In scientific writing, the people who do an action are often unknown, unimportant, or obvious. In these cases, English uses the passive voice to focus on the action itself. The passive is therefore the most common grammatical structure in research articles.
How to form the passive
The passive uses the verb be in the correct tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Tense
Active form
Passive form
Present simple
Scientists test the drug.
The drug is tested.
Past simple
The team collected the data.
The datawas collected.
Present perfect
Researchers have published the results.
The results have been published.
Future
They will launch a new study.
A new study will be launched.
When to use the passive in research writing
When the action is more important than the agent: The experiment was repeated three times.
When the agent is unknown: A new method was developed in 2022.
When the agent is obvious: The samples were placed in cold storage.
The agent (the person or thing doing the action) is introduced with the preposition by when it is mentioned: The data was analysed by two statisticians. In most research writing, the by phrase is simply left out.
Watch out!
In the passive, the auxiliary verb be changes according to the tense, but the past participle never changes. So published, collected, and tested stay the same in every tense.
Generating translation…
The hypothesis was tested on 250 participants over a period of six months.
A typical present perfect passive sentence from a research article.
A new study will be launched by the university next September.
Notice the future passive: will be + past participle.
Required
Look at the two model sentences above. What is the structure that follows the verb 'be' in both sentences?
an infinitive (to + verb)
a past participle (-ed form for regular verbs)
a gerund (-ing form)
the base form of the verb
Required
The data ___ (collect) by a team of statisticians last year.
Required
The results of the experiment ___ (publish) in a leading journal this month.
Required
A new clinical trial ___ (launch) by the hospital next year.
Required
Which sentence is in the present simple passive?
The samples are stored at minus twenty degrees.
The samples were stored at minus twenty degrees.
The samples have been stored at minus twenty degrees.
The samples will be stored at minus twenty degrees.
Required
Put the words in the correct order to make a passive sentence.
The
participants
were
divided
into
two
groups
at
Required
Complete each passive sentence by dragging the correct form of be into the gap.
was
is
were
will
The data collected by the research team.
The drug tested in a controlled laboratory.
A new study be launched next September.
The participants divided into two equal groups.
Required
In the passive voice, the past participle changes its form to match the tense.
The past participle **never changes**. Only the form of **be** (is, was, has been, will be) changes to show the tense.
Listening
Listening
6
cards
In the next dialogue, you will hear two researchers, Emma and Tom, talking at a scientific conference. Emma has just read Tom's latest publication, and she wants to know more about the study. As you listen, try to notice the passive voice — Tom uses several passive structures to describe the work.
Before you press play, think for a moment: when scientists talk about their own work in conversation, do they use the active voice (I collected the data) or the passive voice (The data was collected)? Listen to Tom and find out which he prefers. Pay particular attention to the tenses he uses: he will mix present simple, past simple, and present perfect passives in the same conversation.
The dialogue is short — about a minute — so listen twice if you need to.
Generating translation…
Dr Emma has just read Tom's latest research publication. Listen to their conversation at a scientific conference.
E
EmmaTom, congratulations on the publication! I read it on the train this morning.
T
TomThank you, Emma. It was a long project, so it feels good to have it finished.
E
EmmaHow long was the study conducted?
T
TomIt was started in 2021 and finished last spring, so about two and a half years.
E
EmmaHow many participants were recruited?
T
TomThree hundred and fifty participants took part in total.
E
EmmaAnd where was the data analysed?
T
TomIt was analysed at the university laboratory. The results have been published in Nature.
E
EmmaExcellent. When will the next study be launched?
T
TomA follow-up study will be launched in September, with a much larger sample.
Required
What is the main purpose of Emma and Tom's conversation?
They are planning a holiday together.
Emma is congratulating Tom on a finished research project.
Tom is asking for Emma's opinion on a new hypothesis.
They are deciding who will write the next publication.
Required
In which journal have the results been published?
Science
The Lancet
Nature
Cell
Required
The study ___ (start) in 2021 and ___ (finish) last spring.
Required
The next study will be launched in September with a smaller sample.
Tom says the follow-up study 'will be launched in September, with a much **larger** sample' — not a smaller one.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation
6
cards
The passive voice uses past participles again and again: tested, collected, published, analysed. In standard British English, the final -ed of a regular past participle is pronounced in three different ways. Choosing the right one makes your English sound much more natural — and it is very important in scientific contexts, where these words appear constantly.
The three sounds
Sound
Spelling
When
Examples
/t/
-ed
after voiceless sounds (p, k, f, s, ʃ, tʃ)
published /t/, conduced /t/, looed /t/
/d/
-ed
after voiced sounds and vowels
analysed /d/, studyed /d/, performed /d/
/ɪd/
-ed
after /t/ or /d/
tested /ɪd/, decided /ɪd/, granted /ɪd/
How to make the sounds
/t/: The tongue does not move. Air leaves the mouth sharply, like a small puff, but the vocal cords do not vibrate. Put your hand on your throat: you should feel no vibration.
/d/: The tongue position is the same as /t/, but the vocal cords do vibrate. You should feel a clear buzz in your throat.
/ɪd/: Add a quick, short /ɪ/ sound (like the 'i' in kit) before the /d/. You will hear a clear extra syllable: test-ed has two syllables, not one.
A quick tip
If you are not sure which sound to use, say the verb out loud in a sentence and listen to the final consonant of the base form.Publish ends in ʃ (voiceless), so published ends in /t/.Test ends in t, so tested ends in /ɪd/. This trick works for hundreds of regular verbs.
Generating translation…
Remember the three sounds: /t/ after voiceless sounds, /d/ after voiced sounds and vowels, and /ɪd/ after /t/ or /d/. The past participles used in the passive voice follow exactly the same rules.
Required
Audio is being generated — try again in a minute.
Listen carefully. Which word do you hear?
analysed
analyst
Required
Read the sentence aloud. Pay attention to the -ed ending in published (/t/).
The hypothesis was published last year.
Required
Now read this sentence. Focus on the -ed ending in analysed (/d/).
The data was analysed by two researchers.
Required
Read this sentence. Notice how tested has an extra syllable /ɪd/ because it ends in /t/.
The drug was tested on 300 participants.
Reading
Reading
6
cards
A research summary is a short paragraph that appears at the start of a research article. It gives readers the essential information quickly: what was studied, how it was studied, who took part, and what was found. Summaries are written in a very fixed style, and the passive voice is used almost everywhere.
Strategy box: skimming for structure
When you read a research summary, you do not need to understand every word.Skim the text quickly and look for four key pieces of information:
Topic — what was studied?
Method — how was it studied?
Participants — who took part?
Findings — what was discovered?
If you can answer these four questions, you have understood the summary.
Pre-taught key words
Before you read, look at these four words. They will appear in the passage:
investigate (verb) — to study or examine something carefully
aged (adjective) — of the age mentioned; participants aged 25 to 45
reveal (verb) — to show something that was not obvious before
adequate (adjective) — enough, as much as is needed
Read the summary once quickly for the gist, then a second time for the details.
Generating translation…
Research Summary: The Effects of Sleep on Memory
A recent study conducted at Oxford University investigated how sleep affects memory in adults aged 25 to 45. Two hundred participants were divided into two equal groups.Data was collected over six months using sleep trackers and short memory tests. The analysis of the results revealed that participants who slept eight hours or more performed significantly better on memory tasks than those who slept less. The findings suggest that adequate sleep is essential for cognitive performance. Further research will be carried out next year to explore the long-term effects on older adults.
Generating translation…
Required
What is the topic of this research summary?
The effect of exercise on memory
The effect of sleep on memory
The effect of age on sleep
The effect of diet on cognitive performance
Required
Four hundred participants took part in the study.
The summary says 'Two hundred participants were divided into two equal groups', not four hundred.
Required
How was the data collected?
Through interviews and questionnaires
Through sleep trackers and short memory tests
Through brain scans in a hospital
Through a single one-hour experiment
Required
The findings suggest that sleep has no effect on cognitive performance.
The opposite is true. The findings suggest that 'adequate sleep is essential for cognitive performance'.
Speaking
Speaking
7
cards
In academic and professional life, you will often need to describe a research project in English — in a seminar, at a conference, or in a job interview. The passive voice is the natural choice here, because you want to focus on the work, not on the people who did it.
Useful phrases
Function
Useful phrase
When to use it
Introducing the project
The study was conducted over two years.
At the start, to give the timeframe.
Describing the participants
About 200 participants were involved.
To say how many people took part.
Explaining the method
Data was collected using questionnaires.
To describe how the work was done.
Presenting findings
The analysis showed interesting patterns.
To summarise the results.
Talking about the future
A follow-up study will be launched next year.
To describe what comes next.
Listen to the model dialogue below, then read the key sentences out loud yourself. Finally, you will have the chance to roleplay a similar conversation with the AI, so it is worth practising the phrases first.
Generating translation…
Listen to a short model conversation. Emma is asking Tom about his new research project.
E
EmmaTell me about your latest research project.
T
TomSure. The study was conducted over two years at the university.
E
EmmaHow many participants were involved?
T
TomAbout 200 participants were recruited from local schools.
E
EmmaWhat were the main findings?
T
TomThe analysis showed that the new method was significantly more effective.
The study was conducted over two years at the university.
This is a good opening sentence for any short description of a research project.
Required
Read this sentence aloud. Focus on the past simple passive in were recruited.
About two hundred participants were recruited from local schools.
Required
Read this sentence aloud. Notice the past simple passive in was collected.
The data was collected using a combination of surveys and interviews.
Required
You are a researcher talking to a colleague about your latest project. Use the passive voice to describe the work, the participants, and the findings.
Required
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
6
cards
Scientific research has its own vocabulary. Whether you read a research article, watch a documentary, or talk to a researcher, the words below come up again and again. Learning them now will make every later section of this lesson easier to follow.
The first group of words describes the people involved in a study. A researcher is a person who carries out scientific work. A participant is someone who takes part in a study as a subject. The second group describes the process of science: a hypothesis is a testable idea, and data is the information collected to test it.Analysis is the careful examination of that data, and a conclusion is what the researcher decides at the end. Finally, a publication is the article or report that shares the results, and a laboratory is the controlled room where much of the work takes place.
Look at the table below. Each word is followed by its part of speech, a brief Arabic gloss, and an example sentence in context. Try to read the example sentences out loud — many of them already use the passive voice, which is the grammar focus of the next section.
Generating translation…
Study the eight key terms below. Each one is used frequently when talking about scientific research.
analysisəˈnæl.ə.sɪs
the act of studying or examining something in detail , in order to discover or understand more about it, or yo
conclusionkənˈkluːʒən
A conclusion is the final part of something, where a decision or judgment is made, or the act of ending someth
dataˈdeɪtə
Facts and information collected for reference or analysis, especially in computing and research contexts.
H
hypothesishaɪˈpɒθəsɪs
A hypothesis is an unproven explanation or theory that can be tested through investigation or experimentation.
laboratoryləˈbɒrətəri
A room or building equipped for scientific experiments, research, or teaching, typically containing specialize
participantpɑːˈtɪsɪpənt
A person who takes part in an activity or event, especially together with others.
publicationˌpʌblɪˈkeɪʃən
The act of printing and distributing books, newspapers, magazines, or other materials; or a published work suc
researcherrɪˈsɜːtʃə
A person who studies a subject in detail to discover new information or reach a deeper understanding of it.
Required
Match each research term on the left with its definition on the right.
Match each research term on the left with its definition on the right.
hypothesis
researcher
participant
data
analysis
conclusion
publication
laboratory
a testable idea that a study tries to prove or disprove
a person who carries out scientific work
a person who takes part in a study
the information collected during a study
a careful examination of the information collected
the final decision or result of a study
an article or report that shares research results
a controlled room where experiments are carried out
The data was analysed in the laboratory before the publication was released.
Notice how two of the new words — data and publication — appear in the same passive sentence.
Required
Audio is being generated — try again in a minute.
Listen and choose the sentence you hear.
The hypothesis was tested by a team of researchers in the laboratory.
The analysis was tested by a team of researchers in the laboratory.
The hypothesis was tested by a group of participants in the laboratory.
Required
Which word means 'a testable idea that a study tries to prove or disprove'?
