The Passive Voice

How to form the Passive Voice

subject + form of to be + (being if it is a progressive tense) Past Participle (+ by) (+ object) (Please note that the objects and subjects are swapped in the Active and these colours are meant for the passive voice)

Tenses

Present Progressive

Simple Present

Past Progressive

Simple Past

(Present Perfect Progressive)

Present Perfect

(Past Perfect Progressive)

Past Perfect

Active Voice

I am taking my dog for a walk in the park.

Tom drives Ranjit to work.

The hunter was hunting the deer.

Henry built a house.

(Somebody has been cleaning the window.)

You have thrown the ball.

(Dortmund had been losing a game.)

We had finished the exercise.

Passive Voice

My dog is being taken for a walk in the park by me.

Ranjit is driven to work by Tom.

The deer was being hunted by the hunter.

A house was built by Henry.

(The window has been being cleaned.)

The ball has been thrown by you.

(A game had been being lost by Dortmund.)

The exercise had been finished by us.

Important!!!!

The former object becomes the subject in the passive voice and the former subject becomes the object!

"by" is only used when the subject in the active voice sentence isn't somebody or someone!

The Present Perfect Progressive and Past Perfect Progressive tenses in the passive voice are rarely used in conversations!

Exercise

Put these active sentences into passive

1. John is giving me the controler.

2. The dog bit the postman.

3.The train carries the containers.

4. Someone was knocking on the door.

5. The farmer had gathered the crops.

6. The judge demands evidence.

7. The cook is preparing the food.

8. The pilot lands the plane.

9. The mechanic fixed the car.

10. Someone cleaned the window.

Solutions

1. The controler is being given to me by John.

2. The postman was bitten by the dog.

3. The containers are carried by the train.

4. The door was being knocked.

5. The crops had been gathered by the farmer.

6. Evidence is demanded by the judge.

7. Food is being prepared by the cook.

8. The plane is landed by the pilod.

9. The car was fixed by the mechanic.

10. The window was cleaned.