GW3 McCurdie
Name:
Passive vs. Active Sentences
Read the following paragraph and notice the bold verb forms. Then answer the
questions.
The main writing material of ancient times was papyrus. It was used in Egypt,
Greece, and other Mediterranean lands. Parchment, another writing material that was
widely used in ancient times, was made from the skins of animals, such as sheep and
goats. After the hair had been removed, the skins were stretched and rubbed
smooth to make a writing surface. Paper, the main writing material today, was
invented by the Chinese.
Ink has been used for writing and drawing throughout history. No one knows
when the first ink was developed. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese made ink from
various natural substances, such as berries, soot, and tree bark. Through the centuries,
thousands of different formulas have been developed for ink. Most ink today is made
from synthetic chemicals.
Meaning:
1. Before paper, what 2 materials were used for writing?
_______________ and ________________
2. What places used papyrus?
_______________, _________________, and ___________________________
3. Who made parchment? Egyptians
Chinese
We don’t know
4. Who invented paper? __________________________
5. How many formulas have been developed for ink? ___________________________
6. Who makes ink today? Greeks
Egyptians
We don’t know
Grammar:
1. What verb tense is was used? ______________________________
2. What verb tense is has been used? ____________________________
3. What verb tense is is made? ______________________________
4. What does “it” refer to in sentence 2? ____________________________
5. Is there a difference in meaning between these two sentences? Yes / No
a. The Chinese invented paper.
b. Paper was invented by the Chinese.
Sentence (a) is called Passive Voice. This is NOT a verb tense. It is a sentence
structure. Notice how we can make passive sentences:
a. Egyptians and Chinese made ink. (active voice)
Find the object of the verb = “ink”
Move the object to the front of the sentence = “Ink…”
Make the verb with be + past participle of the verb = “Ink was made…”
If it’s important to say who did the action, write a by-phrase =
“Ink was made by Egyptians and Chinese.”
Important!! Only transitive verbs can have passive form. Transitive verbs take an
object. Intransitive verbs do not take an object.
Are these verbs transitive (t.r.) or intransitive (i.t.r.)?
1. Mary helped the boy. ____
2. An accident happened. ____
3. I saw the movie. ____
4. The movie seemed interesting. ____
5. John wrote the essay. ____
6. I was sick last week. ____
Forming the Passive Voice in all 12 English Verb Tenses:
Tenses
Simple present
Active Forms
Tom opens the door.
Present
progressive
Tom is opening the door.
Present perfect
Tom has opened the door.
Present perfect
progressive
Tom has been opening the
door.
Simple past
Tom opened the door.
Past progressive
Tom was opening the door.
Past perfect
Tom had opened the door.
Past perfect
progressive
Tom had been opening the
door.
Future with ‘will’
Tom will open the door.
Future with ‘be
going to’
Tom is going to open the door.
Future perfect
Tom will have opened the door.
Future perfect
progressive
Tom will have been opening
the door.
Passive Forms
When should we use the passive?

Use passive when we don’t know who did the action.
o Ink has been used throughout history. I don’t know who has used ink
(many people have used ink).

Use passive when it’s not important who did the action.
o My car was made in 2002. It’s not important who made my car.

Use passive when we want to focus on the subject of the sentence.
o The IELTS test is taken by many students. I want to focus on “IELTS
test” more than students.