← English Grammar

The passive voice

Easy · TOEFL style

The rules
  • The passive is a form of be plus the past participle: The bridge was built in 1990.
  • The form of be shows the tense, and the participle stays the same: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made.
  • Use by to name who did the action, only when it matters: The telephone was invented by Bell.
  • Use the passive when the doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious: Rice is grown in the Terai.
  • After a modal, use be plus the past participle: The forms must be signed.
  • Have or get something done means someone else does it for you: We had our roof fixed.
  • Verbs with no object, such as happen, arrive, rise and disappear, have no passive: The bus arrived late, not was arrived late.

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