Examples of Passive Tense

Subject Verb

Simple Present Active: Rita

writes a letter.

Passive: A letter is written

by Rita.

Simple Past

wrote a letter.

Active: Rita

Passive: A letter was written

by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita

has written

Passive: A letter has been written

by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita

a letter.

will write

Object

a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Hilfsverben

Active: Rita

can write

a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Examples of Passive Tense

Present Progressive

Subject Verb

Active: Rita

Object

is writing

a letter.

was writing

a letter.

Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.

Past Progressive

Active: Rita

Passive: A letter was being written

Past Perfect

Active: Rita

had written

Passive: A letter had been written

Future II

Active: Rita

by Rita.
a letter.

by Rita.

will have written

a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Conditional I

Active: Rita

would write

Passive: A letter would be written

Conditional II

Active: Rita

a letter.

by Rita.

would have written

Passive: A letter would have been written

by Rita.

a letter.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects
becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject
depends on what you want to put the focus on. Subject Verb Object 1
Object 2
Active: Rita

wrote a letter to me.

Passive: A letter was written

to me by Rita.

Passive: I

a letter by Rita.

was written

Passive Verb Formation

The passive forms of a verb are created by combining a form of the "to be verb" with the past participle
of the main verb. Other helping verbs are also sometimes present: "The measure could have been killed
in committee." The passive can be used, also, in various tenses. Let's take a look at the passive forms of
"design."Tense Subject Auxiliary
Past
Participle
SingularPlural
Present

The car/cars

is

are

Present perfect The car/cars

has been

Past

were

The car/cars

Past perfect

was

The car/cars

Future The car/cars

designed.
have been

designed.

designed.

had been

had been

designed.

will be will be designed.

Future perfect The car/cars

will have been will have been designed.

Present progressive

The car/cars

is being

are being

designed.

Past progressive

The car/cars

was being

were being

designed.

A sentence cast in the passive voice will not always include an agent of the action. For instance if a
gorilla crushes a tin can, we could say "The tin can was crushed by the gorilla." But a perfectly good
sentence would leave out the gorilla: "The tin can was crushed." Also, when an active sentence with an
indirect object is recast in the passive, the indirect object can take on the role of subject in the passive
sentence:
Active Professor Villa gave Jorge an A.
Passive An A was given to Jorge by Professor Villa.
Passive Jorge was given an A.

Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be transformed into passive constructions.
Furthermore, active sentences containing certain verbs cannot be transformed into passive structures.
To have is the most important of these verbs. We can say "He has a new car," but we cannot say "A new
car is had by him." We can say "Josefina lacked finesse," but we cannot say "Finesse was lacked." Here is
a brief list of such verbs*:resemble
look like
equal agree with
mean contain hold

comprise

lack

become

suit

fit

Verbals in Passive Structures

Verbals or verb forms can also take on features of the passive voice. An infinitive phrase in the passive
voice, for instance, can perform various functions within a sentence (just like the active forms of the
infinitive).
Subject: To be elected by my peers is a great honor.
Object: That child really likes to be read to by her mother.
Modifier: Grasso was the first woman to be elected governor in her own right.

The same is true of passive gerunds.

Subject: Being elected by my peers was a great thrill.
Object: I really don't like being lectured to by my boss.
Object of preposition: I am so tired of being lectured to by my boss.

With passive participles, part of the passive construction is often omitted, the result being a simple
modifying participial phrase.
[Having been] designed for off-road performance, the Pathseeker does not always behave well on paved
highways.
Write passive sentences in Simple Present.
the documents / print
the window / open
the shoes / buy
the car / wash
the litter / throw away
the letter / send
the book / read / not
the songs / sing / not
the food / eat / not
the shop / close / not
Write passive sentences in Simple Past.
the test / write
the table / set
the cat / feed
the lights / switch on
the house / build

dinner / serve
this computer / sell / not
the car / stop / not
the tables / clean / not
the children / pick up / not
Write passive sentences in Present Perfect.
the postcard / send
the pencils / count
the door / close
the beds / make
the mail / write
the trees / plant
the money / spend
the room / book / not
the rent / pay / not
the people / inform / not
Write passive sentences in Future I.
the exhibition / visit
the windows / clean
the message / read
the thief / arrest
the photo / take
these songs / sing
the sign / see / not
a dictionary / use / not

credit cards / accept / not

the ring / find / not
He opens the door. We set the table. She pays a lot of money. I draw a picture. They wear blue shoes. They don't help you. He doesn't open the book. You do not write the letter. Does your mum pick you up? Does the police officer catch the thief?
She sang a song. Somebody hit me. We stopped the bus. A thief stole my car. They didn't let him go. She didn't win the prize. They didn't make their beds. I did not tell them. Did you tell them? Did he send the letter?
Kerrie has paid the bill. I have eaten a hamburger. We have cycled five miles. -

I have opened the present. They have not read the book. You have not sent the parcel. We have not agreed to this issue. They have not caught the thieves. Has she phoned him? Have they noticed us?
Jane will buy a new computer. Her boyfriend will install it. Millions of people will visit the museum. Our boss will sign the contract. You will not do it. They will not show the new film. He won't see Sue. They will not ask him. Will the company employ a new worker? Will the plumber repair the shower? -