Sentence Structure & Word Order

Incorrect Passive Voice Usage

1 min read

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the object, not the person doing the action. But it can cause confusion or sound unnatural when used incorrectly — especially if the sentence doesn’t need it or if the grammar is wrong.

Passive voice structure

The basic form is:

be (in the correct tense) + past participle of the main verb

Examples:

The email was sent yesterday.
The documents have been signed.

Common mistakes

❌ The letter was send on time. → ✅ The letter was sent on time. (past participle needed)
❌ The car was repaired by John yesterday. (wordy if we already know John is the subject)
❌ The books was returned late. → ✅ The books were returned late. (agreement with plural subject)

When to avoid passive voice

When the subject is clear and important → use active voice instead
When it makes the sentence too long or indirect
When it creates agreement errors (wrong form of “be” or verb)

💡 Tip

If your sentence sounds strange or too vague, try switching to active voice. If you use passive, make sure the verb agrees with the subject and the past participle is correct. Try saying the sentence aloud — if it feels awkward, it probably needs a fix.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The kitchen ___ before the guests arrived.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Your vs. You're

Your shows that something belongs to you. It’s a possessive adjective. Your phone is ringing. 📱 (The phone belongs to you.) I love your new haircut. ✂️ Is this your water bottle? You're is...

Agreement rules

Word Order in Questions

Forming questions in English requires a specific word order. Changing it by mistake can make the sentence sound unnatural or confusing. Let's look at how to structure questions correctly. 1. Yes/No Q...

Common mistakes

The Subjunctive in English

The English subjunctive appears in certain formal situations, especially after verbs that express importance, suggestions, or wishes. It’s not very common in everyday conversation, which is why many l...

A bit of theory

Affect vs. Effect

Let’s make the difference between affect and effect easy to understand! Affect Affect is usually a verb. It means to influence or to make a change. Too much screen time can affect your sleep....

A bit of theory

Bring vs. Take

The difference between bring and take depends on the direction of movement in relation to the speaker or listener. Bring Use bring when something is being moved toward the speaker or the location bei...

Vocabulary

Apostrophes

An apostrophe (’) is a small punctuation mark that makes a big difference in meaning. It’s used for contractions, showing possession, and sometimes time expressions. Let’s look at how to use it correc...

Agreement rules

Double Negatives (e.g. I don’t know nothing)

In standard English, using two negative words in the same sentence usually creates a grammar error called a double negative. This happens when two negative forms are used together — making the sentenc...

Common mistakes

Modal Verbs for Advice (should, ought to, had better)

In English, we use modal verbs like should, ought to, and had better to give advice or recommendations. These modals are very similar, but they are used slightly differently depending on the level of...

Sentence Structure & Word Order

Incorrect Passive Voice Usage

1 min read

Passive voice structure

The basic form is:

be (in the correct tense) + past participle of the main verb

Examples:

The email was sent yesterday.
The documents have been signed.

Common mistakes

❌ The letter was send on time. → ✅ The letter was sent on time. (past participle needed)
❌ The car was repaired by John yesterday. (wordy if we already know John is the subject)
❌ The books was returned late. → ✅ The books were returned late. (agreement with plural subject)

When to avoid passive voice

When the subject is clear and important → use active voice instead
When it makes the sentence too long or indirect
When it creates agreement errors (wrong form of “be” or verb)

💡 Tip

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The kitchen ___ before the guests arrived.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Your vs. You're

Agreement rules

Word Order in Questions

Common mistakes

The Subjunctive in English

A bit of theory

Affect vs. Effect

Let’s make the difference between affect and effect easy to understand! Affect Affect is usually a verb. It means to influence or to make a change. Too much screen time can affect your sleep....

A bit of theory

Bring vs. Take

Vocabulary

Apostrophes

Agreement rules

Double Negatives (e.g. I don’t know nothing)

Common mistakes