Explanation
Exercises
Advanced Passive Structures

Lesson focus

Complex passive tenses, non-finite passives, get-passives, two-object passives and passive structures with prepositions

Advanced aim: Use passive choices to manage information structure, agency, register and non-finite complementation, not simply to remove the agent.

Continuous passive

Use be + being + past participle for passive actions in progress.

  • Example: The main entrance is being redesigned to improve accessibility.
  • In another context: Separate scenario: The main entrance is being redesigned to improve accessibility.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Perfect passive

Use have + been + past participle for completed passive events with perfect meaning.

  • Example: Several safety procedures have been revised since the inspection.
  • In another context: Several access protocols have been revised since the inspection.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Modal perfect passive

Use modal + have been + past participle for past modal meanings in the passive.

  • Example: The data may have been compromised during the transfer.
  • In another context: The activity logs may have been compromised during the transfer.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Passive infinitive

Use to be + past participle when an infinitive has passive meaning.

  • Example: The documents need to be signed before noon.
  • In another context: Regional example: The documents need to be signed before noon.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Perfect passive infinitive

Use to have been + past participle for an earlier passive event after verbs such as seem and appear.

  • Example: The files appear to have been deleted accidentally.
  • In another context: The archived records appear to have been deleted accidentally.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Passive gerund

Use being + past participle when an -ing form has passive meaning.

  • Example: She objected to being treated as though she were inexperienced.
  • In another context: Follow-up case: She objected to being treated as though she were inexperienced.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Get-passive

Get + past participle often highlights a change of state or an unexpected event in informal contexts.

  • Example: Two laptops got stolen during the conference.
  • In another context: Two laptops got stolen during the industry workshop.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Two-object passive

With verbs such as give and offer, the person object can often become the passive subject.

  • Example: We were offered a full refund after the cancellation.
  • In another context: Regional example: We were offered a full refund after the cancellation.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Prepositional passive

The object of a preposition can become the subject of a passive clause with some verb-preposition combinations.

  • Example: This issue has already been dealt with by the compliance team.
  • In another context: Separate scenario: This issue has already been dealt with by the compliance team.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

Passive with make

In the passive, make is followed by to-infinitive: be made to do.

  • Example: Employees were made to repeat the entire security procedure.
  • In another context: Technicians were made to repeat the entire security procedure.

C1 focus: Choose this form for the intended meaning and discourse effect; nearby alternatives may be grammatical but can change viewpoint, scope, time reference or register.

C1 takeaway

Do not ask only “Which form is grammatically possible?” Ask what the speaker is presenting as background or foreground, completed or ongoing, certain or tentative, generic or specific, neutral or emphatic. Advanced grammar is the control of those choices.

Exercises:
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3

Complex passive tenses, non-finite passives, get-passives, two-object passives and passive structures with prepositions

1
Complete the sentence so that the passive action is clearly in progress at the moment: The main scanner is offline because it by the maintenance team. (recalibrate)
2
Complete the sentence so that several completed changes are viewed from the present: Three of the laboratory protocols since the external review. (revise)
3
Complete the sentence so that an uncertain past event is expressed in the passive: The metadata during the migration, but the audit trail is incomplete. (may / alter)
4
Complete the sentence with the passive infinitive required after need in this formal context: The settlement agreement needs by both legal teams before release. (countersign)
5
Complete the sentence so that the passive event is earlier than the present appearance: Two pages appear before the report was uploaded. (remove)
6
Complete the sentence with the passive -ing form required after the preposition: Several junior researchers objected to from the authorship discussion. (exclude)
7
Use a get-passive to emphasise an unfortunate change of state in relatively informal spoken English: One of the prototypes while it was being moved between labs. (damage)
8
Rewrite the active sentence so that the recipients become the passive subject: The foundation granted the researchers an additional six months. The researchers an additional six months. (grant)
9
Complete the sentence with a natural prepositional passive: The apparent shortfall in the revised forecast. (account for)
10
Complete the sentence so that make is correctly passivised: After the monitoring failure, the technicians the entire calibration sequence. (make / repeat)

Complex passive tenses, non-finite passives, get-passives, two-object passives and passive structures with prepositions

1
The review started this morning and is still underway. Choose the form that keeps the process open: The structural integrity of the bridge by an independent engineering team.
2
The report is describing changes completed since a recent audit and relevant now. Choose the best form: Several access-control measures since the January breach.
3
The transfer has finished, but the cause of the checksum mismatch is still uncertain. Choose the best form: Some archive files during transmission.
4
Choose the form that fits after are required: All external devices are required before they can connect to the network.
5
Current evidence suggests that the copying happened earlier. Choose the form that preserves that time relationship: The confidential directory appears to an external drive before the account was disabled.
6
Choose the form that fits both the preposition and the passive meaning: The ethics committee objected to during the approval process.
7
In an informal account, the speaker wants to emphasise an unfortunate event that happened to them. Choose the best fit: I of the system halfway through the presentation.
8
The report wants to foreground the recipients rather than the awarding body. Choose the passive option: The two doctoral candidates full travel bursaries.
9
The sentence foregrounds the contingency, not the people who planned for it. Choose the passive form: This contingency in the revised budget.
10
The sentence means that an external authority compelled the applicants to submit again. Choose the precise passive causative: The applicants the documentation after the validation error.

Complex passive tenses, non-finite passives, get-passives, two-object passives and passive structures with prepositions

1
What would change if is being reinforced became has been reinforced?The eastern retaining wall is being reinforced after engineers detected movement.
A.
B.
C.
2
Why is have been amended appropriate here?Four clauses have been amended since the consultation closed.
A.
B.
C.
3
Which meaning components are encoded by the highlighted phrase?The transmission might have been intercepted before it reached the secure gateway.
A.
B.
C.
4
Which C1-level statement is most accurate?The final schedule needs to be approved before circulation.
A.
B.
C.
5
What is the main time relation in the highlighted structure?Several attachments appear to have been omitted from the archived version.
A.
B.
C.
6
Why is being overlooked the right type of complement?The junior researchers objected to being overlooked when project roles were assigned.
A.
B.
C.
7
What nuance does got damaged add compared with neutral was damaged?Two exhibition panels got damaged during transport.
A.
B.
C.
8
What discourse effect does the highlighted passive create?The research team were offered an extension after the equipment failure.
A.
B.
C.
9
Which analysis of has been accounted for is most accurate?Every known source of variance has been accounted for in the final model.
A.
B.
C.
10
What changes structurally when active made them repeat becomes the highlighted passive?The auditors were made to repeat the sampling procedure.
A.
B.
C.