Passive verb forms

Passive verb forms

1. Is a form of be + a past participle. Some of them are irregular.

2. The future and modal verbs in passive

   • We use be + a past participle after will, be goingto, can, must, have to, should, etc.

3. The passive with get

   • We sometimes use get in the passive instead of be.
     • Get is informal. We often use it for something happenig by accident or unexpectedly.
   • In negatives and questions in the present simple and past simple, we use a form of do.
   • We also use get in these expressions: get dressed/changed, get washed, get engaged/married/divorced, get started, get lost.

4. The passive and the agent

   • In a passive sentence, we sometimes mention the agent ( the person or thing doing the action). We used by with the agent.
   • But we mention the agent only if it is important for the meaning of the sentence. Sometimes we do not mention it.
   • We do not mention the agent if it does not add any new infomation.
   • We do not mention the agent if it is not important.
   • It is sometimes difficult to say who the agent is.

5. Empty subjects

   • We can also use empty subjects PEOPLE, YOU, SOMEONE and THEY.

6. When do we use the passive?

   • We use the passive in both speech and writing, but it is more common in writing. We see it specially in textbooks and reports.We use it to describe activities in industry.