The document discusses the passive voice, explaining that the passive is used when the subject is unimportant or obvious. It provides examples of transforming active sentences to the passive, noting that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. Rules are given for forming the passive voice with different tenses of the verb "to be" and past participles.

1. The Passive

2. Use
►We use a passive sentence when the
subject is obvious or not important
Someone wrote a letter
A letter was written (by someone)

3. Use
► We often find passive sentences in newspapers,
advertisements,reports, processes, scientific texts
or official announcements, where the subject is
usually unimportant
► Some verbs are often used in the passive,
specially in the news, for example:
to be arrested to be killed to be injured …
You’ll find more information about them on the
vocabulary extension exercise

4. Transforming active sentences
Example
Someone wrote a letter
Subject + verb + object
A letter was written (by someone)
New subject + verb + agent

5. Transforming active sentences
Explanation
►The object of the active sentence becomes
the subject of the pasive one
►The subject of the active becomes the agent
in the passive sentence.
► The agent is introduced by the preposition
by and it can often be omitted.

6. Forming the passive voice of the
verb
►We form the passive form of the verb with
the corresponding form of the verb to be +
a past participle
wrote – was written
Look at the text you have been given and see
how many different examples of passive
sentences in different tenses you can find

7. Complete this chart
► He washes the car
► He is washing the car
► He has washed the car
► He washed the car
► He was washing the
car
► He will wash the car
► He can’t wash the car
► The car is washed
► The car is ……….
► The car has ………
washed
► The car ……………..
► The car was ………..
washed
► The car will ………….
► The car ………………

8. Check the chart
► He washes the car
► He is washing the car
► He has washed the car
► He washed the car
► He was washing the car
► He will wash the car
► He can’t wash the car
► The car is washed
► The car is being washed
► The car has been washed
► The car was washed
► The car was being
washed
► The car will be washed
► The car can’t be washed

9. Sentences with two objects
►When the active sentence has two objects
Someone gave Mary some flowers
Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object
►In English, we often place the indirect
object as the subject of the new passive
sentence
Mary was given some flowers

10. Get some practice
► You can start with the pair activity the teacher will
soon give you
► Then you can fill in some newspapers headlines
with some common verbs in the passive
(vocabulary extension)
► At home, you can do the exercises in your
workbook. You may ask for some extra material if
you need more practice.
► For even more exercises or for a better
explanation, go to the grammar section in the blog

11. Ana Sancho
April 2009