The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

Asked by @ Ainullah Shafai (Community Student)

What are modal verbs

Answered by @ Elo Kasia

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The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

Passive Voice: Verb Forms

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English Grammar rules the verb to be

English Grammar rules the verb to be

Question Time: The verb TO BE and passive voice

  @  Ainullah Shafai , Thank you for your question.

  As usual, I will try to explain the difference using simple language and plenty of examples.

Passive voice is made by using TO BE (in the right tense) + V3 (Past Participle) form of verb. The regular verbs take +ed at the end. With irregular verbs, memorise their form as you come across them.

When do we use passive voice?

• – When we focus more on the object (the receiver) of the action
• – When do not know who the agent is
• – When it is not important who the agent is
• – When people in general are the agents
• – When we talk about the laws, regulations or the actions of the government.

Let’s look at some examples in Present Simple and Past Simple to show some most common situations when passive voice can be used.

Present is/are (isn’t/ aren’t) + V3

• Risotto is made with rice.
• Honey is used to treat bad throat.
• Sunglasses are worn in the summer.
• Our offices are cleaned every day.
• An I-phone is bought every minute.
• His work isn’t known in Europe.
• Women aren’t treated as equals.

Past was/were (wasn’t/ weren’t) + V3

• My car was stolen last week.
• The film was shown last night.
• Women were given the right to vote in 1918.
• Windscreen wipers were invented by Mary Anderson.
• Penicillin was discovered by Louis Pasteur.
• We weren’t invited to the party.
• Rome wasn’t built in one day. (proverb)

Note that it is only transitive verbs (verbs which require an object) which can have passive forms. Intransitive verbs, like cry, die, arrive, disappear, wait, which often describe physical behaviour, cannot be used in the passive voice.

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

 TO BE – Past & Present Tense – Affirmative Sentences

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Question Time:  When to use is/are/am and was/we. The verb to be in the present and the past.

Is/are and was/were are different forms of the verb TO BE.

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

Present is used for states and facts which are generally true or true now.

• Is/are/am —Isn’t/aren’t/ am not — Are you? Is he/she/ it/ am I?

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

Past is used for states which were true in the past but no longer are.

• Was/ were — wasn’t weren’t — was I/he/she? were we/you/they?
• I was at school yesterday. (I am no longer at school)
• Were you at work this morning? (it is no longer morning)
• He wasn’t at home when you called, he was out.
• They weren’t at the party last night.
• Was he there when you arrived?
  Samira was the best student in our class.

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

Compare the present with the past:

• Last year I was 21, so I am 22 now.
• I am a teacher now, I was a student 20 years ago.
• I am early today, but I was late to work yesterday. The traffic was very bad.
• Today the weather is pleasant, but yesterday it was horrible.
• I am OK now, but yesterday I was very tired.
• Timmy is at home now, but he was out last night.
• Where are the children now? I don’t know. They were in the garden 10 minutes ago.
• They aren’t on holiday this week. They were on holiday last week.
• This exam isn’t difficult. The one last week wasn’t difficult either.
• Are you still angry with me? No, I’m not. I was angry 10 minutes ago, but I am not anymore.

It is essential that you know how to use TO BE for present and past as you are going to need it very often. Study these examples and make your own sentences. Follow our TT exercises to practise and improve your fluency.

Make sure you follow our *TT exercises, which are especially designed to practise our daily grammar topics and prepare you for the Friday test.

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)

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Elo Kasia

Community Mentor for ” English Grammar and Speaking Academy“.

Director at Eloquent Learning Online, educational institution based in the UK. www.eloquentlearning.com.

The verb TO BE and passive voice ( the present and the past)