• In a sentence written in the Active voice, the object receives the action of the verb:

• Cats eat fish • Subject + verb + Object

doing action receiving action

• In a sentence written in the Passive Voice, the subject receives the action of the verb:

• Fish are eaten by cats • Subject + verb + Object

receiving action doing action

• Subject + verb + object

• John cleaned the room.

• The room was cleaned (by John)

• Object + verb (+ by subject)

• Note:

• John slept well

• John lives far away

• The structure of the passive voice is very simple:

• Subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)

• A letter was written by John.

• Water is drunk by everyone.

• The decorator is painting my room

• My room is being painted by…

• The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

• The finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle).

• The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped).

Notes

• My car is being fixed by John

• No one paid the bills

• The bills were not paid

• They talked about Peter

• Peter was talked about

When we want to make the active object more important.

When we do not know the active subject.

• President Kennedy was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

• My wallet has been stolen.

Tense Active Passive

Present simple John does it It is done by John

Past simple John did it It was done by John

Future simple John will do it It will be done by John

Present continuous John is doing it It is being done by John

Past continuous John was doing it It was being done by John

Future continuous John will be doing it It will be being done by John

Present perfect John has done it It has been done by John

Past perfect John had done it It had been done by John

Future perfect John will have done it It will have been done by John

Present perfect

continuous

John will have doing it

Past perfect

continuous

John had been doing it

Future perfect

continuous

John will have been doing it

Conditional John would have done it It would be done by John

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2

Active: Rita

He

wrote

gave

a letter

me

to me.

the book

Passive: A letter

The book

was written

was given

to me

to me

by Rita.

(by him)

Passive: I

I

was written

was given

a letter

the book

by Rita.

(by him)

Questions Tense Auxiliary Subject Verb

Present Perfect Has the house been built?

Past Perfect Had the house been built?

will-future Will the house be built?

going to-future Is the house going to be built?

Future Perfect Will the house have been built?

Conditional I Would the house be built?

Present Progressive Is the house being built?

Past Progressive Was the house being built?

1. Changing the tense to a similar tense:

• Someone has reported the incidents

• The incidents were reported

• The incidents have been reported

• They are going to build a school

• A school will be built

• A school is going to be built

2. Forgetting the verb to be:

• Someone has reported the incidents

• The incidents have reported

• The incidents have been reported

• They are going to build a school

• A school is going to built

• A school is going to be built

3. Using the present participle instead of the past participle:

• Someone has reported the incidents

• The incidents have been reporting

• The incidents have been reported

• They are going to build a school

• A school is going to be building

• A school is going to be built

4. Plural/ Singular confusion

• Someone has reported the incidents

• The incidents has been reported

• The incidents have been reported

• They are going to build a school

• A school are going to be built

• A school is going to be built