UNIT 23 LESSON 1: THE PASSIVE

A. PRESENT SIMPLE PASSIVE

They speak English in Australia.
Active
They make toys in this factory.
English is spoken in Australia.
Passive
Toys are made in this factory.

Form
• We form the passive voice of the present simple with the verb tobe (am/ is/ are) and the
past participle of the main verb.
Cheese is made from milk. The rooms are cleaned once a day.
• In negative sentences, we add not after am/ is/ are.
The animals are fed twice a day. => The animals aren’t fed twice a day.
• In questions, we put am/ is/ are at the beginning of the sentence.
The animals are fed twice a day. => Are the animals fed twice a day?
Use
We use the passive voice when we are more interested in the action itself and not the person
who does it. We usually do not know or are not interested in who does the action. The main
focus is the action itself.
Fruit trees are grown here.
Agent
• In a passive sentence, we sometimes mention the agent (the person who does the action).
To do this, we use by + a name/ a noun/ a pronoun.
All our meals are prepared by Mrs Bell.
• We only mention the agent when we know who does the action we are talking about,
and only when it adds new or important information. Compare the following examples:
The animals are fed twice a day.
(We do not know who fed them ad we are not interested. It is not important.)
All our meals are prepared by Mrs Bell.
( The agent gives important information, so we mention it.)
Active and passive sentences
We change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice as follows:
• The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Mrs Bell prepares all our meals. => All our meals are prepared by Mrs Bell.
• We use the verb tobe (am/ is/ are) and the past participle of the verb in the active sentence.
Mrs Bell prepares all our meals. => All our meals are prepared by Mrs Bell.

1
• If we want to mention the agent, we use by + the subject of the active sentence.
Mrs Bell prepares all our meals. => All our meals are prepared by Mrs Bell.
1. Complete. Use the present simple passive.
1. Coffee is grown (grow) in more than fifty countries around the world.
2. Class C ……………………………….…… (teach) by Mrs Hannah.
3. These toys ……………………………….…… (make) in China.
4. English ……………………………….…… (speak) in many parts of India.
5. Computers ……………………………….…… (use) by millions of people.
6. I ……………………………….…… (teach) music by Mr Davis.
2. Write sentences. Use the present simple passive.
1. That castle is owned by a teacher. (prince)
No, that castle isn’t owned by a teacher. It’s owned by a prince.
2. Houses are designed by doctors. (architects)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Jennifer is paid $1,000. ($1,500)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Their house is built on a hill. (in a valley)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. CDs are made of metal. (plastic)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Aeroplanes are flown by teachers. (pilots)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. The birds are fed at midnight. (at noon)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. This painting is called Life. (Nature)
………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Write questions. Use the present simple passive.
1. the rooms/ clean/ every day? Are the rooms cleaned every day?
2. bananas/ grow/ in Greece? ………………………………………………………………………
3. this pudding/ make/ by the chef? ………………………………………………………………………
4. the students/ teach/ Spanish? ………………………………………………………………………
5. wine/ produce/ in France? ………………………………………………………………………
6. English/ speak/ by the hotel staff? ………………………………………………………………………
7. Bob/ invite/ to the party? ………………………………………………………………………
8. these products/ sell/ in Germany? ………………………………………………………………………

2
4. Rewrite the sentences in the passive.
1. They water the plants every day.
The plants are watered every day.
2. They paint the office every year.
The office …………….…………………….. every day.
3. They sell tickets here.
Tickets …………….…………………….. here.
4. They make these cars in Japan.
These cars …………….…………………….. in Japan.
5. They keep the money in a safe.
The money …………….…………………….. in a safe.
6. They lock the door at night.
The door …………….…………………….. at night.
7. They serve dinner at seven.
Dinner …………….…………………….. at seven.
8. They keep the animals in cages.
The animals …………….…………………….. in cages.
5. Rewrite the sentences in the passive.
1. Mr Newton marks our tests.
Our tests are marked by Mr Newton.
2. A fence protects the garden.
………………………………………………………………………
3. The students write all the articles.
………………………………………………………………………
4. David Willis designs the posters.
………………………………………………………………………
5. Millions of people use the Internet.
………………………………………………………………………
6. Mr Stephens teaches the English class.
………………………………………………………………………
6. Write sentences by using the present simple passive.
1. Her motorbike/ keep/ in the garage
Her motorbike is kept in the garage.
2. Helmets/ not wear/ in tennis
Helmets aren’t worn in tennis.

3
3. you/ pay/ a lot of money?
Are you paid a lot of money?
4. Cricket/ watch/ in England
………………………………………………………………………
5. My friends/ choose/ for the volleyball team
………………………………………………………………………
6. Chinese/ not teach/ at my school
………………………………………………………………………
7. cars/ make/ in Britain?
………………………………………………………………………
8. A lot of shellfish/ eat/ in China
………………………………………………………………………
9. The letter/ not write/ in Spanish
………………………………………………………………………
10. English/ speak/ all over the world?
………………………………………………………………………
7. Who does what? Molly’s café is a family business. Look at the picture and write
sentences using the passive with by.
1. serve customers
The customers are served by her daughter.
2. design menus
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………..
3. clean café
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………..
4. make café
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………..
5. do washing-up
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………..
6. grow vegetables
…………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………..

4
HOMEWORK
1. Complete the sentences. Use the present passive form of the words in brackets.
1. Chocolate …………………………………
(make) in factories.
2. Chocolate …………………………………
(eat) by millions of people every day.
3. It ………………………………… (make) from
cocoa beans.
4. Cocoa beans …………………………………
(grow) in hot countries.
5. The beans ………………………………… (wash) and ………………………………… (dry) in the sun.
6. Then they ………………………………… take to the factory.
2. Read about Brendan who studies volcanoes.
Brendan thinks it’s important for scientists to tell people when a volcano isn’t safe. He studies
volcanoes so that people are told when it is dangerous in plenty of time.
Brendan has made a film about volcanoes. In the film, rocks inside the volcano melt. This is
magma. Magma is pushed to the top of the volcano. The ground shakes. Suddenly rocks,
magma, and hot gas explode into the sky. It’s terrifying. People hear the noise from far away,
even on other islands.
The eruption is so loud, the noise is heard a long way away. Hot lava travels down the
mountain at 50 kph. Ash falls from the sky. The mountain is destroyed.
Brendan’s work helps keep people safe. People living nearby are taken to safety, and no one
is hurt. Their houses aren’t damaged, but they are covered in ash. Their crops are buried.
People can’t return home for a year.
Find and underline the past participles of these verbs in the text.
tell push hear destroy damage bury
Complete the sentences. Use the simple present passive.
1. People ………………………………… (tell) when a volcano is dangerous.
2. Different scientific instruments ………………………………… (use) to collect the data.
3. During an eruption, magma ………………………………… (push) to the surface.
4. The noise ………………………………… (hear) a long way away.
5. People ………………………………… (take) to safety as quickly as possible.
6. Their homes ……………………………… (damage), but they ……………………………… (not destroy).
7. They ………………………………… (not allow) to return home for a long time.
8. Their crops ………………………………… (cover) in ash.

5
Now, look at the information. Which sentences are true? Which are false?
Correct any false sentences.
1. The mountain is destroyed by the scientists. False the eruption
2. The people are taken to a dangerous place. ……………. ……………………………..
3. The noise is heard by people a long way away. ……………. ……………………………..
4. Their homes are covered in lava. ……………. ……………………………..
5. Their crops are eaten. ……………. ……………………………..
3. Read the sentences and circle the correct verbs.
1. This sensor is checked/ are checked every hour.
2. We read the data. It isn’t given/ aren’t given to the police until it is checked.
3. Tourists to the area is asked/ are asked not to climb the mountain.
4. People aren’t sent/ isn’t sent away unless it is too dangerous.
5. They isn’t allowed/ aren’t allowed to drive near the volcano.
6. It’s difficult when local people are told/ is told to leave their homes.
4. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the passive.
Hi there. I’m Eva Rojas. I’m a scientist. I work with Brendan at the Scientific Observatory.
This is where reports 1…………….………………….. (write) and 2…………….………………….. (send) to
the local police. Our job is to make sure the local people are safe.
Have you ever wondered how volcanoes 3…………….………………….. (measure)? We use a lot of
different instruments, like seismographs, radio, and GPS devices. Gas samples
4…………….………………….. (take) from cracks in the mountain. They are poisonous, so we must
be very careful!
Here’s my latest report:
The ground shakes. Magma 5…………….………………….. (push) to the surface.

5:07 a.m. Gases are escaping. Our instruments record a lot of activity. My boss
6…………….………………….. (call) at home and he comes to the center right away.
We are on red alert. Schools and farms nearby 7…………….………………….. (close).
6:12 a.m.
People 8…………….………………….. (not allow) near the area.
Local people 9…………….………………….. (tell) to leave their homes. Many
10…………….………………….. (take) by bus to shelters in the next city. They won’t
9:27 a.m.
be able to return for a few days.
3 days later
The volcano erupts. But thankfully, everyone is safe.
7:48 a.m.
5. Change the sentences into the passive.
1. They plant many different crops in the soil.

6
 Many different crops are planted in the soil.
2. They grow grapes, beans and tomatoes in these fields.
Grapes, beans, and tomatoes ……………………………………………………………… .
3. In other places, they grow rice on the rich volcanic land.
In other places, rice ……………………………………………………………… .
4. They make electricity from the steam.
Electricity ……………………………………………………………… .
5. They close the schools in the summer.
The schools ……………………………………………………………… .
6. They need the children to work in the fields.
Children ……………………………………………………………… .
6. Rewrite the sentences in the passive form.
1. Architects build houses.
Houses are built by architects.
2. Electricity powers modern trains.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
3. People send millions of emails every day.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
4. The hotel chef makes these cakes daily.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Specialists usually cut down trees.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
6. People eat a lot of curry in UK restaurants.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
7. Some people hate boxing.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
8. All the boys in my family play football.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
9. You don’t keep bananas in the fridge.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
10. My sister also uses this laptop.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
11. Many women in my country play rugby.
…………………………………………………………………………………..