Unit 14: Verbs—Passive Voice

Vocabulary

Passive voice: A way to talk about actions when the receiver is more important than the doer. Example: "The book is read by many students."

Be: The verb used to make the passive. Example: "is, am, are, was, were"

Past participle: The form of a verb used with "be" in passive sentences. Example: "read, written, done"

Modal auxiliaries: Words like can, must, should that show ability, necessity, or advice. Example: "The letter must be sent."

Receiver: The person or thing that gets the action. Example: In "The cake was eaten by John," the cake is the receiver.

Doer: The person or thing that does the action. Example: In "The cake was eaten by John," John is the doer.

Grammar: Passive Voice Formation

Structure:

  • Simple present: am/is/are + past participle
  • Simple past: was/were + past participle
  • With modal: modal + be + past participle

Example sentences:

  • Active: "John writes a letter." → Passive: "A letter is written by John."
  • Active: "She cleaned the room." → Passive: "The room was cleaned by her."
  • Active: "They must finish the work." → Passive: "The work must be finished by them."

Use of Passive with Different Tenses

Present Simple: "The shop is cleaned every day."

Past Simple: "The shop was cleaned yesterday."

Future Simple: "The shop will be cleaned tomorrow."

Use of Passive with Modal Auxiliaries

Structure: modal + be + past participle

Examples:

  • "The homework can be done by students."
  • "The rules must be followed by everyone."

Worked Examples

Example 1: Transform the active sentence into passive:

Active: "The chef cooks the meal."

Passive: "The meal is cooked by the chef."

Example 2: Use passive with past tense:

Active: "The teacher explained the lesson."

Passive: "The lesson was explained by the teacher."

Example 3: Use passive with a modal:

Active: "Students must submit the forms."

Passive: "The forms must be submitted by students."

Picture Example

Passive voice classroom example
A classroom scene with a teacher at the board explaining to students. The focus is on the students observing and learning. Simple, bright, A1-A2 friendly style.

Quick Tip

Remember: use passive voice when the receiver of the action is more important than the doer. If you don’t know the doer, you can omit it: "The window was broken."