Explanation & English Practice exercises active-passive all tenses - EP4-02G
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The Passive in use
A. Active to Passive
NOTE
1) the active verb is replaced by the same tense of the verb to be, followed by the past participle of the active verb: e.g. helps u is helped; ate u was eaten; has given u has been given; is teaching u is being taught….
2) The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb.
3) The subject of the active verb is placed after the passive verb and has ‘by’ in front of it.
Example
Subject Verb Object
The management will give the staff an extra week’s holiday this Christmas.
Subject Verb
The staff will be given an extra week’s holiday by the management this Christmas.
Further examples
(These all follow the same pattern, except that the verb tense varies)
Rover the dog bit the postman.
The postman was bitten by Rover the dog.
Qualified teachers look after the children.
The children are looked after by qualified teachers.
Millions of people eat our pizzas.
Our pizzas are eaten by millions of people.
Many satisfied customers have used our business loans.
Our business loans have been used by many satisfied customers.
My grandfather built this house in 1946.
This house was built by my grandfather in 1946.
Now try to do the same with the following:
1. Most of the children like Mr. Baxter.
2. Picasso painted this picture.
3. The mayor will open the new shopping centre next week.
4. The teacher is explaining the map
5. The council has approved the new regulations.
6. A retired bank manager bought our house.
7. All new members must follow the club rules.
8. Most people believe his story.
9. The Prime Minister will make an announcement tomorrow.
10. The staff respect the new boss, but they don’t like him.
11. My mother doesn’t add the salt and pepper until the end.
12. The manager won’t announce the team until next Friday
13. The doctor hasn’t yet told me the result.
14. The general public didn’t understand his first book.
15. Untrained personnel can’t operate this machine.