Passive Voice

Cristina TousLaura Palacín

Contents

When is used passive voice?

Active voice Passive voice

Passive voice in present tenses

Passive voice in future tenses

Passive voice in future tenses with going to

Passive voice in past tenses

Passive voice in conditional tenses

Exercises

When is used passive voice?

We can use the passive form when the thing

receiving the action is more important or

should be emphasized.

We can also use the passive form if we don’t

know who is doing the action or if we don’t

want to mention who is doing this action.

Active voice

[Thing/person doing action]

+

[verb]

+

[thing/person receiving action]

Subject

Object

From active voice

to passive voice

Passive voice

[Thing/person receiving action] +

[be] +

[past participle of verb] +

[by] +

[thing/person doing action]

Subject

Opcional object

Active Passive

Marco pays a lot of money Subject Verb Object

A lot of money is paid by Marco Subject Verb Object

Present tenses

Tense Subject Verb Object

Simple Present

Active: Olga writes a letter

Passive: A letter is written by Olga

Present perfect

Active : Olga has written a letter

Passive: A letter has been written

by Olga

Present continuous

Active : Olga Is writting a letter

Passive: A letter Is being written

by Olga

Present perfect continuous

Active : Olga Has been writting

a letter

Passive: A letter Has been being write

by Olga

Future tenses

Tense Subject Verb Object

Future Active : Olga will write a letter

Passive: A letter will be written by Olga

Future perfect Active : Olga Will have written

a letter

Passive: A letter Will have been written

by Olga

Future continuous

Active : Olga Will be writting a letter

Passive: A letter Will be being writted

by Olga

Future perfect continuous

Active : Olga Will have been writting

a letter

Passive: A letter Will have been being writted

by Olga

Future tenses with going to

Tense Subject Verb Object

Future (going to)

Active : Olga Is going to writte

a letter

Passive: A letter Is going to be written

by Olga

Future perfect (going to)

Active : Olga Is going to have written

a letter

Passive: A letter Is going to have been written

by Olga

Future continuous (going to)

Active : Olga Is going to be writting

a letter

Passive: A letter Is going to Be being writted

by Olga

Past tenses

Tense Subject Verb Object

Simple past Active : Olga wrote a letter

Passive: A letter was written by Olga

Past Perfect Active : Olga Had written a letter

Passive: A letter Had been written

by Olga

Past continuous

Active : Olga Was writting a letter

Passive: A letter Was being writted

by Olga

Past perfect continuous

Active : Olga Had been writting

a letter

Passive: A letter Had been being writted

by Olga

Conditional tenses

Tense Subject Verb Object

Conditional Active : Olga Would write a letter

Passive: A letter Would be written

by Olga

Conditional perfect

Active : Olga Would have written

a letter

Passive: A letter Would have been written

by Olga

Exercises

Active: Blanca sends emails.Passive: Emails are sent (by Blanca).

A: Somebody cleans the office every day.P: The office is cleaned every day.

A: Mar sells vegetables in the market.P: Vegetables are sold in the market (by Mar).

A: Would they have given the right answer?P: Would the right answer have been given

A: You don’t write the letter.P: The letter is not written by you.

A: We would have painted the walls green.P: The walls would have been painted green.

A: Does the police officer catch the thief?P: Is the thief caught by the police officer.

A: They wear blue shoes.P: Blue shoes are worn by them.

A: I draw a picture.P: A picture is drawn by me

The Wall (guard) by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts (call) milecastles because the distance from one

fort to another (be) one mile.

In 1987, this place (become) a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall (attack) by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets (run) to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts (call) milecastles because the distance from one

fort to another (be) one mile.

In 1987, this place (become) a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall (attack) by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets (run) to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from one

fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place (become) a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall (attack) by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets (run) to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from one

fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall (attack) by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets (run) to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from one

fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall was attacked by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets (run) to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from

one fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall was attacked by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets ran to the nearest milecastle for help or (light) a

fire that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from

one fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If the Wall was attacked by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets ran to the nearest milecastle for help or lit a fire

that (can – see) by the soldiers in the milecastle.

The Wall was guarded by 15,000 soldiers in 1750.

Forts were called milecastles because the distance from

one fort to another was one mile.

In 1987, this place became a UNESCO World Heritage

Site.

If the Wall was attacked by enemies, the soldiers at the

turrets ran to the nearest milecastle for help or lit a

fire that could be seen by the soldiers in the

milecastle.

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