PASSIVE VOICE

Present simple
Past simple
Present continuous
Present perfect
Future
USAGE
The passive voice is normally used:

 To focus on the object of the sentence.

Leonardo Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. (the sentence is
mainly about Leonardo Da Vinci, he is the subject of the
sentence, this sentence is Active)

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (the

sentence is mainly about the painting, which is the
object, this sentence is Passive)
 If the person who does the action is unknown or
unimportant.

My wallet has been stolen! (we don’t know who did this)

 The doer of the action is obvious, or ‘people in general’

The thief was arrested. (it is obvious it was done by the
police)
Spanish will be spoken in many countries in a few years. (it
is not necessary to say ‘by people’)
CHANGING FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

Active: Peter builds a house.

Passive: A house is built by Peter.

STRUCTURE: TENSES

Active Peter builds a house.

Simple Present
Passive: A house is built by Peter.

Active: Peter built a house.

Simple Past
Passive: A house was built by Peter.
STRUCTURE: TENSES
Active Peter is building a house.
Present continuous
Passive: A house is being built by Peter.
STRUCTURE: TENSES

Active: Peter has built a house.

Present Perfect
Passive: A house has been built by Peter.

Active: Peter will build a house.

will-future

Passive: A house will be built by Peter.

PASSIVE VOICE VERB STRUCTURE
Auxiliary in the tense + verb in
of the sentence past participle

 Present simple- is/ am / are + verb in past participle

 Past simple- was / were + verb in past participle

 Present continuous – is/ am/ are + being + vpp

 Present perfect – has / have + been + verb in pp

 Future – will be + verb in pp

REMEMBER!
 We often use the passive in more formal contexts like
news reports, and less when we are speaking informally.
Look at the following sentences:

An Educational Reform is now being presented to the

Congress. (from the news report) Passive voice

I heard the President is presenting an Educational Reform

to the Congress. (from a conversation) Active voice
VERBS OFTEN USED IN THE PASSIVE
 Verbs related to accidents / injuries, etc
Injure, kill, damage, destroy, etc

 Verbs related to crime

Arrest, sentence, find guilty, send to prison, etc

 Verbs related to inventions, books, films, etc

Invent by, discover by, produce by, direct by, write by, build
by, base on, made in, film in, star by, etc
PRACTISE
 https://www.english-4u.de/en/grammar-exercises/passive
.htm
(we did this in class)

 https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passi
ve/passive_tenses_sentences.htm

 https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passi
ve/active_or_passive.htm