Lesson 7.2 · Passive voice
The passive voice in news headlines: ‘Budget cuts approved’
Headlines love the passive – but they leave out half of it. Once you know what is missing, business and economic news becomes much easier to read.
From How to Use English Verb Tenses in Business by David Cox · 200+ diagrams for professional English
Be careful when reading news headlines
News headlines often use passive sentences. In news headlines, the verb ‘to be’ is missing from passive sentences – headlines simply use the past participle. Because headlines mainly report events that have just happened, we can work out that the verb form is the present perfect passive:
Budget cuts approved by parliament
News headlines miss out the verb ‘to be’ from passive sentences. In a normal sentence, this would be ‘have been approved’ – present perfect passive
Other examples:
- Summer festival cancelled
- Plans for education reform announced
- International trade deal reached
As soon as the article begins, ‘to be’ reappears
Read past the headline and the verb ‘to be’ comes back in the passive form:
Budget cuts approved by parliament
News headlines miss out the verb ‘to be’ from passive sentences.
A series of significant budget cuts have been approved by the British parliament due to the current economic crisis in the country.
When the article begins, ‘to be’ reappears: present perfect passive for a past event which we haven’t moved on from (the budget cuts have been approved, but not implemented yet)
Future plans: ‘to be’ + past participle
Headlines use to be + past participle for something that is planned for the future. In a normal sentence, this is ‘is going to be’ or ‘will be’ done.
Factory to be closed next year
Headlines use ‘to be’ + past participle for a future passive
The company’s Leeds factory is going to be closed next year, putting 800 jobs at risk.
When the article begins: ‘going to’ passive to talk about a future plan
Other examples:
- Bank to be fined €2bn
- CEO to be replaced after scandal
- Head office to be moved to Dublin
Happening now: ‘being’ + past participle
For something that is happening now, headlines keep being but drop ‘is’ or ‘are’. In a normal sentence, this is the present continuous passive.
Carmaker being investigated over emissions
Headlines miss out ‘is / are’ – but keep ‘being’
The carmaker is being investigated by EU regulators over its emissions data.
When the article begins: present continuous passive to talk about a present temporary situation
Other examples:
- Retail chain being sold to US investor
- Bonus scheme being reviewed
- Airline being sued by passengers
With a past time: past simple passive
When the headline says when it happened (last night, on Monday, in 2025), the missing verb is the past simple passive, not the present perfect.
Merger deal signed last night
Headlines miss out ‘to be’. With a time phrase, this would be ‘was signed’
The merger deal was signed late last night after weeks of negotiations.
When the article begins: past simple passive to talk about a past event when we say ‘when’ it happened
Other examples:
- Budget approved on Monday
- Two directors dismissed last week
- Factory sold for €40m in March
Reading headlines as full sentences
To understand a passive headline, just add back the missing part of ‘to be’:
| Headline | In a normal sentence |
|---|---|
| Budget cuts approved by parliament | Budget cuts have been approved by parliament. |
| Summer festival cancelled | The summer festival has been cancelled. |
| Plans for education reform announced | Plans for education reform have been announced. |
| International trade deal reached | An international trade deal has been reached. |
| Factory to be closed next year | The factory is going to be closed next year. |
| Carmaker being investigated over emissions | The carmaker is being investigated over emissions. |
| Merger deal signed last night | The merger deal was signed last night. |
Headlines also change active tenses – see Lesson 1.4: News headlines.
Practise this lesson
Can you decode a passive headline? Try the headlines section – and the rest of the passive voice exercises.
Teachers: use these diagrams
You are welcome to use these diagrams in your lessons and materials. Please credit Fluency Space with a link to this page.
Diagram: Fluency Space – fluencyspace.com/grammar/verb-tenses/passive-voice-news-headlines/Correct on paper is not the same as natural in the boardroom
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