Read and compare the sentences:

The letter was written yesterday.

Many letters are written in the office.

The letter will be written tomorrow.

The letter must be written.

My father built the house.

The house was built by my father.

My father built the house.the house

The housewas built

by my father.

objectsubject

doer of the action

new subject

The Structure of the Sentence

S + Be + V3

Verb 3

• Regular verbs: V+ed

• Irregular verbs: buy-bought-bought

go - went – gone

make-made-made

put-put-put

see-saw-seen

BeBe Formsam is aream is are

Past Simple was werewas were

Future Simple

will bewill be

Present Simple

Modals

can be

could be

must be

should be

Act

ive

Somebody sent

Pass

ive

was sent a letter.

John a letter.

1. John

2.A

letterwas sent to John.

Compare!

We use the passive voice when the action is more important than the person who performs it , or when we don’t know who performs the action.

The Active Voice: She makes a cake every Sunday.

The Passive Voice: A cake is made every Sunday.

Examples:

She cooks dinner in the family.Dinner is cooked by her.

Someone stole my car yesterday.My car was stolen by somebody.

Activ

ePas

sive

She makes a cake

A cake is made

made

was

every Sundaylast

every Sundaylast

will make

will be

next

next

is making now

nowis being

was making when I came home

when I came homewas being

has made

has been - let’s taste!

- let’s taste!

by the time everybody came

by the time everybody came

had made

had been

Questions and Negatives

• He doesn’t do homework every day

• They don’t write a lot of letters.S + don’t + V1

doesn’t

Homework isn’t done by him every day.• S + isn’t + V3

• aren’t

•

Did he study the material?

Did+S+V1?

Was the material studied?

Was +S+V3 ?

Were