PASSIVE

FORM

Thepassiveofanactivetenseisformedby
puttingtheverbtobeintothesametenseasthe
activeverbandaddingthepastparticipleofthe
activeverb.

Thesubjectoftheactiveverbbecomestheagent
ofthepassiveverb.

Theagentisoftennotmentioned.Whenitis
mentioneditisprecededbybyandplacedatthe
endoftheclause.

ACTIVETENSESANDTHEIRPAST
EQUIVALENTS
Tense/verb form

Active voice

Passive voice

keeps

is kept

is keeping

is being kept

kept

was kept

Past continuous

was keeping

was being kept

Present perfect

has kept

has been kept

Past perfect

had kept

had been kept

Present simple
Present continuous
Past simple

Tense/verb form

Active voice

Passive voice

will keep

will be kept

would keep

would be kept

would have kept

would have been kept

Present infinitive

to keep

to be kept

Perfect infinitive

to have kept

to have been kept

Present
participle/gerund

keeping

being kept

Perfect participle

having kept

having been kept

Future
Conditional
Perfect conditional

EXAMPLESOFPRESENT,PAST&
PERFECTPASSIVETENSES
Active:Wekeepthebutterhere.
Passive:Thebutteriskepthere.
Active:Theybrokethewindow.
Passive:Thewindowwasbroken.
Active:Peoplehaveseenwolvesinthe

streets.
Passive:Wolveshavebeenseeninthe
streets.

THEPASSIVEOFCONTINUOUS
TENSES
Active:Theyarerepairingthebridge.
Passive:Thebridgeisbeingrepaired.

Active:Theywerecarryingtheinjured

playeroffthefield.
Passive:Theinjuredplayerwasbeing
carriedoffthefield.

AUXILIARY+INFINITIVE
COMBINATIONS
Active:Youmust/shouldshutthesedoors.
Passive:Thesedoorsmust/shouldbeshut.
Active:Theyoughttohavetoldhim.
Passive:Heoughttohavebeentold.

GERUNDCOMBINATIONS
advise/insist/propose/recommend/suggest
+gerund+objectareusuallyexpressedin
thepassivebythat.should.
Active:Herecommendedusingbulletproof
glass.
Passive:Herecommendedthatbulletproof
glassshouldbeused.

THEPASSIVEISUSED:
Whenitisnotnecessarytomentionthe

doeroftheactionasitisobviouswhohe
is/was/willbe.
Therubbishhasntbeencollected.
YourhandwillbeXrayed.
Thestreetsareswepteveryday.

 Whenwedontknow,ordontknow

exactly,orhaveforgottenwhodidthe
action.
Theministerwasmurdered.
Youwillbemetatthestation.
Mycarhasbeenmoved!
Ihavebeentoldthat

 Whenthesubjectoftheactiveverbwould

bepeople.

Heissuspectedofreceivingstolengoods.
Peoplesuspecthimofreceivingstolen
goods.
TheyresupposedtobelivinginNew
York.
Peoplesupposethattheyrelivingin
NewYork.

 Whenthesubjectoftheactivesentence

wouldbetheindefinitepronounone.
Oneseesthissortofadvertisement
everywhere.
Thissortofadvertisementisseen
everywhere.

*Incolloquialspeechwecanusethe
indefinitepronounyouandanactiveverb.
Youseethissortofadvertisementeverywhere.

 Whenwearemoreinterestedintheaction

thanthepersonwhodoesit.

Thehousenextdoorhasbeenbought(by
aMr.Jones)
HoweverifweknowMr.Joneswewould
usetheactive.
Yourfathersfriend,Mr.Jones,has
boughtthehousenextdoor.

 Thepassivemaybeusedtoavoidan

awkwardorungrammaticalsentence.
Thisisusuallydonebyavoidingachange
ofsubject.
Whenhearrivedhomeadetectivearrested

him.

*wouldbebetterexpressed:
Whenhearrivedhomehewasarrested(bya
detective)

Thepassiveissometimespreferredfor
psychologicalreasons.Aspeakermayuseitto
disclaimresponsibilityfordisagreeable
announcements.

Employer:Overtimeratesarebeingreduced/
willhavetobereduced.

Forthehave+object+pastparticiple
construction.
Ihadthecarresprayed.

IMPERSONALPASSIVE

Verbsthatrefertosayingorthinking(think,
believe,say,report,know,consider,presume,
hope)areoftenfollowedbyatoinfinitiveform
inthepassive.

Ex:ThepolicethinkheisinMexico.
HeisthoughttobeinMexico.

IMPERSONALPASSIVE

Inordertomakethistypeofpassivesentence,we

1.

Takethesubjectofthesecondsentence:He
PassiveverboftheReportingverbinthesame
tenseasintheactive:isthought
Theverbofthesecondsentenceintheinfinitive
form:tobe

2.
3.

IMPERSONALPASSIVE

TherearefourInfinitiveforms,whichwewilluse
dependingonthetensewehaveintheactive
sentence.

Simple:towrite
Continuous:tobewriting
Perfect:tohavewritten
Perfectcontinuous:tohavebeenwriting

IMPERSONALPASSIVE

Somemoreexamples:

Active:Everybodythinksthatshesingsbeautifully.
Passive:Sheisthoughttosingbeautifully.
Active:Theysaysheplayedwell.
Passive:Sheissaidtohaveplayedwell.
Active:Theysaidshehasdonewell.
Passive:Shewassaidtohavedonewell.

IMPERSONALPASSIVE
Active:Theybelieveheishavinganaccident.
Passive:Heisbelievedtobehavinganaccident.

Active:Theybelievehehasbeenhavinganaffair.
Passive:Heisbelievedtohavebeenhavinganaffair.

Active:Shebelievestherepairshavebeenfinished.
Passive:Therepairsarebelievedtohavebeenfinished.