To review, the agent of the sentence is the thing that does the action. This is NOT always the same as the subject of the sentence! Subjects can be doing an action or have an action done to them. You might have noticed that in the passive sentences that we learned, sometimes the agent is not even mentioned. In this lesson, we will learn exactly when to use the agent and when not to use the agent.
When do we include the agent?
When the agent is important
Passive sentences don't mention the agent if the agent is not important. Remember, most of the time passive sentences are used when you want to focus on the action or the results of an event. However, if the agent is surprising or unexpected, you'll need to include it. Here are some examples of agentless passives and passives with agents:
| Agentless Passive | Passive with an agent |
|---|---|
| We were given a tour of the mansion. | We were given a tour of the mansion by the governor. (The agent is unexpected, since governors do not usually give tours of their mansions). |
| The wedding dress has been made. | The wedding dress has been made by the students of the bride. (Again, the agent is surprising, because wedding dresses are usually made by professional designers and seamstresses). |
Providing information
An agent is often used to provide additional or new information.
| Agentless Passive | Passive with an agent |
| You will be contacted if you are hired for the job. | You will be contacted if you are hired for the job by phone. |
Adding information by a proper noun
An agent is also used to add important information by proper nouns, such as the name of an author, artist, composer, inventor, or designer.
Agentless Passive
This picture was painted.
Passive with Agent
This picture was painted by Monet.
Exercise
Please open the exercise to continue.