60-second revision
- Passive = object of the active becomes the subject + a form of be + past participle (V3).
- The tense never changes: simple past active gives simple past passive (was/were + V3).
- Continuous tenses add 'being': is being done, was being done.
- Perfect tenses add 'been': has been done, had been done, will have been done.
- Modals take be + V3: can be done, must be done, should be done.
- Commands become 'Let ... be + V3'; polite requests become 'You are requested to ...'.
- Vague agents (someone, people, they, one) are usually dropped.
- Verbs without an object (sleep, arrive, go) have no passive.
The three-step method
- Find the object of the active verb; it becomes the subject of the passive.
- Identify the tense, then use the matching form of 'be' + past participle (table below).
- Put the old subject after 'by' in object form (by him, by them), or drop it if it is vague or obvious.
Example: 'The council repairs the roads every year.' Object: the roads. Tense: simple present, so are + V3. Result: 'The roads are repaired by the council every year.'
Tense table (example verb: write)
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple present | She writes a report. | A report is written by her. |
| Present continuous | She is writing a report. | A report is being written by her. |
| Present perfect | She has written a report. | A report has been written by her. |
| Simple past | She wrote a report. | A report was written by her. |
| Past continuous | She was writing a report. | A report was being written by her. |
| Past perfect | She had written a report. | A report had been written by her. |
| Simple future | She will write a report. | A report will be written by her. |
| Future perfect | She will have written a report. | A report will have been written by her. |
| Modal | She can / must / should write a report. | A report can / must / should be written by her. |
Perfect continuous tenses and the future continuous are normally not turned into the passive in exams; if you see one, expect the question to be about another tense.
Pronoun changes
| Subject form | Object form after 'by' |
|---|---|
| I / we | me / us |
| he / she / they | him / her / them |
| you / it | you / it |
| who | whom (by whom) |
Special cases
| Type | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/no question | Did he paint this wall? | Was this wall painted by him? |
| Wh-question | Why did she cancel the trip? | Why was the trip cancelled by her? |
| Who-question | Who broke the vase? | By whom was the vase broken? |
| Command | Shut the window. | Let the window be shut. |
| Negative command | Do not touch the wires. | Let the wires not be touched. |
| Request | Please help me. | You are requested to help me. |
| Two objects | The teacher gave him a book. | He was given a book by the teacher. / A book was given to him by the teacher. |
| Phrasal verb | They laughed at the joker. | The joker was laughed at by them. |
| Infinitive | I have to finish this work. | This work has to be finished by me. |
Passive to active
Reverse the steps: the agent after 'by' becomes the subject, the passive subject becomes the object, and the verb takes the same tense in active form. 'The match was being shown by every channel' becomes 'Every channel was showing the match'. If no agent is given, use a sensible general subject: 'The gates are closed at ten' becomes 'They close the gates at ten' or 'The staff close the gates at ten'.
Worked examples (fresh)
- Active: 'The workers are repairing the bridge.' Present continuous, so are + being + V3: 'The bridge is being repaired by the workers.'
- Active: 'Will they invite us?' Future question, so will + be + V3 in question order: 'Will we be invited by them?'
- Active: 'Do not waste food.' Negative command: 'Let food not be wasted.'
- Active: 'Someone has opened my letters.' Vague agent, present perfect: 'My letters have been opened.'
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