THE PASSIVE VOICE EXPLANATION

1. 4ºESO

2. 1. The film is being shown at 8 o’clock tonight
2. The plane crashed in Thailand
3. Many kinds of chocolate are made in Belgium
4. I have bought a warm coat
5. They will finish building the motorway next month
6. Radium was discovered by Marie Curie.

3. 1. The film is being shown at 8 o’clock tonight P
2. The plane crashed in Thailand A
3. Many kinds of chocolate are made in Belgium P
4. I have bought a warm coat A
5. They will finish building the motorway next month
A
6. Radium was discovered by Marie Curie. P

4. The thing/person doing the action is the subject of
the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the
object. Most sentences are active.
Examples:
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

5. The thing receiving the action is the subject of the
sentence and the thing doing the action is sometimes
included at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of
verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

6. WHEN the thing receiving the action is more
important or should be emphasized.
WHEN you do not know/ do not want to mention
who is doing the action.

7. TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE
Present Simple Brad Pitt plays many roles Many roles are played by
Brad Pitt
Present Continuous Brad Pitt is playing many
roles
Many roles are being
played by Brad Pitt
Past Simple Brad Pitt played many roles Many roles were played by
Brad Pitt
Past Continuous Brad Pitt was playing many
roles
Many roles were being
played by Brad Pitt
Present Perfect Simple Brad Pitt has played many
roles
Many roles have been
played by Brad Pitt
Past Perfect Simple Brad Pitt had played many
roles
Many roles had been
played by Brad Pitt
Future Simple Brad Pitt will play many
roles
Many roles will be played
by Brad Pitt

8. TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE
Modal Verbs Brad Pitt
should/must/could
play many roles
Many roles should be
played by Brad Pitt
Perfect Modal Verbs Brad Pitt must have
played many roles
Many roles must have
been played Brad Pitt
Have to Brad Pitt has to play
many roles
Many roles have to be
played by Brad Pitt
Be going to Brad Pitt is going to
play many roles
Many roles are going
to be played by Brad
Pitt

9.  Active Voice – indicates that the
subject of the verb is acting,
because the subject does the verb
in such sentences

10. Passive Voice
 In a passive voice sentence, the
subject and object flip-flop. The
subject becomes the passive
recipient of the action.

11. If the indirect complement is an OBJECT
PRONOUN, IT WILL TURN INTO A SUBJECT
PRONOUN:
E.G: The magazine’s photographers will photograph them at
their wedding
They will be photographed at their wedding by the magazine’s
photographers.