Passive voice explanation

1. Be + Past Participle
Passive voice

2. For
m
Present simple – Some historical films aren’t based on the facts.
Present continuous – The election is being held in May.
Present perfect – Has the village been changed by tourism?
Past simple – 10000 soldiers were killed in an hour at Gettysburg.
Past continuous – The castle was being renovated so we couldn’t
go in.
Past perfect – The hospital has been opened by the Queen three
years before.
Will and going to – When will the new museum be built?
We’re going to be given the exam results tomorrow.
Infinitive with to – Does the city centre have to be closed to all
traffic?
Infinitive without to – The president must be elected by a clear
majority.
Gerund – I hate being waken up by a mosquito.

3. When do we use passive voice?
We often use the passive when it’s not said, known or
important who does an action:
My phone has been stolen. (=Somebody has stolen my phone,
but we don’t know who.)
If we want to say who did an action, we use by:
Westminster Abbey was started by Henry III in 1245.
We can often say things in two ways, in the active or the
passive. Compare:
Bill Bryson wrote The Lost Continent. (The focus is more on
Bryson.)
The Lost Continent was written by Bill Bryson. (The focus is more
on the book.)

4. When do we use passive voice?
The passive is often used in English where other languages use
an impersonal verb:
In Britain, stamps are sold in various shops.
We often use the passive to talk about processes, for example
scientific processes, and in formal writing, such as newspaper
reports.
The chemicals are combined at very high temperatures.
Parts of Windsor Castle have been damaged in a fire.

5. Indirect object
In a passive sentence the focus can also be on the indirect
object (the person to whom something is done):
They offered Angela the job:
Angela was offered the job.
The job was offered to Angela.

6. Indirect object
In a passive sentence the focus can also be on the indirect
object (the person to whom something is done):
They offered Angela the job:
Angela was offered the job.
The job was offered to Angela.