๐ฌ๐ง Learn English ยท B1 Grammar
๐ Focus on the Action: Present and Past Passive
Learn how to use the passive voice in the present and past tenses. Discover how to talk about actions when the doer is not important.
When to Use the Passive
Sometimes, we care more about the object or the action than the person who does it. For example, if your car is stolen, you care about the car, not the thief. When we make a passive sentence, the object becomes the new subject of the sentence. We use the verb to be plus the third form of the main verb, called the past participle.
Present Passive
To make the present passive, use am, is, or are plus a past participle. Use this tense to talk about general facts, habits, or things that happen regularly. Think about products you buy or rules at your workplace. The focus is always on what receives the action right now or in general.
Past Passive
To make the past passive, use was or were plus a past participle. Use this tense to talk about finished actions in the past when the person who did the action is unknown, obvious, or not important. This form is very common in news stories and history.
