B1 Intermediate The passive
Passive voice — simple tenses
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can turn active sentences into the passive in the present and past simple.
When to use it
- When the doer is unknown or unimportant: My bike was stolen.
- When the focus is on the thing affected: This house was built in 1990.
- In formal writing, news, instructions and process descriptions.
Form
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | They clean the office. | The office is cleaned. |
| Present simple, plural | They deliver the letters. | The letters are delivered. |
| Past simple | Someone stole my bike. | My bike was stolen. |
| Past simple, plural | They planted these trees. | These trees were planted. |
Step by step
- Take the object of the active sentence and move it to the front.
- Put to be in the right tense and number for the new subject.
- Change the main verb to V3 (column three).
- Add by + doer at the end only if it matters.
Three things to check
| Check | Common error | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a form of to be? | The room cleaned every day. | The room is cleaned every day. |
| Is the verb in the V3 form? | The cake was make. | The cake was made. |
| Does to be agree with the subject? | The photos was taken. | The photos were taken. |
Examples
English is spoken all over the world.
This house was built in 1990.
The letters are delivered every morning.
My bike was stolen last night.
These trees were planted by my grandfather.
Rice is grown in many Asian countries.
Common mistakes
The room cleaned every day. → The room is cleaned every day.
The to be is missing. Vietnamese marks the passive with one word; English needs both be and the participle.
The cake was make by my mother. → The cake was made by my mother.
After to be you need V3, not the base form.
These photos was taken in 2019. → These photos were taken in 2019.
photos is plural → were.
Memory tip
The formula is short: be + V3. Every passive has exactly these two pieces. Missing one is an error, and be is the piece that carries the tense.
Summary
- Passive = be + V3; the active object becomes the subject.
- Present simple: am/is/are + V3 · Past simple: was/were + V3.
- Add by + doer only when it matters.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.