Passive Voice
We use passive voice when the object
of the action is more important than
those who perform the action.
From active to passive: 3 steps
Active sentence: He paints the picture.
Step 1
The object of the active sentence
becomes the subject of the passive
sentence.
The picture……
Step 2
We put verb ‘to be’ into the tense of the
active sentence:
Active: He paints the picture.
Present Simple
‘to be’ in present simple: am/are/is
The picture is……
Step 3
We put the verb of the active sentence into
the past participle:
Paint
painted
The picture is painted.
Additional step
If the agent (the performer of the action) is
important, use "by" :
Tom paints the picture. The picture is painted

by Tom.
If the agent is: somebody, they, he, she… we do
not use “by”.
He paints the picture.
The picture is painted.

Double objects

give, send, bring, buy, tell, offer, show, pay,
teach, etc
Active: Mary gives Tom a book.
Passive1: A book is given to Tom (by Mary).
Passive2: Tom is given a book (by Mary).
Tenses


Present Simple:
She eats pizza.
Present Continuous:
Se is eating pizza.
The pizza is eaten.
The pizza is being
eaten.
Present Perfect:
She has eaten pizza.

Past Simple:
She ate pizza.
The pizza has been
eaten.

The pizza was
eaten.

Past Continuous:
She was eating pizza.

The pizza was being
eaten.
Past Perfect:
She had eaten pizza.
The pizza had
been eaten.

Future Simple:
She will eat pizza.
Going to Future:
She is going to eat pizza.
The pizza will be eaten.

The pizza is going to
be eaten.
Important!
Pay attention to the number:
They are eating an apple.
An apple is being eaten.

He is eating apples.
Apples are being eaten.