The Passive Voice: Formation and Usage in Different Tenses
The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action, rather than the doer. It is commonly used in academic writing and scientific texts. This lesson is designed for 2nd Year Secondary (Literary Stream) students.
Formation
Active: Subject + Verb + Object. John writes a letter.
Passive: Subject + be (conjugated) + past participle + (by agent). A letter is written by John.
Passive Voice in Different Tenses
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | cleans | is cleaned |
| Past Simple | cleaned | was cleaned |
| Future Simple | will clean | will be cleaned |
| Present Continuous | is cleaning | is being cleaned |
| Present Perfect | has cleaned | has been cleaned |
Exercises
Exercise 1: Change to passive voice.
- The students write essays. (Present Simple)
- Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. (Past Simple)
- The chef will prepare dinner. (Future Simple)
Exercise 2: Complete with the correct passive form.
- The house ________ (build) in 1990.
- Arabic ________ (speak) in many countries.
- All the exercises must ________ (finish) on time.
Answer Key
Exercise 1: 1. Essays are written by the students. 2. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. 3. Dinner will be prepared by the chef.
Exercise 2: 1. was built, 2. is spoken, 3. be finished
Study Past Simple and Future Tenses for related grammar lessons.
مدونة التربية و التعليم في الجزائر – دروس، فروض، نتائج امتحانات مدونة التربية والتعليم في الجزائر | تحضير الدروس، فروض واختبارات، نتائج البكالوريا وBEM، مسابقات التوظيف، والتوجيه المدرسي للطلاب وأولياء الأمور.