The passiveA
UNIT 6
A form and general use
Read this explanation of the passive.
The passive is formed by adding a form of the
auxiliary be to the past participle of the main verb.
• Present simple passive: Stamps are sold in
supermarkets now....
More
The passiveA
UNIT 6
A form and general use
Read this explanation of the passive.
The passive is formed by adding a form of the
auxiliary be to the past participle of the main verb.
• Present simple passive: Stamps are sold in
supermarkets now.
• Present continuous passive: Gabriel’s room is
being painted this afternoon.
• Present perfect passive: The CD has been
recorded in London.
• Past simple passive: Jane was last seen in
Paris.
• Past continuous passive: The cat was being
chased.
• Future passive: The doctor will be given an
award in October.
We form passive questions by putting the auxiliary
verb be at the beginning of the sentence, or after
the question word:
Was the picture painted by your sister?
Who were the curtains made by?
passive–form
When we don’t know (or don’t have any
interest in) the agent of an action we can use
a passive:
Some houses were built.
Note: We can often say the same thing with
they + an active verb:
They bu
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