PASSIVE VOICE

Do you remember the verbs in participle?

Verb in base form Simple Past Past Parrticiple

Buy BOUGHT BOUGHT

Break BROKE BROKEN

See SAW SEEN

Cook COOKED COOKED

Know KNEW KNOWN

Write WROTE WRITTEN

Open OPENED OPENED

Make MADE MADE

 Do you remember verb “TO BE” in different
tenses?
SUBJECT VERB TO BE PRESENT VERB TO BE PAST VERB TO BE FUTURE

I Am Was Will be

YOU Are Were Will be

HE/SHE/IT Is Was Will be

WE Are were Will be

THEY are Were Will be

ACTIVE VS PASSIVE VOICE
EXAMPLE

ACTIVE: Miss Micol reads a book

PASSIVE: A book is read by Miss Micol
ACTIVE VOICE

An active sentence like I drank two cups of coffee has

the subject first (the person or thing that does the verb),
followed by the verb, and finally the object (the person
or thing that the action happens to).

 Subject + verb + object

PASSIVE VOICE
ACTIVE vs PASSIVE

ACTIVE: Teacher Micol teaches English.

(sub+verb+obj)
PASSIVE: English is taught by Teacher Micol. (Obj+
verb to be + participle) + subject
When would you WANT to use passive voice?

 When intentionally trying to hide the subject of the sentence. The object of the
sentence is more important the doer of the action.

 The novel was written by Jane Austen.

 The food is cooked by mom.
 The cure of cancer has been discovered.
FORM OF PASSIVE VOICE

 The passive voice requires a "double verb" and will always consist of a form of
the verb "to be" and the past participle (usually the "en/ed/t" form) of another
verb.
 Example:
Active: John baked the bread.
Passive: The bread was baked by John. (Was is a form of the verb “be”.)
STRUCTURE

ACTIVE VOICE

Subject verb object

PASSIVE VOICE

Object Verb to be Verb in past By Subject

participle
ATTENTION

If the active sentence is in… The verb to be in the PASSIVE And then you add the verb in
sentence must be… past participle

Present Is/ are/ am eaten

Past Was/ were seen
Present Continuous Is/ are/ am being bought

Present perfect Have/ has been crossed

Future Will be explained

Active or Passive Voice?
Label the following sentences ACTIVE or PASSIVE.

1. Louise made the chocolate cake.

2. The chocolate cake was made by Louise.
3. The package was advertised by the travel agent.
4. The travel agent advertised the package.
5. The chain was broken by my brother.
6. My brother broke the chain on my bike.
7. I hemmed the prom dress.
8. The prom dress was hemmed by me.
9. The pencil on the floor was broken by him.
10.He broke the pencil on the floor.