ACTIVE TO PASSIVE VOICE

Active Passive
Subject Verb Object Subject Verb Object
You killed six zombies Six zombies were killed BY you

The OBJECT in the active voice is changed into the SUBJECT in the passive voice

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You can use the PASSIVE if you don’t know who does something or it isn’t
important who does it.
Active

Thomas Edison patented the first light bulb in 1879

= We know that Thomas Edison patented the first light bulb

Passive

The first light bulb was patented in 1879

= We DON’t know who patented the light bulb, or it isn’t important

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 The igloo was built by Pedro!

The passive is quite easy to make – just use the correct tense of
Be + past participle

Present Simple Passive: Present Perfect Passive:

Lots of igloos are built every year. Lots of igloos have been built this year.

Past Simple Passive: Future Simple Passive:

Lots of igloos were built last year. Lots of igloos will be built next year.

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 The Arcade is owned BY Alberto

Sometimes when you use the passive, you want to give more information.
If you want to say WHO DOES the action, you can use
by + person.

The first light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison

An igloo was built by Pedro.

The prize for the best igloo was given by Professor Freeze.

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 ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE
PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE
make am / is / are made
They make cars in Japan Cars are made in Germany

PRESENT CONTINUOUS PRESENT CONTINUOUS

am / is / are baking am / is / are being baked
I am baking a cake A cake is being baked by me

PAST SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE

wrote was / were written
Shakespeare wrote Romeo & Juliet Romeo & Juliet was written by Shakespeare

PAST CONTINUOUS PAST CONTINUOUS

was / were watching was / were being watched
They were watching a film when I got home A film was being watched when I got home

PRESENT PERFECT PRESENT PERFECT

have / has decorated have / has been decorated
We have decorated my bedroom My bedroom has been decorated

PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT

had read had been read
Javier had read the book before he saw the film The book had been read by Javier before he saw
the film

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 ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

FUTURE SIMPLE FUTURE SIMPLE

will write will be written
They will write the essay tomorrow They essay will be written by them tomorrow

GOING TO GOING TO
am / is / are going to am / is / are going to be
He is going to build a house next week A house is going to be built by him next week

THE END

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