Explanation
Exercises

🛠️ Present & Past Simple Passive

Use the passive to focus on the receiver of the action (the result) rather than the doer.
Form: be + past participle Present: am/is/are + V-ed/3rd column Past: was/were + V-ed/3rd column Only with transitive verbs (need an object) Agent with by (optional)
✅Present Simple Passive
FORM am / is / are + past participle
  • The classrooms are cleaned every day.
  • English is spoken in many countries.
  • These phones are made in Vietnam.
Negatives & questions
  • The shop isn’t opened on Sundays. / Are the rooms cleaned daily?
  • Q-word + be + subject + past participle: When is the museum closed?
🕰️Past Simple Passive
FORM was / were + past participle
  • The classroom was cleaned yesterday.
  • The bridge was built in 1883.
  • The emails were sent last night.
Negatives & questions
  • The letters weren’t delivered on time.
  • Was the film shot in Italy? · Where were the photos taken?
🔄Active ➜ Passive: how to transform

Active

  • Someone cleaned the room.
  • Spielberg directed Jurassic Park.

Passive

  • The room was cleaned (by someone).
  • Jurassic Park was directed by Spielberg.
Steps
  • Make the active object the new subject.
  • Choose the correct form of be (am/is/are/was/were).
  • Add the past participle (V-ed or 3rd column: written, built, taken…).
  • Optionally add the agent with by.
🎯When do we use the passive?
  • Unknown agent: A bank was robbed yesterday.
  • Obvious agent: The robber was arrested last night. (by the police)
  • Focus on thing/result: Penicillin was discovered in 1928.
  • Formal / written style: The report is submitted weekly.
🧷By, with & special patterns
  • by + agent (who did it): The painting was bought by a collector.
  • with + instrument/material: The door was opened with a key.
  • Prepositional verbs: The children are looked after by their grandparents.
  • Two objects: They gave me a prize → I was given a prize / A prize was given to me.
🚫Common mistakes
  • Missing be: ❌ The window broken → ✅ The window was broken.
  • Wrong participle: ❌ was build → ✅ was built.
  • Using passive with intransitives: ❌ He was arrived → ✅ He arrived. (no object → no passive)
  • Confusing adjective vs passive: The shop is open (state) vs The shop is opened at 9 (action, less common).
✨Handy extras
  • Short answers: —Was it stolen? —Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.
  • Reporting passive (advanced): It is said that… / He is believed to…
  • Get-passive (informal change/event): He got fired last week.
Recap: Present → am/is/are + V-ed/3. Past → was/were + V-ed/3. Use the passive when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant, or when you want to focus on the result. ✅
Exercises:
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Present and past simple passive: ‘be’ + past participle

Choose the correct present and past simple passive or active forms to complete the following text
1
The earliest paper in China over 2,000 years ago.
2
It by Cai Lun in 105 CE.
3
From China the technique to Korea and Japan.
4
Today, most paper in large mills.
5
There, wood chips into pulp.
6
Recycled fibers to reduce waste.
7
In many cities, old newspapers every week and
8
to recycling centers.
9
If paper is too dirty, it away rather than recycled.
10
The first paper mill in North America near Philadelphia in 1690.

Present and past simple passive: ‘be’ + past participle

Choose the correct present and past simple passive or active forms to complete the sentences below.
1
This road ____ every winter because of heavy snow.
A.
B.
C.
2
They ____ the bridge in 1998.
A.
B.
C.
3
The new phones ____ in Vietnam.
A.
B.
C.
4
My keys ____ yesterday, but now they’ve been found.
A.
B.
C.
5
Online orders ____ within 24 hours.
A.
B.
C.
6
The museum ____ by over a million people last year.
A.
B.
C.
7
My grandmother ____ three languages.
A.
B.
C.
8
The meeting ____ at 10 a.m. yesterday.
A.
B.
C.
9
These machines ____ a lot of electricity.
A.
B.
C.
10
Most smartphones ____ with a fast charger these days.
A.
B.
C.

Present and past simple passive: ‘be’ + past participle

Transform the active sentences into passive (Present or Past Simple). Do not use “by …”.
Form tips: Present: am / is / are + V3 Past: was / were + V3 Questions: invert be (Is/Was …?) Negatives: be + not + V3 No agent: omit “by + doer”
1
Someone sees Tom at the station every day. ⇒ Tom at the station every day.
2
Did they deliver the parcels yesterday? ⇒ yesterday?
3
People speak Portuguese in Brazil. ⇒ Portuguese in Brazil.
4
The company closed two stores last month. ⇒ Two stores last month.
5
They don’t allow phones in the lab. ⇒ Phones in the lab.
6
Do people celebrate this festival in winter? ⇒ in winter?
7
Someone stole my bike last night. ⇒ My bike last night.
8
They make chocolate here. ⇒ Chocolate here.
9
The manager didn’t sign the contract. ⇒ The contract .
10
People call this place “The Garden City”. ⇒ This place “The Garden City”.