English Grammar and Exercises for ESL learners.

Passive Form of Verbs

The passive form of verbs is made with the different tenses of BE + the past
participle :
(for example : English is spoken here.)

We use the active form of a verb to say what a subject does:

The chef cooks food every day.

We use the passive form to say what happens to the subject:

Food is cooked every day.

The subject of a passive verb corresponds to the object of an active verb :

Food is cooked every day. (Passive).

The chef cooks food every day. (Active)

We use the passive form of a verb when it is not important who does the
action,
or when we don't know who does it.

The letter was delivered at 9 a.m.

The identity of the person who delivered the letter is unknown or
unimportant.
If we want to say who delivered the letter, we use 'by':
The letter was delivered by the postman.

VERB ACTIVE PASSIVE

Infinitive : To cook To be cooked

Present I cook food in Food is cooked in the

Simple : the kitchen. kitchen.
I am cooking
Present Food is being cooked
food in the
Continuous in the kitchen.
kitchen.
Present Perfect I have cooked Food has been
 food in the
cooked in the kitchen.
kitchen.
I cooked food in Food was cooked in
Past Simple
the kitchen. the kitchen.
I was cooking
Past Food was being
food in the
Continuous cooked in the kitchen.
kitchen.
I had cooked
Food had been
Past Perfect food in the
cooked in the kitchen.
kitchen.
I will cook food Food will be cooked
Future
in the kitchen. in the kitchen.
I will have
Food will have been
Future Perfect cooked food in
cooked in the kitchen.
the kitchen.
I would cook
Food would be
Conditional food in the
cooked in the kitchen.
kitchen
I would have Food would have
Cond. Perfect cooked food in been cooked in the
the kitchen. kitchen.