Passive Voice 3

Present and Past Simple

Passive Voice - Present Simple & Past Simple

🔄Passive Voice (Present Simple & Past Simple)

1️⃣What is the Passive Voice?

👉In most English sentences, the subject does the action. This is the Active Voice.

🍕People eat pizza.

🔄In the Passive Voice, the subject receives the action. We use it when the action or the result is more important than who does it.

🍕Pizza is eaten (by people).

2️⃣How to Form the Passive Voice

📝Formula:

Subject + be (am/is/are/was/were) + Past Participle (V3)

3️⃣Active vs. Passive – Examples

TenseActive VoicePassive Voice
Present SimplePeople eat pizza everywhere.Pizza is eaten everywhere.
Present SimpleThey clean the classroom every day.The classroom is cleaned every day.
Past SimpleThomas Edison invented the light bulb.The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison.
Past SimpleThey repaired the computer yesterday.The computer was repaired yesterday.

4️⃣When do we use the Passive Voice?

💡We use it when:

  • The person who does the action is unknown.
    My bike was stolen yesterday.
  • 🚫The person is not important.
    English is spoken in many countries.
  • 🎯We want to focus on the action/result, not on "who".
    The new park was opened last week.

5️⃣Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • The homework finished yesterday.
    The homework was finished yesterday.
  • Books read in the library.
    Books are read in the library.

Quick Tip

💡If you can add "by someone" at the end of the sentence, it's probably Passive Voice.

  • 📚The book was written (by the author) → Passive Voice ✓
  • 🏠The house is cleaned (by someone) → Passive Voice ✓

🔧Formation Rules

📋Present Simple Passive:

  • 👤Singular: is + past participle → The car is washed.
  • 👥Plural: are + past participle → The cars are washed.

📋Past Simple Passive:

  • 👤Singular: was + past participle → The car was washed.
  • 👥Plural: were + past participle → The cars were washed.

🎯When to Use Active vs Passive

🏃‍♂️Use Active Voice when:

  • 👨‍💼The person doing the action is important
  • 💪You want to emphasize who did something
  • 📝Writing is more direct and clear

🔄Use Passive Voice when:

  • You don't know who did the action
  • 🚫The person is not important
  • 🎯You want to focus on the action or result
  • 📊Writing formal reports or scientific texts

💭Remember

  • 🔄Active = Subject does the action
  • 📥Passive = Subject receives the action
  • 🏗️Always use be + past participle for passive voice
  • Don't forget the verb "be" in passive constructions!