CLASS 8 · LEARNING KNOWLEDGE
Passive forms and agents in English
How it works
In English, the passive is used when the agent (‹doer›) is unimportant, unknown, or obvious. The passive form is formed with a form of ‹to be› and the past participle, for example ‹is cleaned›, ‹was built›. If the agent is to be mentioned, it is introduced with ‹by›: ‹The cake was eaten by Tom.› The passive can be formed in different tenses. The choice between active and passive depends on what is to be emphasized: the action or the person who performs it.
Note
The passive is formed with ‹to be› + past participle. The agent is named with ‹by›. Example: Active: ‹The teacher explains the rules.› → Passive: ‹The rules are explained (by the teacher).›
The passive is formed with ‹to be› + past participle. The agent is named with ‹by›. Example: Active: ‹The teacher explains the rules.› → Passive: ‹The rules are explained (by the teacher).›
An example
Change the sentence into the passive: ‹Someone cleans the classroom every day.›
‹The classroom is cleaned every day.›
Try it yourself now
50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: English. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.