ESL CONNECT | The Passive

Explanation: the passive

Use the passive when the action is more important than the person who does it, or when we do not know who does the action.

1. Active vs passive

Active	Passive
People speak English around the world.	English is spoken around the world.
They make cars in Germany.	Cars are made in Germany.
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.	Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

2. Passive structure

The passive is formed with be + past participle.

Tense	Structure	Example
Present simple passive	am/is/are + past participle	The room is cleaned every day.
Past simple passive	was/were + past participle	The room was cleaned yesterday.

3. Present simple passive

Use the present simple passive for facts, routines, processes and general truths.

Examples:
Coffee is grown in Brazil.
The classrooms are cleaned every evening.
English is spoken in many countries.

4. Past simple passive

Use the past simple passive for completed past actions.

Examples:
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
The letters were sent yesterday.
The window was broken last night.

5. By + agent

Use by when you want to say who or what did the action. Do not use the agent if it is unknown, obvious or unimportant.

With agent	Without agent
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.	My phone was stolen.
The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.	The room is cleaned every day.

6. Negative and questions

Form	Example
Negative present	The office isn’t cleaned on Sundays.
Question present	Is English spoken here?
Negative past	The email wasn’t sent yesterday.
Question past	Were the tickets booked online?

Remember:
Present passive: am/is/are + past participle → The car is made in Japan.
Past passive: was/were + past participle → The car was made in Japan.
Agent: by + person/thing → The book was written by Orwell.

Present simple passive

Choose the correct present simple passive form.

1. English __________ in many countries.

speaks is spoken is spoke

2. These cars __________ in Germany.

are made is made are make

3. Coffee __________ in Brazil.

grows is grow is grown

4. The classrooms __________ every evening.

are cleaned clean are clean

Write the sentence

Complete: The room / clean / every day.

Answer: The room is cleaned every day.

Past simple passive

Choose the correct past simple passive form.

1. The Eiffel Tower __________ in 1889.

built was built was build

2. The emails __________ yesterday.

were sent was sent were send

3. My bike __________ last night.

stole was stole was stolen

4. We __________ to the party.

were invited was invited invited

Write the sentence

Complete: The window / break / last night.

Answer: The window was broken last night.

By + agent

Use by when the person or thing that did the action is important.

1. Hamlet was written __________.

from Shakespeare by Shakespeare of Shakespeare

2. The Mona Lisa was painted __________.

by Leonardo da Vinci from Leonardo da Vinci for Leonardo da Vinci

3. The instructions were explained __________.

of the teacher by the teacher to the teacher

4. My wallet was stolen. Which option is best?

by someone unknown no agent needed from a thief

Active to passive

Choose the correct passive version.

1. People speak English around the world.

English is spoken around the world. English speaks around the world. English is spoke around the world.

2. My sister made the cake.

The cake made by my sister. The cake was made by my sister. The cake is made by my sister yesterday.

3. They sent the letters yesterday.

The letters were sent yesterday. The letters was sent yesterday. The letters are send yesterday.

4. They clean the office every morning.

The office cleans every morning. The office was cleaned every morning. The office is cleaned every morning.

Write the passive sentence

Transform: Orwell wrote the book.

Answer: The book was written by Orwell.

Passive negatives and questions

Choose the correct form.

1. This product __________ in Italy.

doesn’t made isn’t made isn’t make

2. They __________ to the meeting.

weren’t invited wasn’t invited didn’t invited

3. __________ in this office?

Does English spoken Is English spoken Is English spoke

4. __________ online?

Did the tickets booked Were the tickets booked Was the tickets booked

B1 contrast practice

Choose the best answer. Think about tense, subject agreement and past participles.

1. Penicillin __________ by Alexander Fleming.

discovered was discovered is discover

2. Tickets __________ online every day.

are sold is sold are sell

3. The car __________ yesterday.

didn’t repaired wasn’t repaired isn’t repaired yesterday

4. Five students __________ for the competition.

were chosen was chosen were chose

5. This picture __________.

painted by Van Gogh was painted by Van Gogh was paint by Van Gogh

Correct the mistake

Correct: The email was send yesterday.

Answer: The email was sent yesterday.

Correct: These shoes is made in Spain.

Answer: These shoes are made in Spain.

Mixed practice

Choose the best answer.

1. This app __________ by millions of people.

uses is used is use

2. These houses __________ in the 1990s.

were built was built were build

3. The new museum __________ last month.

opened was opened is opened last month

4. The tickets __________ before the concert.

are checked is checked are check

5. The report __________ by my colleague.

was wrote was written wrote

Final writing practice

1. Write one present passive sentence.

2. Write one past passive sentence.

3. Write one passive sentence with by.