 ACTIVE VOICE

The active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs an action on an object. In other
words, the subject does the action, and the object receives the action.

The active voice is easy to identify in writing because it follows a simple form, which is the basis of
English grammar:

Subject (doer) → Verb → Object (recipient)

The dog eats my homework.

 PASSIVE VOICE
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known who or what is performing
the action.

Subject (recipient) → Verb (verb to be + past participle) → Object (doer)

My homework is eaten by the dog

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by.

 TENSES SUBJECT VERB OBJECT
Present Active: Kiara writes a letter
Simple Passive: A letter is written by Kiara
Present Active: Kiara is writting a letter
Continuous Passive: A letter is being written by Kiara
Past Simple Active: Kiara wrote a letter
Passive: A letter was written by Kiara
Past Active: Kiara was writting a letter
Continuous Passive: A letter was being written by Kiara
Present Active: Kiara has written a letter
Perfect Passive: A letter has been written by Kiara
Future Active: Kiara will write a letter
Passive: A letter will be written by Kiara
  PAST SIMPLE
We use the past tense to talk about:
•something that happened once in the past:
I met my wife in 1983.
We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.
•something that happened several times in the
past:
When I was a boy, I walked a mile to school
every day.
We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
•something that was true for some time in the
past:
I lived abroad for ten years.
He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was
younger.
•we often use expressions with ago with the
past simple:
I met my wife a long time ago.
 Affirmative
 Verb to be in past
Subject + verb in past simple + C
I did my homework yesterday morning. I / he / she / it WAS
I played with my sister two hours ago. You / we / they WERE

 Interrogative

Auxiliary verb (did) + Subject + Verb in infinitive + C + ?

Did you go to the party last week?
Where were you yesterday?
Who did you meet there?

 Negative

Subject + Auxiliary verb (did) + NOT + Verb in infinitive + C.

She didn’t do her homework.
Thomas did not hit his brother.
Katherine didn’t play soccer when she was young.
 PAST SIMPLE

• Active voice

Subject (doer) + Verb in past + Object (recipient)

A dog bite me yesterday.

The teacher corrected the mistakes two days ago.
Laura didn’t eat apples.

• Pasive voice

Subject (recipient) → Verb (verb to be in past + past participle) → Object (doer)

I was bitten by a dog yesterday

The mistakes were corrected by the teacher two days ago
Apples were not eaten by Laura
  PAST CONTINOUS
We use the past continuous to talk about the past:
• for something which happened before and after another
action:
The children were doing their homework when I got home.
Compare: The children did their homework when (= after) I got
home.
This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning
of a story:
The other day I was waiting for a bus when …
Last week, as I was driving to work, …
• for something that happened before and after a specific time:
It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter.
Compare: At eight o'clock I wrote (= started writing) some letters.
• to show that something continued for some time:
My head was aching.
Everyone was shouting.
• for something that happened again and again:
I was practising every day, three times a day.
They were meeting secretly after school.
They were always quarrelling.
• with verbs which show change or growth:
The children were growing up quickly.
Her English was improving.
My hair was going grey.
The town was changing quickly.
• We do not normally use the past continuous with stative
verbs. We use the past simple instead:
When I got home, I really needed (NOT was needing) a shower.
 Affirmative
 Verb to be in past
Subject + Verb to be in past + Verb with -ing + C
I was doing my homework yesterday morning. I / he / she / it WAS
My cousins were playing with my sister two hours ago. You / we / they WERE

 Interrogative

Verb to be in past + Subject + Verb with -ing + C + ?

What were you doing two hours ago?
Was she taking care of the baby?
Was he cooking?

 Negative

Subject + Verb to be in past + NOT + Verb with -ing + C.

She wasn’t doing her homework.
They were not fighting.
Katherine wasn’t playing soccer.
 PAST CONTINUOUS

• Active voice

Subject (doer) + Verb to be in past + verb with –ing + Object (recipient)

They were expecting a guest yesterday.

Anna was baking a cake.
My siblings were taking medicine.

• Pasive voice

Subject (recipient) → Verb (verb to be in past + being + past participle) → Object (doer)

A guest was being expected by them yesterday

A cake was being baked by Anna.
Medicine was being taken by my siblings.