Passive - Explanations

We only use the passive when we are interested in the object or when we do not know who caused the action.
Example: Appointments are required in such cases.
We can only form a passive sentence from an active sentence when there is an object in the active sentence.

to be + past participle
How to form a passive sentence when an active sentence is given:
- object of the "active" sentence becomes subject in the "passive" sentence
- subject of the "active" sentence becomes "object" in the "passive" sentence" (or is left out)

Active: Peter builds a house.
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/images/tenses/passiv1.jpg:3rbloadiz_12:
Passive: A house is built by Peter

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.

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.

Active:Peter can build a house. Modals

Passive: A house can be built by Peter

We have listed active and passive forms in the following table.
We used the phrase I drive and have put this phrase into most common tenses.
Active :sCh_supersmilie[1]: (Simple Forms)


I drive Simple Present
I drove Simple Past

Present Perfect
I have driven

Past Perfect
I had driven

will-future
I will drive

Future Perfect
I will have driven

Conditional I

I would drive

Conditional II

I would have driven

Active (Progressive/Continuous Forms)


Simple Present
I am driving

Simple Past
I was driving

Present Perfect
I have been driving

Past Perfect
I had been driving

will-future
I will be driving

Future Perfect
I will have been driving

Conditional I
I would be driving

Conditional II
I would have been driving



Passive Simple Forms


Simple Present
I am driven

Simple Past
I was driven

Present Perfect
I have been driven

Past Perfect
I had been driven

will-future
I will be driven

Future Perfect
I will have been driven

Conditional I
I would be driven

Conditional II
I would have been driven


PassiveProgressive/Continuous Forms


Present
I am being driven

Past
I was being driven

Present Perfect
¹I have been being driven

Past Perfect
¹I had been being driven

Future
¹I will be being driven

Future Perfect
¹I will have been being driven

Conditional I
¹I would be being driven

Conditional II
¹I would have been being driven




¹ Tenses which are rarely used in everyday conversation.

tense

active & passive
Simple Present

Peter builds a house. A house is built by Peter.

Peter built a house. A house was built by Peter.

Peter has built a house. A house has been built by Peter.

Peter had built a house. A house had been built by Peter.

Peter will build a house. A house will be built by Peter

.going to-future

Peter is going to build a house in summer. A house is going to be built in summer by Peter.

We are normally not interested in the "doer" of an action in a passive sentence. When we want to mention the "doer", we use the preposition by. The whole phrase is called by-agent in English.

Active sentence
Mr Brown built the house

Passive sentence
The house was built by Mr Brown

Active sentence - Passive sentence

Someone stole my bike. My bike was stolen

When there are two objects in an active sentence, there are two possible active sentences and two possible passive sentences
.
possibility 1: The professor explained the students the exercise.
possibility 2: The professor explained the exercise to the students

.
There are two objects in each of the following sentences

object 1 = indirect object: the students
object 2 = direct object: the exercise

An indirect object is very often a person, a direct object a thing. When a direct object is followed by an indirect one, we put to in front of the indirect object

When we do not know, who was the "doer" of the action, we use someone or somebody in the active sentence.
We leave out these words in the passive sentence.

When we put an active sentence, where a preposition follows after the verb (e.g. break into, look after), into passive - the preposition remains immediately after the verb.
Active sentence

Passive sentence

Someone broke into the pet shop. The pet shop was broken into

When we put an object of an active sentence into passive, it becomes subject of the passive sentence.
Active voice:
The professor explained the students the exercise.
The professor explained the exercise to the students.
Passive voice:
The students were explained the exercise.
The exercise was explained to the students.
We sometimes use a pronoun for "the students" or "the exercise" in its subject form (here: they/it).
Passive voice:
They were explained the exercise.
It was explained to the students.
We very often leave out the by-agent in the passive sentence (here: by the professor).

The phrase It is said ... is an impersonal passive construction. We often use it in news.
Passive sentence - version 1:
It is said that children are afraid of ghosts.
Passive sentence - version 2:
Children are said to be afraid of ghosts.
The correct active sentence would be:
Active sentence: People say that children are afraid of ghosts

Grammar Exercises - Passive Voice

Put the sentences into passive voice.

1 They built these houses in 1902.
.

2 She bakes a cake every Sunday.
.

3 He broke the vase yesterday.
.

4 I clean the shoes every Friday.
.

5 We wrote the exercise an hour ago.
.

6 They use this road very often.
.

7 Thieves stole his car.
.

8 They cancelled all the flights.
.

9 Brian told the truth.
.

10 She always loads the dishwasher.
.

11 He sometimes does the shopping.
.

12 The ambulance took Peter to hospital.


PASSIVE - present and past tense


1 He (offer) a new job last week.

2 The bridge (blow off) yesterday.

3 This novel (write) by Hemingway.

4 Flies (catch) by spiders.

5 All the trees (cut) down yesterday.

6 We (tell) to go home now.

7 Their purse (steal) yesterday night in the disco.

8 Rain (hold) up by fog.

9 He (throw) out of the bar a week ago.

10 Pigs (use) to find truffles.

11 The old theatre (reopen) last Friday.

12 She (ask) about the accident by the police yesterday.

13 Rotten eggs (throw) at him last month in Bristol.

14 Mice (catch) by cats.

15 I (often / ask) for her address.


*****

1 English (speak) all over the world. (Present tense)

2 This quarrel (forget) in a few years' time. (Future tense)

3 My pencil case (steal). (Present perfect)

4 We (never / beat) at badminton. (Present perfect)

5 This shirt (make) in France. (Past tense)

6 The dogs (keep) in house. (Present tense)

7 Her new book (publish) next month. (Future tense)

8 Milk (use) to make butter and cheese. (Present tense)

9 They (take) to school. (Past tense)

10 Not a sound (hear). (Past tense)

11 Some ink (spill) on the carpet. (Present perfect)

12 The thieves by the police. (Past tense)

13 The homework (correct) by the teacher. (Future tense)

14 Her ring (find) under the bed. (Past tense)

15 I (offer) an interesting job. (Past tense)



Take the personal pronoun to start the sentence!

1 He has lent her the umbrella.
.

2 He gave me a good advice.
.

3 Dad promised us some money.
.

4 They'll give him a reward.
.

5 He told me the whole story.
.

6 They have sent her the bill.
.

7 She'll show us the way.
.

8 He has paid her a lot of money.
.

9 Peter wrote it down correctly.
.

10 Noise kept him awake.
.

11 Dad sometimes takes me to the station.
.

12 She'll give me his address.
.


1 He usually buys the tickets.
.

2 We booked the flights.
.

3 He opened the bottle easily.
.

4 She cleans my shoes.
.

5 They arrested the burglars.
.

6 He wrote the note.
.

7 They washed the car.
.

8 She found the key.
.

9 He sold his coin collection.
.

10 We started a new system.
.

11 Someone stole his car.
.

12 They used the towels.
.

13 We turned on the TV.
.

14 She served tea at 4.
.

15 The rain flooded the camp.
.


1 He usually buys the tickets.
.

2 We booked the flights.
.

3 He opened the bottle easily.
.

4 She cleans my shoes.
.

5 They arrested the burglars.
.

6 He wrote the note.
.

7 They washed the car.
.

8 She found the key.
.

9 He sold his coin collection.
.

10 We started a new system.
.

11 Someone stole his car.
.

12 They used the towels.
.

13 We turned on the TV.
.

14 She served tea at 4.
.

15 The rain flooded the camp.
.