Download The Passive Voice

The Passive Voice
Passives: Introduction
When A does something to B, there are often two ways to talk about it.
active: Mrs. Smith cooks our meals.
passive: Our meals are cooked by Mrs. Smith.
We use active verbs when we want A to be the subject.
We use passive verbs when we want B to be the subject.
Form
We make passive verbs with be(am, are, is etc) + past participle
Passive verbs have the same tenses as active verbs:
simple present, present continuous, present perfect etc.)
Sometimes on signs, the verb «be» may be left out.
Present Simple Passive
Tod’s shoes are made in Italy
Are GEOX shoes made in Italy?
Louboutin shoes are not made in Italy.
Practice
Correct the mistakes in the following sentences 1-8.
1 In England cold milk is serve with tea.
2 Fast food are often ate by people in a hurry.
3 Sandwiches are make using bread or rolls and a filling.
4 Employees in offices is require to do more and more nowadays.
5 Clay court tennis is play in countries such as Spain, France, Italy and
South America.
6 Organic food is produce in more and more countries around the
world.
7 Wine are often drank with an evening meal.
8 The cakes were make by the head chef.
Check
Correct the mistakes in the following sentences 1-8.
1 In England cold milk is served with tea.
2 Fast food is often eaten by people in a hurry.
3 Sandwiches are made using bread or rolls and a filling.
4 Employees in offices are required to do more and more nowadays.
5 Clay court tennis is played in countries such as Spain, France, Italy and
South America.
6 Organic food is produced in more and more countries around the
world.
7 Wine is often drunk with an evening meal.
8 The cakes were made by the head chef.
Practice
Make questions in the Passive using the following prompts 1-8.
1 Where/the Eiffel Tower/situate?
2 Who/Lord of the Rings film trilogy/direct by?
3 Who/Harry Potter series/write by?
4 What/add/to bread to make it rise?
5 How many pieces/use/in a game of chess?
6 Where/Spanish Steps/situate?
7 How many minutes/play/one half of a football match?
8 How much/coffee/use approximately/make one cup of coffee?
Past Simple Passive
Sono nata in Italia = I was born in Italia.
Form
Use was/ were + past participle
I was born in San Francisco. I wasn’t born in Turin.
He/she was born in Canada. Where was he/she born?
Were you born in Italy? They were born in Rome.
Sophia Loren was born in Italy.
Practice
Write the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. Microsoft _____________ (found) by Bill Gates.
2. Sales representatives ______________ (give) a bonus twice last year.
3. Most of the matches ______________ (win) by Spanish players.
4. Our passports ________________ (take) by a policewoman at customs.
5. I don’t think this room _______________ (clean) yesterday.
6. We _________________ (not, pay) when we finished the job.
7. My handbag ______________ (not, make) in Italy.
Answers
1. Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates.
2. The sales representatives were given a bonus twice last year.
3. Most of the matches were won by Spanish players.
4. Our passports were taken by a policewoman at customs.
5. I don’t think this room was cleaned yesterday.
6. We weren’t paid when we finished the job.
7. My handbag wasn’t made in Italy.
Check Grammar Manual
Go to your grammar manual, page 44, to learn more about all the passive forms.
Do the exercises on page 45 -46.