5046 passive voice

My dog bit my wife yesterday.

And what did you do?
I took it to the vet.
Did you have it put to

sleep?

Of course not, I had

its teeth sharpened!

SUBJECT + TO BE (in the appropriate tense) + PAST PARTICIPLE (regular verbs:
vb+ed
TO GET
rd
irregular verbs: 3 form)
Use the passive:
-when the agent (the doer of the action)is unknown,
unimportant or obvious from the context
The invitations have been sent.
-the focus is on the action (in news reports, headlines, formal
notices, advertisements, instructions, processes
German spoken here!
Early Morning Burglars Caught Red Handed By Neighbours!
-to make statements more formal or polite

drink

milk.

Cats

He

cuts

Milk is
drunk by cats.

Do as in the model:
Present simple
They cook the food at 6.
The food is cooked at 6.
they send
the invitations
Present Continuous They are cooking the food now.
The food is being cooked now.
they arrange
the flowers
Past simple
They cooked the food.
The food was cooked.
they make
the salad
Past continuous
They were cooking the food.
The food was being cooked.
they wash
the dishes
Future simple

They will cook the food.
The food will be cooked.
they wash
their clothes
Future perfect
They will have cooked the food. The food will have been cooked.
we make
the beds
Present perfect
They have cooked the food.
The food has been cooked.
you clean
the rooms
Past perfect
They had cooked the food.
The food had been cooked.
we write
our homework
Modals
They must cook the food.
The food must be cooked.
he cooks
breakfast
Turn the sentences into the passive (both
ways):
Fill in by or with:
They say he is a con man.
My red dress was designed ……………. Irina Schrotter.
We expect Jane will be honest.
Who was America discovered …………….?

They believe he is the robber.
This sponge cake is filled …………. raspberry whipped
cream.
They say she swindled money from the company.
The match was watched …………… millions of people.
Miss Johnson says they miss too many classes.
Do you like Basmati Rice flavoured ……………. saffron?
They know she lies all the time.
Who was the thermometer invented …………….?
They thought she was brave to do such a thing.


Mona Lisa is a painting made ………….. Leonardo da Vinci.

Write sentences in the passive voice paying attention to the tenses:
1 Our papers / mark / by our French teacher / at the moment
_________________________________________________________
2 The Starry Night / paint / Vincent Van Gogh.
_________________________________________________________
3 Blood oranges / widely / grow / in Spain and Italy
_________________________________________________________
4 The convicts / release / from prison / last week
_________________________________________________________
5 The dishes / already / wash
_________________________________________________________
6 Mozart / always / regard / a great composer
_________________________________________________________
7 Reservations / make / 36 hours / before / day of play
_________________________________________________________
8 We / bring up / our grandparents

_________________________________________________________
9 Look at that boy!!! He / bite / that venomous snake!
_________________________________________________________
10 My room / clean / weekly
_________________________________________________________
11 The new sports centre / open / the mayor / tomorrow
_________________________________________________________
12 Complaints /can / make / telephone / 24 hours a day

_________________________________________________________

ANSWERS

2 by, by, with, by, with, by, by
3 He is said to be a con man.
It is said that he is a con man.
Jane is expected to be honest.
It is expected that Jane will be honest.
He is believed to be the robber.
It is believed that he is the robber.
She is said to have swindled from the company.
It is said that she swindled from the company.
They are said to miss too many classes.
It is said that they miss too many classes.
She is known to lie all the time.
It is known that she lies all the time.
She was thought to have been brave to do such a thing.
It was thought that she had been brave to
do such a thing.
She is said to be a better person now.

it is said that she is a better person now.
4 Our papers are being marked by our French teacher at the moment.
The Starry Night was painted by Van Gogh.


Blood oranges are widely grown in Spain and Italy.
The convicts were released from prison last week.
The dishes have already been washed.
Mozart will always be regarded as a great composer.
Reservations must be made 36 hours before the day of play.
We were brought up by our grandparents.
He is going to be bitten by that snake!
My room is cleaned weekly.
Complaints can be made by telephone 24 hours a day.