How to Form the Passive

How to Form the Passive

The passive voice in English is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + the past participle of the verb in question:

Subject	verb 'to be'	past participle
The house	was	built ...

Example

to clean

Subject	verb 'to be'	past participle
Simple present:
The house	is	cleaned every day.
Present continuous:
The house	is being	cleaned at the moment.
Simple past:
The house	was	cleaned yesterday.
Past continuous:
The house	was being	cleaned last week.
Present perfect:
The house	has been	cleaned since you left.
Past perfect:
The house	had been	cleaned before their arrival.
Future:
The house	will be	cleaned next week.
Future continuous:
The house	will be being	cleaned tomorrow.
Present conditional:
The house	would be	cleaned if they had visitors.
Past conditional:
The house	would have been	cleaned if it had been dirty.

NOTE: 'to be born' is a passive form and is most commonly used in the past tense:

• I was born in 1976. When were you born?
• BUT: Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.

Infinitive form: infinitive of 'to be' + past participle: (to) be cleaned
This form is used after modal verbs and other verbs normally followed by an infinitive, e.g.

• You have to be tested on your English grammar
• John might be promoted next year.
• She wants to be invited to the party.

Gerund or -ing form: being + past participle: being cleaned
This form is used after prepositions and verbs normally followed by a gerund

Examples

• Most film stars hate being interviewed.
• I remember being taught to drive.
• The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.

NOTE: Sometimes the passive is formed using the verb to get instead of the verb to be:

• He got arrested for dangerous driving.
• They're getting married later this year.
• I'm not sure how the window got broken.