belong, have (own), lack, resemble, suit etc. The following sentences cannot be made passive:

Joanne

has

two brothers.

Does

this bag

belong to

you?

Unfortunately, Friday

doesn't suit

me.

Remember that some state verbs also have active meanings (e.g. measure, fit and weigh). If these verbs are used with the active meaning, they can be passive:

The truck

weighed

2.5 tons.

(Its weight was 2.5 tons.) (active sentence, stative meaning, cannot be made passive)

They

weighed

the truck before and after loading the cargo.

(They measured its weight.) (active sentence, active meaning, can be made passive)

The truck

was weighed

before and after loading the cargo.

(passive sentence)

There are state verbs which can normally be passive:

Nothing

is known

about the thief.

She

is loved

by all her friends.

I have the feeling I

've been misunderstood

.

Verbs which are always passive

Some verbs are used almost exclusively in the passive voice:

He

was born

into a wealthy family.

When your order

is shipped

, we will send you a confirmation e-mail.

The victims

were hospitalised

immediately.

The room

was strewn

with books and magazines.

The area

is

mainly

populated

by families with small children.

Active verbs with a passive meaning

Some verbs are used in the active form with a passive meaning:

The company's new phone

doesn't sell

as well as the last one.

(Fewer people buy it.)

The sign on the door

read

"No entry".

(That is what you read on it.)

The trousers have been mended, and now the hole

doesn't show

.

(It can't be seen.)

Active gerunds after need, require and want also have passive meanings:

The walls need

painting

.

(They should be painted.)

Liquid nitrogen requires careful

handling

.

(It should be handled carefully.)

The dog wants

feeding

.

(It should be fed.)

Passive verbs with an active meaning

Some verbs can be used in the passive form with an active meaning:

My parents

are retired

now.

(My parents have retired.)

Are

you

finished

yet?

(Have you finished yet?)

Those days

are gone

.

(Those days have gone.)

Related topics:

State verbs and action verbs