A focused, in-depth guide to double-object passives, prepositional verbs, phrasal verbs, passive questions, agent versus instrument, retained prepositions, and difficult Passive → Active transformations.
This article deals with the parts of passive voice that become difficult after the basic rule has been learned. The central passive pattern is still be + past participle, but complex sentences introduce extra questions: What happens when the active verb has two objects? What happens when a verb requires a preposition such as at, after, with, to, for, on, about, into or of? When is by the agent marker, and when is another preposition part of the verb itself? Can every passive sentence be changed back into active voice? This guide answers these questions systematically.
The basic transformation is easy when the active sentence has one clear object:
Active: The chef cooked the meal.
Passive: The meal was cooked by the chef.
Difficulty begins when the active verb has more than one complement, or when the verb is inseparable from a preposition. Compare give the student a book, laugh at the student, look after the child and deal with the problem. The passive forms are not built by simply replacing the subject and putting by before everything else. Each structure must be analysed first.
A double-object sentence contains two objects after the verb. The first is commonly called the indirect object and the second the direct object.
The teacher gave the students extra work.
the students = indirect object / recipient
extra work = direct object / thing given
Many verbs can be used in this pattern: give, send, offer, show, tell, teach, lend, pay, promise, hand, award and others. Because there are two objects, more than one passive arrangement may sometimes be possible.
With many double-object verbs, either object can become the passive subject.
Active: The teacher gave the students extra work.
Passive A: The students were given extra work by the teacher.
Passive B: Extra work was given to the students by the teacher.
The two sentences are grammatical, but their focus differs. Passive A foregrounds the recipients; Passive B foregrounds the thing transferred.
This is often the most natural passive when the recipient is a person.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The manager sent Ali a letter. | Ali was sent a letter by the manager. |
| She offered me a job. | I was offered a job by her. |
| They taught the children English. | The children were taught English by them. |
| The school awarded Sara a prize. | Sara was awarded a prize by the school. |
| He told us the truth. | We were told the truth by him. |
Notice that the remaining object normally stays after the passive verb. The sentence does not need a second by-phrase.
The direct object can instead become the passive subject. When necessary, the recipient is retained in a prepositional phrase, often with to.
The manager sent Ali a letter.
→ A letter was sent to Ali by the manager.
She offered me a job.
→ A job was offered to me by her.
The teacher taught the students grammar.
→ Grammar was taught to the students by the teacher.
This is an important lesson: when the direct object is promoted to subject, the former indirect object may need a preposition such as to.
The possibility of two passives depends on the verb and the construction. Learners should not assume that every verb followed by two noun phrases allows exactly the same alternatives.
Natural: She was given a chance.
Natural: A chance was given to her.
With other verbs, one alternative may be awkward or may require a different preposition or structure. Grammar exercises should therefore be answered by analysing the particular verb rather than applying a mechanical “two objects = two passives” rule.
When an object becomes the passive subject, its pronoun must take subject form.
| Active object | Passive subject | Agent after by |
|---|---|---|
| me | I | by me |
| him | he | by him |
| her | she | by her |
| us | we | by us |
| them | they | by them |
Active: They gave me a certificate.
Passive: I was given a certificate by them.
By has a special grammatical role in the ordinary passive: it introduces the agent, the person, group or thing that performs the action.
The novel was written by the author.
The bridge was designed by engineers.
The decision was made by the committee.
But “by” is not a universal passive preposition. It should not be inserted automatically before every noun connected with the passive sentence.
Some verbs are naturally followed by a particular preposition. When these verbs are made passive, the preposition usually remains because it is part of the original verb phrase.
Active: Everyone laughed at the speaker.
Passive: The speaker was laughed at.
The word at is not an alternative to agent-marker by. It belongs to laugh at.
| Active verb phrase | Passive |
|---|---|
| laugh at someone | Someone is laughed at. |
| look after someone | Someone is looked after. |
| listen to someone | Someone is listened to. |
| talk about something | Something is talked about. |
| deal with something | Something is dealt with. |
| refer to something | Something is referred to. |
| rely on someone/something | Someone/something is relied on. |
| depend on something | Something is depended on. |
| approve of something | Something is approved of. |
| pay for something | Something is paid for. |
| break into a place | A place is broken into. |
| send for someone | Someone is sent for. |
Compare these sentences carefully:
The student was praised by the teacher.
by the teacher = who performed the action.
The student was laughed at.
at = required by the verb laugh at.
It would be incorrect to replace the second at with by: “The student was laughed by” does not preserve the verb laugh at.
The verb look after keeps after in the passive.
Active: The nurse looked after the patient.
Passive: The patient was looked after by the nurse.
Active: Her grandmother looks after the child.
Passive: The child is looked after by her grandmother.
Some verbs take to before their object. In the passive, the preposition remains.
Active: The students listened to the speaker.
Passive: The speaker was listened to by the students.
Active: Everyone referred to the report.
Passive: The report was referred to by everyone.
In formal writing, these constructions are perfectly grammatical even though some learners find a final preposition unfamiliar.
With can have several meanings. It may identify an instrument, material or means rather than an agent.
Active: Ali opened the door with a key.
Passive: The door was opened by Ali with a key.
Ali = agent; a key = instrument.
Therefore, with is not simply another version of by. “By Ali” answers Who did it?; “with a key” answers What did he use?
| Expression | Role | Question answered |
|---|---|---|
| by the engineer | Agent | Who performed it? |
| with a hammer | Instrument | What was used? |
| with great care | Manner | How was it done? |
| by hand | Means/method | By what method? |
A passive sentence can contain several prepositional phrases at once: “The sculpture was made by the artist with a chisel in his workshop.” Each phrase has a different function.
For may remain when it belongs to the original verb phrase, or it may express purpose, recipient or another relationship. The exact function must be identified from context.
Active: They paid for the repairs.
Passive: The repairs were paid for by them.
Active: The customer asked for a refund.
Passive: A refund was asked for by the customer.
In everyday English, some speakers prefer an alternative active or impersonal structure when the passive sounds heavy. Nevertheless, the grammatical transformation illustrates that the required preposition stays with the verb.
Prepositional verbs with on can also form passives.
Active: The team relied on the technician.
Passive: The technician was relied on by the team.
Active: The outcome depends on several factors.
Passive: Several factors are depended on for the outcome. (Possible but less natural; a clearer active construction is often preferred.)
This illustrates an advanced point: a formally possible passive may still be uncommon or stylistically awkward. Good grammar includes both form and natural usage.
When about is part of the verb phrase, it remains in the passive.
Active: People talked about the incident.
Passive: The incident was talked about.
Active: They argued about the proposal.
Passive: The proposal was argued about. (Grammatical in some contexts but often less natural than an alternative.)
Some verbs contain into as part of their normal complement pattern.
Active: Someone broke into the house.
Passive: The house was broken into.
Active: They divided the class into four groups.
Passive: The class was divided into four groups.
The two examples show different structures: break into is a multi-word verb, while divide into expresses the resulting arrangement. In both cases, into must be retained to preserve the intended relationship.
Some verbs are followed by of, and the preposition may remain when the object is promoted.
Active: They approved of the plan.
Passive: The plan was approved of by them.
However, some such passives are uncommon in natural modern English. Learners should distinguish grammatical possibility from preferred usage. Often the active form is clearer: “They approved of the plan.”
A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle such as up, off, out, down or away. The particle normally remains with the verb in the passive.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| They called off the match. | The match was called off. |
| She turned down the offer. | The offer was turned down. |
| They carried out the experiment. | The experiment was carried out. |
| The police brought up the issue. | The issue was brought up. |
| They put off the meeting. | The meeting was put off. |
Some phrasal verbs are separable in the active voice, but the passive normally keeps the particle after the past participle.
Active: They called the meeting off.
Passive: The meeting was called off.
Active: They turned the proposal down.
Passive: The proposal was turned down.
The particle is not discarded simply because the object has moved to subject position.
Some verbs contain a verb, particle and preposition, such as put up with, look forward to and get away with. Passive formation can become cumbersome, but the required elements must still be considered.
Active: The manager put up with the delays.
Passive: The delays were put up with by the manager.
The passive is grammatical, but the active sentence is usually more natural. This is an important stylistic lesson: not every technically possible passive is a good choice.
Questions can retain the preposition at the end.
Active: Who did they laugh at?
Passive: Who was laughed at?
Active: What did they deal with?
Passive: What was dealt with?
Active: Who did they look after?
Passive: Who was looked after?
Formal English can sometimes place the preposition before whom/which: “At whom was he laughed?” This is highly formal and less common in ordinary modern usage. The end-position pattern is normal and widely used.
Relative clauses can also preserve a preposition.
The person who was laughed at left the room.
The problem that was dealt with was complicated.
The child who was looked after by her grandmother was safe.
In formal style, the preposition may appear before the relative pronoun: “the person at whom everyone laughed.” The end-position form is usually more natural in everyday English.
When a verb with a preposition is used in a passive infinitive, the preposition remains.
The issue needs to be dealt with.
The child needs to be looked after.
The proposal deserves to be talked about. (Often better: The proposal deserves discussion.)
He dislikes being laughed at.
She is worried about being talked about.
The patient appreciates being looked after.
The passive gerund is being + past participle, and any preposition required by the verb remains after the participle.
Some advanced passive structures are not simple object-to-subject transformations. Reporting verbs allow a person or thing to become the grammatical subject of a passive reporting construction.
People believe that the painting is genuine.
→ It is believed that the painting is genuine.
→ The painting is believed to be genuine.
People say that the scientist discovered the compound.
→ The scientist is said to have discovered the compound.
Be-passives are the standard form in formal and neutral English. Get-passives are common in conversation and often emphasise a change or event affecting the subject.
The athlete was injured during the match. — neutral/formal.
The athlete got injured during the match. — more conversational.
He was promoted last year.
He got promoted last year. — informal emphasis on the change.
An active sentence can contain an object followed by a complement that describes or renames it.
Active: They elected Maya chairperson.
Passive: Maya was elected chairperson.
Active: They painted the door blue.
Passive: The door was painted blue.
The complement remains after the passive verb. It does not become the new subject.
The causative construction expresses an arranged service rather than simply reporting an event.
I had my car repaired.
She got her hair cut.
They are having the house painted.
We will get the computer fixed.
Compare “The car was repaired” with “I had my car repaired.” The first focuses on the car and the event; the second indicates that someone arranged for the repair.
A frequent error is to treat every noun after with as if it were a person who performed the action.
The picture was painted by Maria. → Maria = agent.
The picture was painted with a fine brush. → brush = instrument.
The picture was painted with great care. → care = manner.
Only the first phrase identifies the doer. The other phrases add information about how the action was performed.
A complex passive can contain several phrases at once. Identify each one by its function.
The machine was repaired by the technician with a special tool in the workshop after the inspection.
by the technician = agent
with a special tool = instrument
in the workshop = place
after the inspection = time/sequence
To reverse a passive sentence, identify the agent first. Then make the agent the active subject and turn the passive subject back into an object.
Passive: The students were given extra work by the teacher.
Agent = the teacher.
Passive subject = the students.
Active: The teacher gave the students extra work.
If the passive does not name the agent, you cannot automatically recover a specific person. You may use a general subject such as someone, people, they or another context-supported subject.
Passive: The window was broken.
Reasonable active reconstruction: Someone broke the window.
Unsupported: Ali broke the window. — The passive sentence gives no evidence for Ali.
Sometimes the best response is simply to keep the passive because the unknown agent is part of the intended meaning.
Passive: The speaker was laughed at by the audience.
Active: The audience laughed at the speaker.
Passive: The child was looked after by her grandmother.
Active: Her grandmother looked after the child.
Passive: The problem was dealt with by the committee.
Active: The committee dealt with the problem.
The preposition does not disappear merely because the sentence is returned to active voice. It belongs to the verb phrase in both directions.
Passive: The students were given extra work by the teacher.
Active: The teacher gave the students extra work.
Passive: Extra work was given to the students by the teacher.
Active: The teacher gave extra work to the students.
When the passive sentence contains to + recipient, the active reconstruction often restores the original double-object pattern or retains the to-phrase, depending on the verb.
| Passive question | Active question |
|---|---|
| Was the speaker laughed at by the audience? | Did the audience laugh at the speaker? |
| Was the child looked after by her aunt? | Did her aunt look after the child? |
| Was the report referred to by the committee? | Did the committee refer to the report? |
| Were the students given extra work by the teacher? | Did the teacher give the students extra work? |
Passive: The problem must be dealt with by the manager.
Active: The manager must deal with the problem.
Passive: The child may have been looked after by her grandmother.
Active: Her grandmother may have looked after the child.
Passive: The work should have been completed by the team.
Active: The team should have completed the work.
Some passive sentences allow several active interpretations because the agent is omitted.
Passive: The road was closed.
Possible active paraphrases include:
• The police closed the road.
• The authorities closed the road.
• Someone closed the road.
The exact active subject cannot be known without context.
One of the most important advanced lessons is that a mechanically formed passive is not always the best sentence. English speakers often prefer the active voice when a passive would produce an awkward sequence of particles and prepositions.
Possible: The delays were put up with by the manager.
Usually clearer: The manager put up with the delays.
Possible: The proposal was argued about.
Often clearer: They argued about the proposal.
In examinations, however, if a question specifically asks for a passive transformation and the construction is grammatical, follow the required transformation carefully. In real writing, choose the form that communicates most clearly.
| Expression | Meaning/function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| by + person/group | Agent/doer | The book was written by Sara. |
| with + tool | Instrument | The door was opened with a key. |
| laugh at | Verb + preposition | He was laughed at. |
| look after | Verb + preposition | The child was looked after. |
| listen to | Verb + preposition | The speaker was listened to. |
| deal with | Verb + preposition | The problem was dealt with. |
| refer to | Verb + preposition | The report was referred to. |
| rely on | Verb + preposition | The technician was relied on. |
| pay for | Verb + preposition | The repairs were paid for. |
| break into | Multi-word verb | The house was broken into. |
| call off | Phrasal verb | The match was called off. |
1. The teacher gave the students additional exercises.
→ The students were given additional exercises by the teacher.
→ Additional exercises were given to the students by the teacher.
2. Everyone laughed at the new student.
→ The new student was laughed at by everyone.
3. The committee dealt with the complaint.
→ The complaint was dealt with by the committee.
4. The technician repaired the machine with a special tool.
→ The machine was repaired by the technician with a special tool.
5. The manager turned down the proposal.
→ The proposal was turned down by the manager.
6. The grandmother looked after the child.
→ The child was looked after by the grandmother.
7. The teacher was given the report by the students.
→ The students gave the teacher the report.
8. The issue was referred to by the speaker.
→ The speaker referred to the issue.
Complex passive voice becomes manageable when you stop treating every preposition as if it were by. First identify the verb structure. Then identify the object or objects. If the verb has two objects, decide which object should become the new subject. If the verb requires a preposition, keep that preposition. Use by only when you are introducing the agent. Use with when the meaning is an instrument or means, where appropriate. Finally, when changing passive back to active, recover the agent if it is stated, preserve the tense, restore the object, and keep every preposition that belongs to the verb.
Do not transform words one by one. Transform the grammatical structure and preserve the meaning.
15 questions on double objects, retained prepositions, agents, instruments and advanced passive transformations.