Grammar recap: the passive

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 3

Welcome!

Goals

- Grammar recap

- Practice for test

- The passive

- Pitfalls

The Passive

We make the passive by using the verb ‘be’ and adding a past participle. 

 For example, here’s a normal, active sentence with an object.

• James cleans the kitchen.

This is the present simple tense. The main verb is ‘cleans’. The subject is ‘James’ and the object is ‘the kitchen’. To make the passive, we move the object to the front.

• The kitchen

Then we make the tense we need using the verb ‘be’. In this case, it’s the present simple.

• The kitchen is

Then we add the past participle of the main verb. In this case, the main verb is ‘clean’.

• The kitchen is cleaned

If we want, we can add the person who does the cleaning (or whatever the main verb is) using ‘by’.• The kitchen is cleaned by James. 

past participle irr. verbs p. 175 3e vorm)

Present simple

active

he/she/it + verb + (e)s

I/we/you/they + verb

Present simple

passive

am/is/are + past participle

Make the sentences passive:
I eat an apple.

He opens the door.

We can make the passive of the past simple in the same way, using the past simple of the verb ‘be’.

• Active:       Someone stole my bike.

• Passive:    My bike was stolen (by someone).

• Active:       We ate all the cake.

• Passive:    All the cake was eaten (by us).

• Active:       He fixed the computer.

• Passive:    The computer was fixed (by him).

Past simple

active

regular verb: verb + ed

irregular verb: 2nd form

Past simple

passive

was/were + past participle

Easyjet canceled all flights for tonight

Now you:
The police must help these people

A new committee will verify the facts

Jane fixed the computer.

More practice

- Make exercises 24+25 on page 77 of activity book A

- Check your work

- Make test yourself of T3

- Check the practice links on IL

Pitfalls