اللغة الإنجليزية — The Passive Voice: Formation and Usage — 1ثانوي — شعبة آداب

The Passive Voice: Formation and Usage

The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the doer, or when the doer is unknown. This lesson is for 1st Year Secondary School literary stream students (شعبة آداب).

1. Formation

Form: Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle + (by agent)

Tense	Active	Passive
Present Simple	He writes a letter.	A letter is written by him.
Past Simple	He wrote a letter.	A letter was written by him.
Future Simple	He will write a letter.	A letter will be written by him.
Present Perfect	He has written a letter.	A letter has been written by him.
Modal	He must write a letter.	A letter must be written by him.

2. When to use the passive

• The doer is unknown: My bike was stolen yesterday.
• The doer is obvious: The criminal was arrested. (by the police)
• We want to emphasize the action: A new hospital will be built next year.
• Formal writing: It is believed that the project will succeed.

3. Transformation rules

To change from active to passive:

1. Move the object to subject position.
2. Change the verb to “be + past participle”.
3. Keep the same tense.
4. Add “by + subject” (optional).

Exercises

Exercise 1: Change to passive voice.

1. The chef cooks the meal.
2. The students will finish the project.
3. Someone has broken the window.
4. The teacher explained the lesson.
5. They must clean the classroom.

Answers

Exercise 1:

1. The meal is cooked by the chef.
2. The project will be finished by the students.
3. The window has been broken.
4. The lesson was explained by the teacher.
5. The classroom must be cleaned.

Learn more with our lesson on Present Tenses and Conditionals.

📍 دروس مشابهة

• التاريخ والجغرافيا — الحضارة اليونانية: أثينا وإسبرطة — 1ثانوي — شعبة آداب
• التاريخ والجغرافيا — الحضارة المصرية القديمة: الإنجازات الحضارية — 1ثانوي — شعبة آداب