Passive Voice: The Basics
Pelajari cara membentuk dan menggunakan passive voice dalam bahasa Inggris, serta kapan lebih tepat dipakai dibanding active voice.
Dalam active voice, subjek melakukan aksi. Dalam passive voice, subjek menerima aksi — fokusnya berpindah dari pelaku ke hasil atau objek yang terkena aksi.
Active: The chef cooks the meal. Passive: The meal is cooked by the chef.
Struktur passive voice
subjek + to be + past participle (+ by + pelaku)
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | She writes the report. | The report is written by her. |
| Simple past | She wrote the report. | The report was written by her. |
| Present perfect | She has written the report. | The report has been written by her. |
| Future (will) | She will write the report. | The report will be written by her. |
Bentuk to be berubah sesuai tense dan subjek (is/are/was/were/has been/will be...), tapi past participle kata kerja utama tidak berubah.
Kapan menggunakan passive voice
1. Pelaku tidak diketahui atau tidak penting
- My phone was stolen yesterday. (kita tidak tahu siapa pencurinya)
- English is spoken in many countries. (pelakunya jelas — "orang-orang" — tidak perlu disebut)
2. Fokus pada hasil, bukan pelaku
- The bridge was built in 1990. (fokusnya jembatan, bukan siapa yang membangun)
3. Bahasa formal/ilmiah (laporan, berita, penelitian)
- The results were analyzed using statistical methods.
- Mistakes were made during the process. (sering dipakai untuk terdengar netral/tidak menyalahkan)
4. Menyebutkan pelaku dengan "by" hanya kalau penting
- The novel was written by J.K. Rowling. (pelakunya penting untuk disebut)
Kesalahan umum
- ❌ "The letter was write by him." → ✅ "The letter was written by him." (pakai past participle, bukan bentuk dasar)
- ❌ "The cake is baking by my mom." → ✅ "The cake is baked by my mom." (bukan -ing, tapi past participle)
- ❌ "The report was completed by was John." → ✅ "The report was completed by John." (jangan dobel "was")
- ❌ Terlalu sering memakai passive voice padahal active voice lebih jelas: "The ball was kicked by the boy" lebih sering ditulis sebagai "The boy kicked the ball" kecuali ada alasan khusus untuk menekankan bola.
Passive voice sangat berguna untuk konteks tertentu, tapi active voice tetap lebih umum dan lebih mudah dibaca dalam percakapan sehari-hari — pakai passive saat pelaku memang tidak penting atau tidak diketahui.
Latihan cepat
0/4 terjawab1. The cake ______ by my grandmother.
2. English ______ in many countries around the world.
3. The report ______ by tomorrow.
4. This bridge ______ in 1990.
Jawab semua 4 soal untuk melihat skormu.