This document discusses the passive voice, including when and how it is used, how it is formed in different tenses, and examples of passive voice exercises. The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the doer of the action, when the doer is unknown, or to emphasize the recipient of the action. It is formed using a form of "to be" plus the past participle of the main verb. Tenses like the present simple, present continuous, past simple, and past continuous are discussed in their passive forms. Sample passive voice exercises are provided to rewrite sentences in the passive and find examples of passive constructions.

1. Passive Voice
 When is it used?
 How is it formed?
 Tenses and Passive
 Exercises
by Ivana M.

2. When is it used?
We are more interested in the
action itself than the doer of
the action or the agent:
e.g. The bank has been robbed three
times.

3. When is it used?
When the agent is unknown:
e.g. Flats are sold.
When we give importance to the
object of the active voice or we
also want to emphasise the doer
of the action. In that case, by is
put before the agent at the end of
the sentence.
e.g. America was discovered in 1492 by
Columbus.

4. When is it used in English?
 It is used in English more often than in
our language.
 In written formal language, such as public
information (rules, signs, brochures..) and
media reports (newspaper headlines)

6. How is Passive formed?
Appropriate form of the verb to be and
the past participle of the main verb
Active: His neighbours have stolen the bicycle.
subject object
Passive: The bicycle has been stolen by his
neighbours.
agent

7. Present tenses in Passive
Present Simple
Am/is/are+past
participle
Present
Continuous
Am/is/are being+
past participle
e.g. Mojkovac is
visited by many
tourists.
e.g. The streets are
being washed now.

8. Past tenses in Passive
Past Simple
Was/were + past
participle
Past Continuous
Was/were being +
past participle
 In 13th century in
Mojkovac silver coins
were minted for the
Serbian Dynasty.
 The new factory was still
being built in 2005.

9. Other tenses in Passive
 Present Perfect
Have/has been + past
participle
Will
Will be + past participle
 A homeless shelter
has just been
opened in my
town.
 He will be
sentenced to at
least ten years in
prison.

10. Passive exercises:
1. This book __ (write) almost 300 years ago.
2. It’s the most popular attraction here – it __(visit)
by a million people so far.
3. These cakes ____ (love) by everyone in my
family.
4. You cannot drive that car – it ____(repair) at the
moment.
5. The minister has promised that a skating park
____ (build) here next year.
6. This is the biggest library here – it ____(visit) by
hundreds of readers every day.
7. Two suspects ____(arrest) so far.
8. I think that last night the door ____(lock) at
around 10 p.m.
9. I don’t believe the new stadium ____(finish) on
time.

11. Examples of exercises:
Rewrite the sentences in the Passive. Use the agent only
if necessary:
1. Somebody will clean the office later.
2. People destroyed twenty books at the city library last
month.
3. Somebody found a wallet full of money yesterday.
4. We have sold ten silver rings today.
5. The police are using a new computer system to
investigate crimes.

12. Find the examples of passives:

14. Bye!