Passives

We make the passive using ‘be’ – in a suitable tense – and the past participle (‘done’, ‘played’ etc.). We use the passive:

1) … when we don’t know, or we are not interested in, who does an action.

• My car was stolen yesterday.

We don’t know who stole the car.

• A lot of wine is produced in France.

It’s not important who produces the wine.

2) … when the main topic of the sentence isn’t who did the action.

• Television was invented in the 1920s by John Logie Baird.

The main topic here is television – we aren’t particularly interested in ‘who’.

• Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

In English we tend to put the most important thing at the start of the sentence.

3) … more in written English than in spoken English.

• War and Peace was written by Tolstoy.

You often see the passive in textbooks.

• The mixture is heated to 500˚C.

Scientific texts especially use the passive.

Tenses

The passive can be used with all tenses - the form of ‘be’ changes.

• What is tiramisu made from?. Present Simple.
• The hall is being painted this week so our class will be in a different room. Present Continuous.
• Oranges have been grown here for centuries. Present Perfect.
• When he got home he found that his flat had been burgled. Past Perfect.
• The work won’t be finished until next week. Future Simple.

Modal verbs also use ‘be’ and the past participle.

Go to this link to practise tasks