1. Basic Construction of the Passive Voice
In English, we use the passive voice when the focus is on the action rather than the person doing it. The structure of the passive voice is:
[Object] + ''to be'' (in the correct tense) + [Past Participle of Verb]
Example:
Active: ''She writes the book.'' (Focus on who does the action.)
Passive: "The book is written by her." (Focus on the action.)
2. When Do We Use the Passive Voice?
We use the passive voice when:
The person who does the action is unknown or not important.
''A new school was built last year.'' (We don’t say who built it.)
The focus is on what happened rather than who did it.
''The homework is checked by the teacher.''
3. Passive Voice in Different Tenses
Present Simple Passive:
Active: ''She cleans the house.''
Passive: ''The house is cleaned.''
Past Simple Passive:
Active: ''They painted the wall.''
Passive: ''The wall was painted.''
Future Simple Passive:
Active: ''He will finish the project.''
Passive: ''The project will be finished.''
4. Negation in Passive Voice
To make a negative sentence in the passive voice, add ''not'' after the verb ''to be.''
Example:
''The homework was not completed.''
5. Questions in Passive Voice
To form questions, move the verb ''to be'' before the subject.
Structure: ''To be'' + [Object] + [Past Participle]?
Example:
''Was the cake baked yesterday?''