The Passive Voice: Formation, Rules and BAC-Style Exercises — 2nd Year Secondary — English — Algerian Curriculum

The Passive Voice: Formation, Rules and BAC-Style Exercises — 2nd Year Secondary — English — Algerian Curriculum

Learning Objectives

• Understand the difference between active and passive voice
• Form passive sentences in different tenses
• Know when to use the passive voice in writing

Active vs Passive Voice

In the active voice, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action.

Active: The students wrote the essays. (Subject performs action)
Passive: The essays were written by the students. (Subject receives action)

Formation of the Passive Voice

Subject + BE (conjugated) + Past Participle + (by + agent)

Passive Voice in Different Tenses

Tense	Active	Passive
Present Simple	They make coffee.	Coffee is made (by them).
Present Continuous	They are making coffee.	Coffee is being made.
Past Simple	They made coffee.	Coffee was made.
Past Continuous	They were making coffee.	Coffee was being made.
Present Perfect	They have made coffee.	Coffee has been made.
Past Perfect	They had made coffee.	Coffee had been made.
Future (will)	They will make coffee.	Coffee will be made.
Modals (can, must)	They can make coffee.	Coffee can be made.

When to Use the Passive Voice

1. The agent is unknown or unimportant:
   My phone was stolen. (We don’t know who stole it)
2. To focus on the receiver of the action:
   The president was elected by a large majority.
3. In formal, scientific, or academic writing:
   The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment.
4. When the agent is obvious:
   Arabic is spoken in Algeria. (By people – obvious)

How to Change Active to Passive

1. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
2. The verb changes to BE + past participle. BE is conjugated in the same tense as the active verb.
3. The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent after “by” (optional).

Examples:

Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

Active: The government will build a new hospital.
Passive: A new hospital will be built by the government.

BAC-Style Exercises

Exercise 1: Rewrite in the passive voice

1. The students finish the project. → The project ________ by the students.
2. The chef cooked the meal. → The meal ________ by the chef.
3. Scientists have discovered a new planet. → A new planet ________ by scientists.
4. Someone must lock the doors. → The doors ________.

Answers:

1. is finished
2. was cooked
3. has been discovered
4. must be locked

Exercise 2: Choose the correct form

1. English (speaks / is spoken) all over the world.
2. The letter (sent / was sent) yesterday.
3. The homework (must finish / must be finished) by Friday.
4. They (are building / are being built) a new school in our town.

Answers:

1. is spoken
2. was sent
3. must be finished
4. are building (active – they are doing it)

Similar Lessons

• Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-Defining
• Conditional Sentences Type 2 and 3