In this lesson, you'll learn not only why to use passive form and how to use it correctly but also how to use passive form in all the different tenses.
Why Use Passive Form?
There are several reasons why passive form is useful and worth learning in English. Four of the main reasons are provided below:
When you want to put more attention on the object noun by making it the subject at the beginning:
The team has made an important decision.
An important decision has been made.
When the subject is not important or useful, like “someone” or “people”:
People know the brand Starbucks all around the world.
The brand Starbucks is known all around the world.
When you want to keep your subject the same instead of changing to a new subject noun:
Our products have the newest technology, and we make them with high-quality materials.
Our products have the newest technology and are made with the high-quality materials.
When you want to remove personal pronouns like “I” or “You”:
You must keep the workspace tidy
The workspace must be kept tidy
How to Create Passive Form in Various Tenses & Form
When you create passive form, you move the object noun to the front of the clause into the subject position. Therefore, you need to change the verb structure so that we know the new subject noun is actually receiving this action, not performing it.
The way to do this is by using the important combination of the "be" verb and a past participle:
The people ate all of the food ("the people" performed the action of "eat")
All of the food was eaten (the new subject "food" received the action of "eat" so we need the be verb and the past participle "eaten" to express this clearly: "was eaten"
The table below can show you how to express each tense in passive form. You can see that in each case, the necessary pieces to create the tenses are included and the "be" verb is too.
For example, to create present continuous tense you need "be + ing" so passive form becomes "is being" and to create present perfect tense you need "has + past participle" so passive form becomes "has been". After you use the "be" verb to create the tense properly, you can just add the past participle at the end:
My car is being repaired
My bag has been stolen
Tense | Be Verb Part: | Example of a Past Participle |
Present Simple | am/is/are | done |
Past Simple | was/were | taken |
Present Continuous | is/are being | made |
Past Continuous | was/were being | used |
Present Perfect | has/have been | written |
Past Perfect | had been | sold |
Modals | will/would/can/could/must/should/might/may…..be | found |
Verbs + Infinitive | needs/has/is going/is supposed/is expected…to be | repaired |
Preposition + ing | about/for/with/in/on/off/at/despite/due to…being | given |
Practice
Task 1:
The following sentences are in passive form because the subject nouns (ex. "venue", "prototype", "staff", etc.) are receiving the past participle action (ex. "decided", "tested", "informed". Fill in the blank with a form of the “be” verb. Use the italicized words and the table above to help you.
The bridge was closed because it was ______ repaired. (answer: being)
The venue for the conference has not ______ decided yet.
Our new prototype is still ______ tested.
Staff need to _____ informed about any changes to company policies immediately.
The company was already advertising their new product even though it hadn’t ______ launched yet.
The newsletter _____ sent out to all staff every Monday.
The decision will _____ announced soon.
A detailed employment contract can protect a company from ______ taken to court by an employee.
Task 2:
Change the underlined part in each sentence from active to passive. You don’t need to include the subject. Keep the tense the same as the original sentence. Note that the passive form is much cleaner and more efficient than the active form.
The founder founded the company in 1985.
The company has been extremely successful because the managers manage the company well.
Someone has resolved the problem, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.
The CEO was fired because they had caught him stealing money from the company.
The organizers are going to hold the shareholder meeting in the Riverview Hotel.
People can order our products through our website.
That particular product line was not profitable because the company was selling it at a discount.
You have to submit your expense claims within one week of incurring the expense.
The project was still completed late despite the client extending the deadline twice.
Answers
Task 1:
The bridge was closed because it was being repaired.
The venue for the conference has not been decided yet.
Our new prototype is still being tested.
Staff need to be informed about any changes to company policies immediately.
The company was already advertising their new product even though it hadn’t been launched yet.
The newsletter is sent out to all members every Monday.
The decision will be announced soon.
A detailed employment contract can protect a company from being taken to court by an employee.
Task 2:
The company was founded in 1985.
The company has been extremely successful because the company is well managed.
The problem has been resolved, so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.
The CEO was fired because he had been caught stealing money from the company.
The shareholder meeting is going to be held in the Riverview Hotel.
Our products can be ordered through our website.
That particular product line was not profitable because it was being sold at a discount.
Expense claims must be submitted within one week of incurring the expense.
The project was still completed late despite the deadline being extended twice.