Introduction to Passive

​Active Voice

Multiple Choice

I water the plants.

The shop assistant counted the money.

Scientists have created a vaccine.

What is the grammar structure of these sentences?

• object - verb - subject

• subject - verb - object

• verb - object - subject

• subject - object - verb

but the structure

subject - verb - object

stays the same.​

​Each sentence has a different tense

• I water the plants.

• The shop assistant counted the money.

• ​Scientists have created a vaccine.

​

​This is the active voice

​Who is the doer in each sentence?

​Passive Voice:

Form​

• I water the plants.

• The shop assistant counted the money.

• ​Scientists have created a vaccine.

​

​Changing the active to passive voice

​What happened to the subject - verb - object structure?

• The plants are watered.

• The money was counted.

  ​

• A vaccine has been created.

​

​The venue has been decided.

​The object moves to the front in a passive sentence and becomes the subject.

​The venue hasn't been decided.

​Has the venue been decided?

Multiple Choice

The bathroom is cleaned every day.

What tense is the passive sentence above?

• past simple

• present simple

• present continuous

• present perfect

Multiple Choice

Which sentence below is a correct example of passive?

• Lottery tickets are been sold here.

• Lottery tickets be sold here.

• Lottery tickets is sold here.

• Lottery tickets are sold here.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence below is a correct example of passive?

• Everyone is provided with the information.

• Everyone is provide with the information.

• Everyone is providing with the information.

• Everyone is been provided with the information.

​Passive form

​Tense	Active​	Passive​
present simple​	​She drives the car.	The car is driven.
present continuous​	​She is driving the car.	The car is being driven.
past simple​	​She drove the car.	The car was driven.
past continuous​	​She was driving the car.	​The car was being driven.
present perfect​	​She has driven the car.	The car has been driven.
present perfect continuous​	​She has been driving the car.	The car has been being driven.
past perfect​	​She had driven the car.	The car had been driven.
​will	​She will drive the car.	The car will be driven.
would​	​She would drive the car.	The car would be driven.
could ​	​She could drive the car.	The car could be driven.
should​	​She should drive the car.	The car should be driven.

Multiple Choice

Is the past participle always used to make the passive voice?

• yes

• no

Multiple Choice

You have to know what the tense is to make sure that the passive sentence is correct.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

Millions of bags of rubbish are collected every year.

What tense is this?

• present simple

• present continuous

• past simple

• present perfect

Multiple Choice

The iphone was launched in 2007.

What tense is this?

• present simple

• present continuous

• past simple

• present perfect

Multiple Choice

The country has been put into lockdown.

What tense is this?

• present simple

• past simple

• present perfect

• present perfect continuous

Multiple Choice

The results of the election are being revealed as we speak.

What tense is this?

• present simple

• present continuous

• past simple

• past continuous

Multiple Choice

I was being asked some difficult questions.

What tense is this?

• present simple

• present continous

• past simple

• past continuous

Multiple Choice

I was being asked some difficult questions.

Is this sentence in passive voice?

• yes

• no

​Passive Voice:

Uses​

Multiple Choice

My neighbour has been robbed.

Why are we using passive voice?

• we don't know who robbed our neighbour

• we want to find out who robbed our neighbour

Multiple Choice

Little has been done to improve safety on the railways.

• We don't know whose fault it was.

• We don't want to name the doer for some reason.

Multiple Choice

Late work will not be marked.

• We don't know who will mark the work.

• We want to distance ourselves from taking responsibility.

Multiple Choice

Our wine is produced using the finest ingredients.

• We don't know who produced the wine.

• We want to use a formal, academic style.

Multiple Choice

Nelson Mandela was widely loved across the world.

Why do we use passive voice in this sentence?

• There is no 'doer' other than 'people' or 'someone'

• We don't know who loved Nelson Mandela.