Passive voice — negative sentences and questions

Passive Voice: Negatives and Questions

At B1 level, you need to master not just the passive voice, but also how to make it negative and ask questions. The key is understanding where to place the negation and question words in passive structures. In this lesson, we'll practice both forms so you can use the passive confidently in all situations.

Negative Sentences vs. Questions: Side-by-Side

Tense	Negative Form	Question Form	Example
Present Simple Passive	Subject + am/is/are + not + past participle	Am/Is/Are + subject + past participle?	Negative: The report is not written every week. not inserted after auxiliary Question: Is the report written every week? auxiliary moves before subject
Past Simple Passive	Subject + was/were + not + past participle	Was/Were + subject + past participle?	Negative: The letter was not signed yesterday. not inserted after was/were Question: Was the letter signed yesterday? auxiliary moves before subject
Present Perfect Passive	Subject + has/have + not + been + past participle	Has/Have + subject + been + past participle?	Negative: The invoice has not been sent. not inserted after has/have Question: Has the invoice been sent? has/have moves before subject
Future Simple Passive	Subject + will + not + be + past participle	Will + subject + be + past participle?	Negative: The bridge will not be opened next year. not inserted after will Question: Will the bridge be opened next year? will moves before subject
Past Continuous Passive	Subject + was/were + not + being + past participle	Was/Were + subject + being + past participle?	Negative: The road was not being repaired that day. not inserted after was/were Question: Was the road being repaired that day? was/were moves before subject

Key Difference: Negative vs. Question Word Order

In passive negative sentences, the word order remains the same as in the positive form — the subject stays first — and not is inserted immediately after the first auxiliary verb (e.g., is not, was not, has not, will not). The subject never moves.

In passive questions, the structure is fundamentally different: the first auxiliary verb is inverted and moved to the front of the sentence, before the subject. This inversion is the primary grammatical signal that a sentence is a question. No extra auxiliary (like do/does/did) is needed in passive voice because the passive already contains an auxiliary verb (is, was, has, will, etc.) that can be fronted directly.

In short: Negatives keep the subject first and add not; questions move the auxiliary before the subject. When forming a negative question, the auxiliary moves to the front and not follows it (e.g., Wasn't it signed?).

Formula

✖ Negative

Subject + be (not) + past participle + (by agent)

The project was not completed on time.

? Question

Be + subject + past participle + (by agent)?

Was the meeting cancelled?

Examples

The cake was not eaten by anyone at the party.

Negative passive · Past simple

Are these documents being prepared for tomorrow's meeting?

Question passive · Present continuous

The employees were not informed about the schedule change.

Negative passive · Past simple

Why wasn't the email sent to all the staff members?

Question passive · Past simple with why

The new policy is not being applied in all departments.

Negative passive · Present continuous

Has the decision been made by the management yet?

Question passive · Present perfect

When to use it

Denying an action

Use negative passive when you want to say that something was NOT done or is NOT being done.

"The contract was not signed last week." (It still hasn't been signed.)

Asking about completion

Use question form to ask whether a task has been done or is being done.

"Has the report been submitted yet?" (Asking for an update.)

Seeking information

Ask questions with 'when', 'where', 'why', 'how' in passive voice to get details about an action.

"Why wasn't the project approved by the director?"

Signal words

not was not were not is not are not am not hasn't been haven't been wasn't weren't

Common Mistakes

Wrong

The letter not was written by John.

✓

Correct

The letter was not written by John.

In passive negative sentences, the negation must come after the auxiliary verb 'be', not before it.

Wrong

Was sent the package by the courier?

✓

Correct

Was the package sent by the courier?

In questions, the subject must come after the auxiliary be. The word order is: Be + Subject + Past Participle, not Be + Past Participle + Subject.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What to Remember

In passive negation, place 'not' after the auxiliary verb, never before the main verb.
Form passive questions by inverting the auxiliary verb and subject at the sentence start.
Use 'by' to show who performs the action in negative and question passive sentences.
The main verb always stays in past participle form in all passive structures.
Question words like 'what' or 'who' come before the inverted auxiliary in passive questions.

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Active vs passive — when to use each

Passive voice in present tenses