Passives
mouse
One day there was a ____________
cheese
and some ________________.
What do you think happened to the cheese?
ACTIVE
ate
The mouse _________
the cheese.
eaten by the mouse.
The cheese was
_________
PASSIVE
Active sentence
Subject + verb + object
The mouse ate the cheese.
Passive sentence
Object of the active sentence + passive verb + by +
subject of the active sentence
The cheese was eaten by the mouse.
Why do we use the passive?
When the object of the sentence is more important than
the subject.
What happened to the cheese?
The cheese was eaten by the mouse.
When the ‘doer’ of the action is not important.
The thief was sent to prison. (by the police)
When the ‘doer’ of the action is not known.
Her handbag was stolen.
Passive Forms
Be verb + past participle
+ The cheese is eaten by the mouse.
- The cheese is not eaten by the mouse
? Is the cheese eaten by the mouse?
Passive Forms (be verb + past participle)
PAST
PRESENT
FUTURE
SIMPLE
was/were eaten
am/is/are eaten
will be eaten
CONTINUOUS
was/were being
eaten
am/is/are being
eaten
not common
PERFECT
had been eaten
has/have been
eaten
not common
Modals e.g.
should eat  should be eaten
may eat  may be eaten
might not eat  might not be eaten
Which sentences are active and which are passive?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The pizza was eaten by the children.
The cat saw the mouse.
My father builds the Sheikh’s houses.
Many books have been written about Sheikh Zayed.
My sister buys the food from the supermarket.
Bread is made from flour.
The police chased the criminal.
The iPad is sold by Apple.
The exams are marked by the teachers.
I have prepared for the exam.
Change the active sentences into passive sentences.
• http://www.e-grammar.org/passive-voice/