This document discusses the passive voice, including when to use it, how to form tenses in the passive voice, and whether the agent is necessary. It provides examples of transforming sentences from active to passive voice and includes exercises for learners to practice forming passive sentences and choosing between active and passive voice constructions.

1. When do you use the Passive Voice?
How do you form Tenses in the Passive?
Is the Agent (BY) necessary?
Examples and Activities

2. Peter, the builder
H
O
U
S
E
Bricklayers and other
workers

3. When do you use the PASSIVE VOICE?
(Present & Past Tenses)
-We are interested in the object
-or We don’t know who caused the action
Ex.: My
bike was stolen.
- There must be an object in the active sentence
Active: Peter built a
house.
Passive: A house was built by Peter,
- Sometimes only the passive voice is possible:
Ex.: I
was born in Madrid.

4. How do you form Tenses in the PASSIVE
VOICE? (1)
(Present Tense)
ACTIVE
Peter
builds
a house
PASSIVE
A house
is built
by Peter

5. How do you form Tenses in the PASSIVE
VOICE? (2)
(Past Tense)
ACTIVE
Peter
built
a house
PASSIVE
A house
was built
by Peter

6. Is the AGENT (BY) necessary in the PASSIVE
VOICE?
(Present & Past Tenses)
-We are normally not interested in the "doer" of an action in a passive
sentence. So there is NO AGENT in the passive voice.
- When we do not know who was the "doer", we use someone or
somebody in the active sentence. So there is NO AGENT in the passive
voice.
- When we want to mention who was the "doer" of the action, we use the
preposition by. The whole phrase is called by-agent in English.

7. EXAMPLES AND ACTIVITIES
Write complete passive sentences
1. What do these expressions mean?
2. Where can you find these notices?
English spoken
Book bought
and sold
Children under 16 not
admitted to this club
No smoking
Rubbish cleared on
Mondays
Washing
machines
repaired
Money returned
if not satisfied
All cars checked
before sale

8. -Complete the sentences using one of these verbs in the correct form:
CAUSE
DAMAGE
HOLD
INCLUDE
INVITE
MAKE
OVERTAKE
SHOW
TRANSLATE
WRITE
1. Many accidents ____________ by dangerous driving.
2. Cheese ________________ from milk.
3. The roof of the building _________________ in a storm a few days ago.
4. There’s no need to leave a tip. Service ________________ in the bill.
5. You ______________ to the wedding. Why didn’t you go?
6. A cinema is a place where films ________________ .
7. In the USA, elections for President _______________ every four years.
8. Originally the book __________________ in Spanish and a few years ago it
_________ into English.
9. We were driving along quite fast but we ______________ by lots of other
cars.

9. -CHOOSE between present simple or past simple / active or passive
1. Five hundred people _______________ (employ) in that big factory.
2. Water ____________ (cover) most of the Earth’s surface.
3. Most of the Earth’s surface _____________ (cover) by water.
4. The letter ____________ (post) one week ago and it ____________
(arrive) yesterday.
5. I was born in London but I _____________ (grow) up in the North of
England.
6. While I was in London, my camera ______________ (steal) from my room.
7. While I was in London, my camera ______________(disappear) from my
room.
- REWRITE using passive sentences
1. Somebody cleans the room every day. - …
2. They cancelled all flights because of fog. – All …
3. People don’t use this road very often. - …
4. Somebody accused me of stealing money. – I …
5. People advised us not to go out alone. - …