Passive Voice

Use passive

- When the doer is unknown/ not important/ obvious

- To emphasise new information (at the end of the sentence)
- In formal style

Forms (to be +3V) Active Passive

Present Simple He delivers the parcels The parcels are delivered
Present Continuous He is delivering the parcels The parcels are being delivered
Present Perfect He has delivered the parcels The parcels have been delivered
Past Simple He delivered the parcels The parcels were delivered
Past Continuous He was delivering the parcels The parcels were being delivered
Past Perfect He had delivered the parcels The parcels had been delivered
Future Simple He will deliver the parcels The parcels will be delivered
Future Perfect Simple He will have delivered the parcels The parcels will have been
delivered
be going to He is going to deliver the parcels The parcels are going to be
delivered
modal He should deliver the parcels The parcels should be delivered
Present Infinitive to deliver to be delivered
Perfect Infinitive to have delivered to have been delivered
Simple -ing I object to his delivering the mail I object to the mail being delivered
Perfect -ing Having delivered the parcels… The parcels having been delivered

Causatives

get/ have sth done Actions we arrange for other people to do Did you have/get your bike
for us fixed
Negative or not intended things we Susie had her bike stolen
experience
get sb to do Actions we make sb/ sth do for us Did you get Alex to drive you
have sb do there?
Have the teacher explain it to
you again
Get/ have sb doing Actions we make sb/ sth start doing Don’t worry, we’ll soon have
your car running like new

Impersonal passive

*Tourism is expected to become a major part of the economy. Common verbs: agree, assume, believe,
say,

*There are reported to have been a number of accidents. calculate, claim, consider, estimate, expect,
*It is thought that tourism will become a major part of the economy. feel, find, guarantee, know, presume,
regard
Report, suggest, suppose, think, understand