Uses of Passive in Formal English

1 Present simple: "The book is read every day"
2 Past simple: "The letter was written yesterday"
3 Future simple: "The project will be completed next week"

1 Present perfect: "The report has been submitted"
2 Past perfect: "The decision had been made before we arrived"
3 Present continuous: "The house is being painted"

Exemple : "The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889."

Ici, l'agent (qui a construit la tour) est inconnu ou non important.

1 Dans les rapports scientifiques : "The experiment was conducted over three months."
2 Dans les instructions officielles : "This document must be signed by the director."
3 Dans les annonces formelles : "The meeting has been postponed until further notice."

La voix passive est fréquemment utilisée dans les rapports scientifiques pour :

• Maintenir un ton objectif
• Se concentrer sur les résultats plutôt que sur les chercheurs
• Respecter les conventions académiques

Exemple : "The samples were analyzed using a spectrophotometer."

• 1 Rapports juridiques
• 2 Documents administratifs
• 3 Instructions techniques
• 4 Articles académiques

En contexte formel, la voix passive est privilégiée pour :

• Créer un ton impersonnel
• Mettre l'accent sur le processus ou les résultats
• Éviter de mentionner l'agent

Exemple formel : "The policy was implemented in January 2023."

En contexte informel, la voix active est souvent préférée :

• Plus directe et claire
• Moins lourde grammaticalement
• Plus engageante pour le lecteur

Exemple informel : "They implemented the policy in January 2023."

1 "A study was conducted to examine the effects of temperature on plant growth."
2 "Data were collected over a period of six months."
3 "The results were analyzed using statistical software."
4 "Conclusions were drawn based on the findings."

1 The proposal was approved by the committee.
2 A new product was launched by the company.
3 The experiment was conducted by the researchers.
4 New regulations will be announced by the government.

La structure pour les modaux en voix passive est :

Exemples :

• can/could: "The problem can be solved."
• should: "The report should be submitted."
• must: "The documents must be signed."
• may/might: "The project may be delayed."

En contexte formel, les modaux passifs sont utilisés pour :

• Exprimer des obligations : "The contract must be reviewed by legal counsel."
• Donner des conseils : "The issue should be addressed immediately."
• Indiquer des possibilités : "The deadline might be extended."

La structure pour les infinitifs en voix passive est :

Exemples :

• After: "After being examined, the patient was sent home."
• Without: "Without being noticed, she left the room."
• By: "By being prepared, he succeeded in the exam."

En contexte formel, les infinitifs passifs sont utilisés pour :

• Exprimer des conditions : "The law requires that the documents be submitted on time."
• Donner des instructions précises : "It is essential that the procedures be followed carefully."
• Énoncer des obligations : "The candidate must be present at the hearing to be considered."

Voix active	Voix passive
Le sujet fait l'action	Le sujet subit l'action
Plus directe et claire	Plus impersonnelle
Sujet + verbe + objet	Objet + être + participe passé
Plus courante en conversation	Plus fréquente en écriture formelle

• Active: "The manager hired new employees."
• Passive: "New employees were hired by the manager."
• Active: "Scientists discovered a new species."
• Passive: "A new species was discovered by scientists."

1 Passive: "The research paper was published last month." (être + participe passé)
2 Active: "The committee is reviewing the proposal." (verbe en cours d'action)
3 Passive: "All documents must be submitted by Friday." (modal + être + participe)
4 Active: "The CEO presented the annual report." (sujet + verbe + objet)
5 Passive: "The project will be completed soon." (modal + être + participe)

• Present simple: "The work is done daily."
• Past simple: "The work was done yesterday."
• Future simple: "The work will be done tomorrow."

• Present perfect: "The work has been done already."
• Past perfect: "The work had been done before we arrived."
• Future perfect: "The work will have been done by then."

• Present continuous: "The work is being done now."
• Past continuous: "The work was being done when we came."

Les verbes de rapport sont souvent utilisés en voix passive dans les contextes formels :

• Say/Believe: "It is said/believed that..." → "The project is believed to be successful."
• Think/Know: "It is thought/known that..." → "The theory is known to be effective."
• Report: "It is reported that..." → "The results are reported to be significant."

• "It is alleged that..." → "The claim is alleged to be false."
• "It is expected that..." → "The outcome is expected to be positive."
• "It is claimed that..." → "The benefits are claimed to be substantial."

1 The annual report must be submitted by the end of this month.
2 These documents should be reviewed by the legal team before signing.
3 The new policy will be implemented next quarter.
4 It is believed that the project will be completed on time.

• Lorsque l'agent est inconnu ou non important
• Pour mettre l'accent sur l'objet recevant l'action
• Dans les contextes formels et académiques
• Pour créer un ton objectif et impersonnel

• être + participe passé
• Modal + être + participe passé
• to be + participe passé (infinitif)

• Rapports scientifiques
• Documents juridiques
• Instructions techniques
• Articles académiques

Certains verbes peuvent avoir deux compléments (indirect object + direct object). La voix passive peut transformer l'un ou l'autre :

• Active: "They gave him a prize." → Passive 1: "He was given a prize."
• Active: "They gave him a prize." → Passive 2: "A prize was given to him."

Dans certains contextes, on utilise des formes impersonnelles :

• "It is said that..." → "The matter is said to require attention."
• "It is known that..." → "The facts are known to support this theory."
• "It is reported that..." → "The figures are reported to show improvement."

• Utiliser le présent simple à la place du présent continu :
  ❌ "The house is painted" (right now)
  ✅ "The house is being painted" (right now)
• Oublier la forme correcte du participe passé :
  ❌ "The book was wrote" → ✅ "The book was written"
• Confondre la voix passive avec les verbes intransitifs :
  ❌ "She was arrived" → ✅ "She arrived"

• Surutiliser la voix passive dans un contexte informel
• Créer des phrases trop complexes et peu claires
• Donner un ton excessivement froid ou distant

"Experiments were conducted to test the new drug. Data were collected over six months. The results were analyzed by the scientists. It was found that the drug was effective. The findings will be published in a medical journal by the company."

Cette version met l'accent sur le processus et les résultats plutôt que sur les personnes impliquées.