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
  • New words are taught at the start of the lesson.
  • English is used in many apps and websites.
  • Listening tasks are checked in class.
Negatives & questions
  • The homework isn’t given on Fridays. / Are the answers checked online?
  • Q-word + be + subject + past participle: When is the test marked?
🕰️Past Simple Passive
FORM was / were + past participle
  • The audio was played twice yesterday.
  • The lesson was finished at 6 p.m.
  • The mistakes were explained after the quiz.
Negatives & questions
  • The video wasn’t uploaded last night.
  • Was the dialogue recorded at home? · Where were the notes written?
🔄Active ➜ Passive: how to transform

Active

  • The teacher checked our homework.
  • They posted the new lesson online.

Passive

  • Our homework was checked (by the teacher).
  • The new lesson was posted online (by them).
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: My password was changed last week.
  • Obvious agent: The homework was corrected this morning. (by the teacher)
  • Focus on thing/result: The main rule was explained with examples.
  • Formal / written style: The course is updated every month.
🧷By, with & special patterns
  • by + agent (who did it): The answers were checked by our teacher.
  • with + instrument/material: The new words were written with a marker.
  • Prepositional verbs: Beginners are helped by the tutor.
  • Two objects: They gave me feedback → I was given feedback / Feedback was given to me.
🚫Common mistakes
  • Missing be: ❌ The text written → ✅ The text was written.
  • Wrong participle: ❌ was give → ✅ was given.
  • Using passive with intransitives: ❌ He was arrived → ✅ He arrived. (no object → no passive)
  • Confusing adjective vs passive: The app is open (state) vs The app is opened at 9 (action, less common).
✨Handy extras
  • Short answers: —Was it explained? —Yes, it was. / No, it wasn’t.
  • Reporting passive (advanced): It is said that… / He is believed to…
  • Get-passive (informal change/event): My account got blocked by mistake.
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:
1
2
3

Present & Past Simple Passive

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 & Past Simple Passive

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 & Past Simple Passive

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”.