What Is A Passive Form Of A Phrase?

The passive form is where the subject of a verb receives the action instead of performing it. For example, in the active phrase "The policeman sees the burglar" the policeman is both the subject of the verb "sees" and the one performing the action of seeing. The passive version of the phrase would be "The burglar is seen by the policeman". The policeman is still the one doing the seeing and the burglar is still the one he sees (receiving the action of seeing), but the burglar is the subject of the verb "is seen" and the policeman is the agent.

If you have trouble seeing the difference between these try breaking it down into the following steps. First identify the verb.

1a. "The policeman sees the burglar" - the verb is "sees".
1b. "The burglar is seen by the policeman" - the verb is "is seen".

Then identify the subject. Notice that in English the subject usually comes before the verb and the object or agent after it.

2a. Who or what "sees"? The policeman.
2b. Who or what "is seen"? The burglar.

Decide whether the subject is the performer or the receiver of the action.

3a. The subject, the policeman, is performing the action of seeing therefore the phrase is active.
3b. The subject, the burglar, is receiving the action of seeing, therefore the phrase is passive.

Identify the object or agent. It may be included or it may be left out, especially in a passive phrase.

4a. In the active phrase, whom or what does the policeman see? The burglar. The burglar is the object.
4b. In the passive phrase, by whom or what is the burglar seen? The policeman. The policeman, the one performing the action of seeing, is the agent.

Active: The subject performs the action of the verb and the object receives it.
Passive: The subject receives the action of the verb which is performed by the agent.