Unit 16: The Passive & Impersonal Structures

Image: A diagram showing a person building a house (active) vs a house being built (passive). Caption: Active vs. Passive Voice illustration.

1. The Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed using the verb to be + past participle of the main verb. The passive exists in every tense. We use the passive voice when:

  • We want to say what happens to the subject rather than what the subject does.
  • The person who causes the action is unknown or unimportant.
  • We want to emphasize the action or the receiver of the action.

If we want to mention who performed the action, we use by + agent (e.g., “The book was written by Jane Austen”). However, if the agent is obvious or non-specific (like ‘someone’ or ‘people’), it is often omitted.

2. The Impersonal Structure

An impersonal structure is used to talk about people in general or to make statements less personal. Common structures include:

  • Passive without the agent: “We are expected at 7pm.” (Somebody expects us).
  • ‘It’ + ‘to be’ + adjective + infinitive: “It is sometimes exciting to walk in the rain”.
  • Gerund as subject: “Reading English newspapers is often difficult”.
  • Reporting Verbs: Structures like “It is said that…” or “It is believed that…” are often used in formal writing.

Exercise 1: Active or Passive?

Identify whether the following sentences are Active (A) or Passive (P).

Image: A rice paddy field with farmers working. Caption: Farmers growing rice vs Rice being grown.
  1. Rice is grown in China. ______
  2. Doctors examine sick people. ______
  3. The letter was written by Bob. ______
  4. Soldiers lower the flag at five o’clock. ______
  5. The streets are cleaned every morning. ______
  6. The team won the game. ______
  7. This car is made in Japan. ______
  8. New species of fish are seen by scientists. ______

Source adapted from,,

Exercise 2: Simple Transformations

Rewrite the following active sentences into the passive voice.

  1. Mother made a cake yesterday. __________________________________________________
  2. The boy teased the girl. __________________________________________________
  3. The police have caught the thief. __________________________________________________
  4. Someone is repairing the computer. __________________________________________________
  5. Sarah made a birthday cake. __________________________________________________
  6. Rick had fixed his bicycle. __________________________________________________
  7. They offer Trevor a place. __________________________________________________
  8. My friend sent me a letter. __________________________________________________

Source adapted from,,,

Exercise 3: Passives with Modals

Complete the sentences using the passive form of the verbs in brackets with the correct modal verb.

  1. Dangerous places _______ (must / not / enter) alone.
  2. New species _______ (have to / study) in a science lab.
  3. The work _______ (should / do) quickly.
  4. Mobile phones _______ (should / switch off) in the theater.
  5. The treasure _______ (will /hide) in a secret place.
  6. Money _______ (should / lend) to friends carefully.
  7. The sound of the concert _______ (could / hear) for miles.
  8. This patient _______ (must / see) by Thursday.

Source adapted from,,,,

Exercise 4: Impersonal”It is…”

Image: A chaotic classroom scene with children playing. Caption: Illustration of a situation described as ‘crazy’ or ‘unusual’.

Rewrite the sentences beginning with “It is [Adjective] that…” or “It is [Adjective] to…”

  1. Children are allowed so much freedom. (Crazy) -> ____________________________________
  2. To teach children discipline is essential. -> ____________________________________
  3. Parents spoil their children. (Natural) -> ____________________________________
  4. Children learn to share things. (Important) -> ____________________________________
  5. No two children learn in the same way. (Strange) -> ____________________________________
  6. To walk in the pouring rain is sometimes exciting. -> ____________________________________
  7. To say that Russian is easier than English is strange. -> ____________________________________
  8. Someone fromour country has won a gold medal. (Exciting) -> ____________________________________

Source adapted from,,

Exercise 5: Describing Processes

Fill in the blanks with the correct present passive form of the verbs.

    First, the letter _______ (write) by the sender.
  1. Then, it _______ (put) in an envelope.
  2. Stamps _______ (stick) on the envelope.
  3. The letter _______ (post) in a post box.
  4. It _______ (collect) by a post office worker.
  5. The letter _______ (take) to a sorting office.
  6. There, letters _______ (sort) by their postcodes.
    7. This _______ (do) by a machine.

Source adapted from,

Exercise 6: Impersonal Opinions

Complete the sentences with a suitable impersonal phrase from the box: It cannot be denied, It is often claimed, People often claim,It is true to say, It is undeniable, Some people argue, Many argue, It is said.

  1. _______ that money plays an important role in people’s lives.
  2. _______ that money cannot buy happiness.
  3. _______ that childrencannot grow up perfectly without a parent present.
  4. _______ that it is more important to have an enjoyable job than to earn a lot.
  5. _______ that old workers should be permitted to work after retirement age.
  6. _______ that global warming is caused by pollution.
  7. _______ that watching TV has both positive and negative effects.
  8. _______ to be a dangerous thing (A little knowledge).

Source adapted from,,

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