1. What is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice focuses on the action or the receiver of the action, not the doer.
- Active: Ali wrote the essay.
- Passive: The essay was written by Ali.
2. Structure of Passive Voice
Formula:
Subject + be (correct tense) + past participle + (by + agent)
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | She cleans the classroom. | The classroom is cleaned by her. |
| Past Simple | They built a new school. | A new school was built by them. |
| Future Simple | He will finish the project. | The project will be finished by him. |
| Present Continuous | They are painting the walls. | The walls are being painted by them. |
| Present Perfect | She has completed the assignment. | The assignment has been completed by her. |
3. When to Use the Passive Voice
- Unknown doer: My wallet was stolen.
- Unimportant or obvious doer: The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
- Formal/academic writing: The experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis.
- Focus on the action/result: The homework has been completed.
4. How to Form Passive Sentences
Step 1: Identify subject, verb, object
- Active: Ali (subject) wrote (verb) the essay (object).
Step 2: Make the object the new subject
- Passive: The essay …
Step 3: Use be + past participle (correct tense)
- Past Simple: was written
Step 4: Add agent (optional)
- The essay was written by Ali.
5. Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Example | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong tense | The homework is completed yesterday. | The homework was completed yesterday. |
| Forgetting past participle | The room is clean by the students. | The room is cleaned by the students. |
| Using passive unnecessarily | The dog is fed by me every day. | Sometimes active is better: I feed the dog every day. |
6. Practice Exercises
- They wrote a new book.
- The teacher is explaining the lesson.
- Someone has stolen my bag.
- They will open a new library next year.
- The chef cooked a delicious meal.
Answers:
- A new book was written by them.
- The lesson is being explained by the teacher.
- My bag has been stolen.
- A new library will be opened next year.
- A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
7. Quick Tips for Bac Students
- Memorize the forms of “be” in all tenses.
- Learn past participles, especially irregular verbs.
- The agent (by + doer) is optional.
- Practice reading articles, newspapers, exam texts. Passive sentences are common in formal writing.
- Use passive voice to make your writing formal and impressive for exams.
Remember: The passive voice is your friend for formal writing, academic texts, and exam answers. Focus on tenses, practice a little every day, and you’ll master it in no time!
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