Lesson Introduction
Part 1
Passive Sentences
Passive sentences in English are a type of sentence structure where
the focus is on the action or the object that is being acted upon,
rather than the subject who is performing the action. In a passive
sentence, the subject of the sentence is typically the recipient of
the action, not the doer. For example:
I sent the letter.
👉 This sentence is in the active voice: the subject is “I”, and the
object is “the letter”.
The repairman fixed the elevator
and escalator.
👉 This sentence is in the active voice: the subject is “The
repairman”, and the object is “the elevator”
To change from active voice to passive voice you need to:
(1) Swap the subject and object in the sentence
(2) The verb form becomes“be” verb + past participle
(3) Add “by” before the doer of the action (that is, the subject in
the active voice)
(4) If the performer of the action is a person, it should be changed
to the person accusative<
Let's practice changing the above two sentences into passive voice:
The letter was sent by me.
👉 This sentence is in passive voice, the subject in the sentence
becomes “the letter”, and the verb form becomes “be verb + past
participle”, because it is the past tense and the letter is singular,
we use “was sent”, followed by action.
The escalator and elevator
were fixed by the repairman.
👉 This sentence is in passive voice: the subject in the sentence
becomes “the escalator and elevator”, and the verb form becomes “be
verb + past participle (p. p.)”, because it is the past tense and the
elevator and elevator are plural together, we use ”were fixed”,
followed by the action performer: the repairman.
English passive sentences often omit “by + action performer”, because the focus of the sentence is not on the action performer. The sentences above will often appear like the following:
The letter was sent.
The escalator and elevator
were fixed.
Here are more example sentences:
The rice was cooked.
The bills were paid.
The glass was broken.
My drink was knocked over.
The problem was solved.
Example:Mr. Bently ____ by the
procurement department, where he is in charge of buying supplies for
the textile company.
(A) was recruited
(B) is recruiting
(C) to recruit
(D) recruits
The correct answer is(A) was recruited.
The sentence is in the passive voice, which is formed by using the verb "to be" (in this case, "was") + the past participle of the main verb (in this case, "recruited"). The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action, not who performed the action. Here, the focus is on Mr. Bently being recruited by the procurement department, not on who recruited him.
(B) "is recruiting" is incorrect because it implies that Mr.
Bently is currently in the process of recruiting, which does
not align with the rest of the sentence that states he is
already working in the procurement department.
(C) "to recruit" is incorrect because it changes the meaning
of the sentence and suggests an intention or purpose rather
than a completed action. It would mean that Mr. Bently's
purpose is to recruit, which does not match with the rest of
the sentence.
(D) "recruits" is incorrect because it is in the present
tense and implies that Mr. Bently is currently recruiting,
not that he was recruited in the past. It also changes the
sentence to active voice, with Mr. Bently as the one
performing the action of recruiting, which does not fit with
the context of the sentence.
The subject of this sentence is Mr. Bently, the verb is related to recruit, the verb is followed by the procurement department, recruit means "to hire", the usage is: company + recruit + person, and the subject in the title is Mr. Bently, So we can know that this sentence is written in a passive way, and the answer is (A).
How to Change Five Sentence Types to Passive Sentences
We have learned the five sentence types in Lesson 6. Now, let’s see
how we can change five sentence types to passive sentences.
▶️ The First Sentence Type: S + V (Subject + Verb)
In the first sentence type, the verb is an intransitive verb.
Intransitive verbs are verbs that can exist alone without adding
anything behind them. Example sentences:
I laughed.
It rained heavily.
I am flying to London next
month.
Since there is no object after the verb, we cannot change these
sentences to passive sentences.
▶️ The Second Sentence Type: S + V + S. C (Subject + Verb + Subject
Complement)
The second sentence type, known as S + V + S. C (Subject + Verb +
Subject Complement), typically involves the use of an adjective or
noun as a subject complement to describe the subject. Verbs in the
second sentence type include "be" verbs and other verbs such as
“taste”, “feel”, “smell”, “sound”, “appear”, “look”, “seem”, “become”,
“turn”, “remain”, and “stay”. Example sentences:
That man is a receptionist.
He looks tall and
seems friendly.
The soup smells good but
tastes bad.
Again, since there is no object after the verb, we cannot change these
sentences to passive sentences.
▶️ The Third Sentence Type: S + V + O (Subject + Verb +
Object)
There is an object in the sentence of the third sentence type. After
changing it to the passive form, the object goes to the front and
becomes the subject. For example:
Apple will discontinue i Mac Pro
next year. = i Mac Pro will
be discontinued by Apple next
year.
The procurement department
recruited Mr. Bentley. = Mr.
Bentley was recruited by the
procurement department.
The customer services department
deals with complaints. =
Complaints are dealt with by the
customer services department.
The upper management
instructs employees regularly to
ensure their work is of the highest quality and conforms to the
regulations. = Employees
are instructed regularly to
ensure their work is of the highest quality and conforms to the
regulations.
Due to space issues, we
will hold the annual conference
in the convention center this year. = Due to space issues, the annual
conference will
be held in the convention center
this year.
The bank will
charge service fees for
withdrawing money from the account. = Service fees
will be charged for withdrawing
money from the account.
▶️ The Fourth Sentence Type: S + V + O + O (Subject + Verb + Object
+ Object)
There are two objects in the sentence of the fourth sentence type.
After changing to the passive form, the first object will go to the
front and become the subject, and the second object will be left
behind. For example:
OPH Corporation
offered
every employee an opportunity for promotion
and pay raise on a yearly basis. = At OPH Corporation, every employee
is offered
an opportunity for promotion and
pay raise on a yearly basis.
The consultant
advised
the director that continued support of the
AI project might lead to significant financial loss and little
profit. = The director
was advised
that continued support of the AI
project might lead to significant financial loss and little profit.
We have
notified the customers
that the requested item is
currently out of stock. = The customers
have been notified that the
requested item is currently out of stock.
The voucher entitles you
to 10% off all overseas flights.
= With this voucher, you
are entitled to 10% off all
overseas flights.
Mr. Smith will inform us
of any new changes that he will
make to the proposal. = We will
be informed of any new changes
that Mr. Smith will make to the proposal.
The unions assured the new
owners of the workers' loyalty
to the company. = The new owners
are assured of the workers'
loyalty to the company by the union.
▶️ The Fifth Sentence Type: S + V + O + O. C (Subject + Verb +
Object + Object Complement)
In the fifth sentence type, there are objects and object complements.
After changing to the passive form, the object will go to the front
and become the subject, and the object complements will remain
behind.
We should keep data
confidential since it contains
valuable information. = Data should
be kept
confidential since it contains
valuable information.
Many customers find our new
shampoo bottles appealing.= Our
new shampoo bottles are found
appealing by our customers.
The HR manager
encourages employees
to actively participate in the
weekly training workshop. = Employees
are encouraged to actively
participate in the weekly training workshop.
Most of my friends
considered the movie
great.= The movie
was considered great by most of
my friends.
Example:Some service fees ______ for withdrawing money from the account.
(A) will be charging
(B) have charged
(C) charge
(D) will be charged
The correct answer is(D) will be charged.
The correct answer uses the future passive form "will be charged". This form is appropriate because the subject is not performing the action, but rather, the action is being performed on the subject. The service fees are not doing the charging themselves, but rather, they are being charged by the company.
(A) “will be charging” is incorrect because it uses the
future continuous tense, which is not appropriate in this
context. This tense suggests that the service fees will
start charging at some point in the future and continue to
do so. However, this is not logical as fees are not capable
of charging themselves.
(B) “have charged” is incorrect because it uses the present
perfect tense, which suggests that the action of charging
has been completed in the past and has relevance to the
present situation. However, this is not appropriate because
the sentence is talking about a future event.
(C) “charge” is incorrect because it uses the present simple
tense, which is used to talk about habits, general truths,
or unchanging situations. However, in this context, the
sentence is not talking about a general truth or unchanging
situation, but about a specific future event.
Example:The panel composed of
five scholars ______ to review the proposal.
(A) commissions
(B) are commissioned
(C) is commissioned
(D) will commission
The correct answer is(C) is commissioned.
The subject of the sentence, "The panel," is a singular noun. so, the verb should also be in the singular form. Additionally, the verb should be in the passive voice because the panel is not doing the commissioning, but rather, it is being commissioned by someone else. Thus, the correct verb form is "is commissioned."
(A) commissions is incorrect because it is in the active
voice, suggesting that the panel is commissioning someone or
something, which is not the case.
(B) are commissioned is incorrect because the verb
"are" is plural, and does not agree with the singular
subject "The panel."
(D) will commission is incorrect because it is in the
future tense and active voice. The sentence requires a
present tense, passive voice verb.
This is the final section of the lesson. I'm ready to start the review exercises!
Review Exercise (1/16)
Submit Answer
done That's right! Correct answer is "((B))".
clear Not quite. ((B)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (B) were recognized.
In this sentence, the verb phrase "were recognized" is in the passive voice. The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action, not who is performing the action. In this case, the action is the recognition of the employees for their long service. The passive voice is formed by using the verb "to be" (in this case "were") and the past participle of the main verb (in this case "recognized").
(A) "were recognizing" is incorrect because it is in the active voice and continuous tense. This would mean the employees were recognizing something or someone, which doesn't make sense in this context.
(C) "were recognition" is grammatically incorrect. "Recognition" is a noun, not a verb. You cannot use "were" (the past form of "be") with a noun in this context.
(D) "recognized" on its own is not a complete verb phrase in this context. It needs a helping verb (in this case "were") to form the passive voice.
Restart Test
Submit Answer
done That's right! Correct answer is "((A))".
clear Not quite. ((A)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (A) carried out.
In this context, the correct phrase to use is "carried out," which is the past participle form of the verb "carry out." This form indicates a completed action, and it is used in passive sentences. In this sentence, the phrase "make sure it is properly carried out" means that Mr. Ken wants to ensure the inspection process is conducted correctly.
(B) "carrying out" is incorrect because this is a present participle form and it is used for active sentences. In the sentence, the inspection process is not doing the action but is the recipient of the action, so a passive form ("carried out") should be used instead.
(C) "being carrying out" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form should be "being carried out," but this form is used for ongoing actions. In this sentence, we need a form that indicates a completed action, so "carried out" is the correct choice.
(D) "carries out" is incorrect because this is a present tense form and it doesn't fit the context of the sentence. It would mean that the inspection process conducts itself, which is not the intended meaning.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((A))".
clear Not quite. ((A)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (A) was expected.
The correct answer is (A) "was expected" because in this sentence, we are talking about something that was anticipated or predicted to happen in the future from the perspective of the past. The verb "expect" needs to be in the passive voice and past tense form to fit this context, and "was expected" fits that criteria.
(B) "expects" is incorrect because it is in the present tense and active voice. The action of the storm blowing into Canada is not currently being expected; it was expected in the past.
(C) "expected" is incorrect because it is in the past tense but active voice. This would mean the storm itself expected to blow into Canada, which doesn't make sense as a storm cannot have expectations.
(D) "expecting" is incorrect because it is in present continuous tense and active voice. Similar to (C), it would imply that the storm is currently expecting to blow into Canada, which is not possible.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((B))".
clear Not quite. ((B)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (B) access.
In this sentence, the subject is "the number of users", but the verb is actually referring to the action of those multiple "users". Therefore, the plural verb "access" should be used in accordance with the plural noun "users".
(A) "accesses" is incorrect because it is the singular form of the verb. It would be appropriate if the verb were referring to "the number," which is singular; however, in this sentence, the verb is referring to "users".
(C) "is accessed" is incorrect because the subject of the sentence, "the number of users", is not being accessed. Instead, the users are actively accessing something (in this case, the internet). Therefore, we need a verb that reflects the active role of the users.
(D) "are accessed" has the same problem as (C). The verb form "are accessed" suggests a passive role for the users, which is not accurate in this context. The users are not being accessed; they are the ones doing the accessing.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((C))".
clear Not quite. ((C)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (C) will be accompanied.
In this sentence, the delegation is the subject and it is the one that is getting accompanied or escorted to the airport. The action is done by the Minister of Sports. When an action is done to the subject, we use passive voice. The passive voice in future tense is formed by "will be + past participle". Therefore, "will be accompanied" is the correct answer.
(A) "will accompany" is in active voice and future tense. It means the delegation is the one doing the action of accompanying, but in this context, the delegation is not the one doing the action.
(B) "accompanied" is in past tense and not in passive voice. It would mean the action was completed in the past, but the context indicates a future event.
(D) "being accompanied" is in present continuous tense and passive voice. Again, it would mean the action is happening in the current moment, which does not align with the future context of the sentence.
Restart Test
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((B))".
clear Not quite. ((B)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (B) advised.
In this sentence, we need a verb that connects the subject (Laboratory staff members) to the action they need to take (wear protective eyewear, gloves, and helmets). The verb "advise" is the correct choice because it means to recommend or suggest a course of action.
However, the verb "advise" must be in the past participle form "advised" to fit properly into the sentence. The past participle form is used here because the advice has already been given to the laboratory staff members.
(A) Advice is a noun, not a verb, so it cannot connect the subject to the action in the sentence.
(C) Advise is the base form of the verb and it does not fit in the sentence because it does not conform to the tense requirements of the sentence.
(D) Advising is the present participle form of the verb "advise". It is used when the action is ongoing in the present. In this context, however, we need the past participle form "advised" because the advice was given in the past and applies to the present and future.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((D))".
clear Not quite. ((D)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (D) were spent.
In this sentence, the subject is "earnings" which is a plural noun. Therefore, the verb must agree in number with the subject, meaning it also must be in plural form. The past participle "spent" is required as the sentence is in passive voice, denoting that the action has been done to the subject (earnings). Hence, "were spent" is the correct phrase to use in this sentence.
(A) "were spending" is incorrect because it is in the past continuous tense. This would suggest the earnings are still being spent, which contradicts the context of the sentence that is in the past tense.
(B) "spent" is incorrect because it is the past simple tense, which should be used with a singular subject. In this sentence, the subject "earnings" is plural, so the verb should be in the plural form "were spent".
(C) "was spent" is incorrect because "was" is a singular verb form, while the subject "earnings" is plural. Hence, the verb does not agree with the subject in number.
Restart Test
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((B))".
clear Not quite. ((B)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (B) are reminded.
In this sentence, the verb 'remind' is used in the passive voice. The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action, not who performed the action. Here, the focus is on the action of reminding the workers, not on who is doing the reminding. The passive voice is formed by using the verb 'be' in the appropriate tense (here, 'are' for the plural subject 'workers') followed by the past participle of the main verb (here, 'reminded').
(A) 'reminded' is incorrect because it is the simple past form of the verb 'remind' and does not fit the sentence, which is in the present tense.
(C) 'reminding' is incorrect because it is the present participle of the verb 'remind' and is used to form continuous tenses or as an adjective, neither of which fits the sentence.
(D) 'will remind' is incorrect because it is the future simple tense of the verb 'remind' and the sentence is in the present tense.
Restart Test
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((C))".
clear Not quite. ((C)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (C) be attended.
In this sentence, we are talking about an action that will be performed by some people (professionals in the food service industry), so we need a passive form of the verb. In English, we form the passive with "be" + past participle. Thus, "be attended" is the correct form.
(A) "attend" is incorrect because it is in the active voice, which would mean the seminar is doing the action.
(B) "attended" is incorrect because it is a past participle. It needs an auxiliary verb to form a verb phrase.
(D) "be attending" is incorrect because it is in the active voice, suggesting that the seminar would be doing the action of attending. In addition, the continuous form "be attending" is not appropriate in this case as we are talking about a single, specific event in the future, not an ongoing action.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((C))".
clear Not quite. ((C)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (C) accessed.
In this sentence, the verb 'access' needs to be used in the passive voice to express the action performed on the data kept in the file. In the passive voice, the verb is typically in the form of 'be' + past participle. Therefore, 'accessed' is the correct form, indicating that the data can be accessed only by your password.
(A) 'access' is the base form of the verb which is not grammatically correct in this context as we need to use the past participle form, 'accessed', in a passive voice construction.
(B) 'accessing' is the present participle form of the verb 'access'. It's used to form continuous tenses or as a gerund, neither of which fits in this sentence.
(D) 'accessory' is a noun which means an additional item of dress or equipment. It is not related to the verb 'access' and does not make sense in this context.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((D))".
clear Not quite. ((D)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (D) are inspected.
In this sentence, we're talking about a passive action that happens to the restaurants. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action, not the doer. The action (inspected) is performed by someone or something else (public health officials). So, we use "are inspected" to indicate that the restaurants are the receivers of the action.
(A) "inspect" is incorrect because it's in the active voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action, which is not the case here. The restaurants aren't doing the inspecting; they're being inspected by someone else.
(B) "inspecting" is also incorrect because it indicates that the restaurants are currently doing the action of inspecting, which is not the case according to the sentence.
(C) "inspected" on its own is incorrect because it lacks the necessary auxiliary verb to make the sentence grammatically correct. In the passive voice, we use the verb "to be" in the appropriate tense (in this case, "are") followed by a past participle (in this case, "inspected"). Without "are", the sentence is incomplete.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((A))".
clear Not quite. ((A)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (A) arranged.
In the sentence "The product manager wants the meeting _____ immediately.", the blank needs to be filled with a verb in the passive form because “the meeting” is the recipient of the action, not the performer. The passive form of a verb usually consists of a form of 'be' and the past participle of the verb. However, after 'wants', we use the past participle (arranged) directly without 'be'.
(A) "arranged" is correct because it uses the past participle form of the verb "arrange", fitting the passive voice structure in this context.
(B) "arrange" is incorrect because it is the base form of the verb and does not fit the passive structure required by the sentence.
(C) "be arranged" is incorrect because after 'wants', we use the past participle (arranged) directly without 'be'.
(D) "to arrange" is incorrect because it is the infinitive form of the verb "arrange" and does not fit the passive structure required by the sentence.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((A))".
clear Not quite. ((A)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (A) notified.
In this sentence, 'Shareholders' is the subject and the action of being informed of the proposed merger and acquisition is done to them, so the verb should be in the passive form. Passive form is used when the focus is on the action and not on who or what is performing the action. Hence, 'notified' is the correct word to use here.
(B) “Notifying” is incorrect because it is a present participle and would require the sentence to be rewritten using 'are' before it for it to be grammatically correct.
(C) “Notifies” is incorrect because it is in the present tense, which does not fit the context of the sentence. It would imply that the shareholders are the ones informing others of the merger, instead of being informed themselves.
(D) “Being notifying” is grammatically incorrect because 'being' is used incorrectly here. It should be followed by the past participle (notified) in passive voice sentences, not the present participle (notifying).
Restart Test
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((D))".
clear Not quite. ((D)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (D) attribute.
The sentence structure here is subject + verb + object, where "Scientists" is the subject, "attribute" is the verb, and "global warming" is the object. The verb "attribute" is used in the present simple tense because it expresses a fact, a habit, or a general truth that scientists attribute global warming to the increasing greenhouse gases.
(A) "who attribute" is incorrect because the sentence “Scientists who attribute global warming to increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases” is missing a verb.
(B) "attributing" is incorrect because it implies it is modifying something. In this case, the sentence is missing a helping verb like "are" or "is".
(C) "are attributed" is incorrect because it is in the passive voice. The sentence’s subject would be the recipient of the action, but in this case, the scientists are the ones doing the attributing, so the active voice is required.
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((C))".
clear Not quite. ((C)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (C) was promoted.
In this sentence, the correct verb tense to use is the passive past simple tense, which is formed by "was/were + past participle." The sentence is mentioning an action (promotion) that happened to the subject (Harry) at a specific past time (five years ago). Therefore, we use "was promoted" to show that the action happened to Harry, not that Harry did the action himself.
(A) "was promoting" is incorrect because it uses the past continuous tense, which indicates an ongoing action in the past. Here, Harry's promotion was not ongoing; it was a single event.
(B) "promoted" is incorrect because it uses the active voice, suggesting that Harry promoted someone else to the head of the sales department. The context, however, indicates that Harry was the one who received the promotion.
(D) "has promoted" is also incorrect because it uses the present perfect tense, which refers to an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. The sentence, however, is referring to a specific point in the past (five years ago), so the past simple tense is required.
Restart Test
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done That's right! Correct answer is "((C))".
clear Not quite. ((C)) is the correct answer.
The correct answer is (C) is viewed.
In this sentence, "the growing middle class in India" is the subject and it is being described as an emerging market for multinational corporations. The verb should therefore be in passive voice ("is viewed") because the action (viewing as an emerging market) is being done by the multinational corporations to the middle class.
(A) "has viewed" is incorrect because it is in the present perfect tense which is used to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. The multinational corporations are the ones viewing the middle class as an emerging market, not the other way around.
(B) "view" is incorrect because the subject of the sentence "the growing middle class in India" is singular and hence the verb should also be in singular form.
(D) "have viewed" is incorrect because it is in the present perfect tense which is used to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. Again, the middle class is not the one viewing the multinational corporations as an emerging market.
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