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Flip to reveal answersHow do you form the passive?
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All 14 Flashcards — The passive voice
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Question
How do you form the passive?
Answer
A form of "be" + the past participle (is cleaned, was built, has been sold).
Question
Active → passive: what moves?
Answer
The active OBJECT becomes the passive SUBJECT; the doer goes after "by" (and can be dropped).
Question
present simple passive: "They clean the office."
Answer
The office is cleaned.
Question
past simple passive: "They built the bridge."
Answer
The bridge was built.
Question
present perfect passive: "They have sold the car."
Answer
The car has been sold.
Question
future passive: "They will announce the results."
Answer
The results will be announced.
Question
modal passive: "You must clean the room."
Answer
The room must be cleaned.
Question
Which part changes for the tense?
Answer
Only the form of "be"; the past participle stays the same (built / was built / has been built).
Question
What is the "by-agent"?
Answer
The optional "by …" phrase naming the doer; leave it out if the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Question
When should you choose the passive?
Answer
When the action matters more than the doer, the doer is unknown, or you want a formal/impersonal tone.
Question
Common error 1
Answer
Dropping "be": write "The house was built", not "The house built".
Question
Common error 2
Answer
Wrong participle: write "was written", not "was wrote".
Question
Common error 3
Answer
Wrong agreement: "be" matches the new subject — "The books were sold", not "was sold".
Question
Should you write a whole paragraph in the passive?
Answer
No — mix active and passive; too much passive sounds heavy and impersonal.
Read the notes
Full study notes for The passive voice
Topic 3.3 hub
Mood, voice & verb patterns
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English B exam skills
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