English grammar
How it is formed, and when it is the right choice. Free, with exercises that mark themselves.
The passive moves the object of a sentence into the subject position. The auditors reviewed the report becomes the report was reviewed by the auditors, and the report is now what the sentence is about.
It is formed the same way in every tense: the right form of be, plus the past participle. Only be changes. Is written, was written, has been written, will be written, is being written.
Each one with a short explanation and an example.
Be in the tense you need, plus the past participle. Nothing else changes.
The report was reviewed.
Is or are, was or were, plus the participle.
The rules are reviewed annually.
Has been, had been, will have been, plus the participle.
The site has been closed.
Is being, was being. Rare in the future.
The road is being resurfaced.
Modal plus be plus participle.
The form must be signed.
Names the agent, and is optional. Most passives leave it out.
Signed by the manager.
When the doer is unknown, obvious, unimportant, or deliberately hidden.
My bike was stolen.
Standard where the method matters more than who performed it.
The samples were heated.
Mistakes were made names no one. That is exactly why it gets used.
Read it as a warning sign.
Verbs with no object cannot be passive. Arrive, happen, sleep.
Not: the accident was happened.
Verbs like give allow two passives, and the person is usually chosen.
She was given a prize.
Informal, and usually for something unwanted or sudden.
He got fired.
Choose an answer for each question, then check your work. Nothing is sent anywhere and there is nothing to sign up for.
Type one word in each space. Spelling counts, but capital letters do not.
No, but overuse is. It is the right choice when the doer is unknown, obvious or genuinely unimportant. It is the wrong choice when it hides an actor the reader needs.
No, and most passives leave it out. Include it only when the agent adds something the reader needs.
No. Only transitive verbs, meaning verbs that take an object. Arrive, happen, sleep and die cannot be made passive.
An informal alternative to be, usually for something sudden or unwanted: he got fired, my phone got stolen. It is rare in formal writing.
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