PASSIVE VOICE

VERB TENSE ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

(TO BE + past participle)
Present Simple Americans try their best British Their best British accent is tried
accent. by the Americans.
Present Americans are trying their best Their best British accent is being
Continuous British accent. tried by the Americans.
Past Simple Americans tried their best Their best British accent was tried
British accent. by the Americans.
Past Continuous Americans were trying their Their best British accent was
best accent. being tried by the Americans.
Present Perfect Americans have tried their best Their best British accent has been
Simple British accent. tried by the Americans.
Past Perfect Americans had tried their best Their best British accent had been
Simple British accent. tried by the Americans.
Future Simple Americans will try their best Their best British accent will be
accent. tried by the Americans.

Uses:
The Passive is used:
 to make more polite or formal statements;
The car hasn’t been cleaned. (more polite)
You haven’t cleaned the car. (less polite)
 when the action is more important than the agent;
Thirty people were killed in the tornado.
 to put emphasis on the agent;
The new cinema will be opened by the president.

I. Turn from Active into Passive:

1
 1. They will tell you when the time comes.

2. He has delivered the letters.

3. I will finish the job by Monday.

4. The police caught the thief.

5. The teacher always answers the students’ questions.

6. Who taught you to ski?

7. The team will celebrate their victory tomorrow.

8. I can answer the question.

9. He must fill in the form.

10. Tim gave Lisa some flowers.

II. Rewrite the newspaper headlines as complete sentences:

a) BOMB DISCOVERED IN OLD LADY’S GARDEN

b) NO CAMERAS ALLOWED IN MUSEUM

c) MICHAEL JACKSON ASKED TO SPONSOR THE CHARITY EVENT YESTERDAY

d) NO CHILDREN ADMITTED INTO BARS