Passive: Revision Practice Tests with B1 Grammar Rules & Examples

Passive: Revision

In English, we can talk about actions in two ways. We can say who does something (active), or we can focus on what happens to something (passive). At B1 level, you have already met the passive in different tenses. This lesson is a complete passive revision — we will review the rules, look at all the main tenses, and practise using the passive confidently.

Here is a quick example to show the difference:

Active: Workers build houses every year.
Passive: Houses are built every year.

In the passive sentence, we focus on houses, not on who builds them. This is the key idea of the passive.

Why Do We Use the Passive?

We use the passive in English for several important reasons:

• When we do not know who does the action: My bag was stolen.
• When it is obvious who does the action: The criminal was arrested. (by the police — we do not need to say this)
• When the action is more important than the person doing it: This bridge was built in 1890.
• In formal or written English: The results will be announced tomorrow.

How to Form the Passive

The passive always follows the same basic pattern, no matter which tense you use:

Subject + correct form of "be" + past participle (+ by + agent)

The past participle is the third form of a verb (for example: make → made, write → written, eat → eaten). The word agent means the person or thing that does the action. We use by to introduce the agent, but we often leave it out.

Let us look at each tense separately.

Present Simple Passive

Use the present simple passive to talk about things that regularly happen or are generally true.

Formula:
Subject + am / is / are + past participle

Active	Passive
They make cheese in France.	Cheese is made in France.
People speak English here.	English is spoken here.
The cleaners clean the offices every day.	The offices are cleaned every day.
Someone delivers the post in the morning.	The post is delivered in the morning.

Negative and Question Forms

Negative: Subject + am / is / are + not + past participle
This shop is not open on Sundays. → This shop is not closed on Sundays.
The letters are not sent by email.

Question: Am / Is / Are + subject + past participle?
Is English taught in this school?
Are the windows cleaned every week?

Past Simple Passive

Use the past simple passive to talk about things that happened at a specific time in the past.

Formula:
Subject + was / were + past participle

Active	Passive
Shakespeare wrote this play.	This play was written by Shakespeare.
Someone stole my phone.	My phone was stolen.
They built the bridge in 1965.	The bridge was built in 1965.
Workers painted the walls yesterday.	The walls were painted yesterday.

Negative and Question Forms

Negative: Subject + was / were + not + past participle
The email was not sent on time.
The students were not told about the test.

Question: Was / Were + subject + past participle?
Was the report finished last night?
Were the packages delivered this morning?

Present Continuous Passive

Use the present continuous passive to talk about something that is happening right now or is in progress at the moment.

Formula:
Subject + am / is / are + being + past participle

Active	Passive
They are repairing the road.	The road is being repaired.
Someone is interviewing the candidates.	The candidates are being interviewed.
The chef is preparing the food.	The food is being prepared.

Past Continuous Passive

Use the past continuous passive to describe something that was in progress at a particular moment in the past.

Formula:
Subject + was / were + being + past participle

Active	Passive
They were painting the house when I arrived.	The house was being painted when I arrived.
Workers were fixing the lift all afternoon.	The lift was being fixed all afternoon.
Someone was watching us.	We were being watched.

Present Perfect Passive

Use the present perfect passive when something happened in the past but has a connection to the present, or when we do not know exactly when it happened.

Formula:
Subject + has / have + been + past participle

Active	Passive
Someone has stolen my wallet.	My wallet has been stolen.
They have cancelled the meeting.	The meeting has been cancelled.
People have elected a new president.	A new president has been elected.
The doctors have already treated the patients.	The patients have already been treated.

Future Simple Passive (will)

Use the future simple passive to talk about things that will happen in the future.

Formula:
Subject + will + be + past participle

Active	Passive
They will announce the results tomorrow.	The results will be announced tomorrow.
Someone will deliver the parcel on Friday.	The parcel will be delivered on Friday.
They will invite all the students.	All the students will be invited.

Passive with Modal Verbs

We can also use the passive with modal verbs such as can, could, must, should, might, may. The structure is always the same:

Formula:
Subject + modal verb + be + past participle

Example	Meaning
This form must be completed.	It is necessary to complete it.
The problem can be solved.	It is possible to solve it.
Your passport should be kept safe.	It is advisable to keep it safe.
The concert might be cancelled.	There is a possibility it will be cancelled.
Mistakes could be avoided.	It was possible to avoid them.

Complete Passive Tense Summary Table

Tense	Formula	Example
Present Simple	am / is / are + past participle	English is taught here.
Past Simple	was / were + past participle	The car was repaired yesterday.
Present Continuous	am / is / are + being + past participle	The road is being built.
Past Continuous	was / were + being + past participle	The house was being painted.
Present Perfect	has / have + been + past participle	The letter has been sent.
Future Simple (will)	will + be + past participle	The prize will be given tomorrow.
Modal Verbs	modal + be + past participle	This must be done today.

Using "By" to Show Who Did the Action

In passive sentences, we can add by + agent to say who performed the action. However, we only include this information when it is new, important, or surprising.

This novel was written by Charles Dickens. ✅ (important — we want to name the famous author)
The windows were broken by the children. ✅ (important — we want to explain who is responsible)
The car was repaired by a mechanic. ❌ (not necessary — it is obvious a mechanic repairs cars)

Leave out by + agent when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.

Important Differences and Special Cases

Active vs Passive — When to Choose

Both active and passive sentences can be correct. You choose based on what you want to focus on:

Focus on the person doing the action → use active:
Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.

Focus on the result or the thing → use passive:
The Mona Lisa was painted by Da Vinci.

Not All Verbs Can Be Passive

Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. A transitive verb is simply a verb that has something receiving its action.

She wrote a letter. → A letter was written. ✅

Verbs like arrive, happen, sleep, exist cannot be made passive because there is no object:

The accident happened. → ❌ The accident was happened. (wrong — you cannot make this passive)

Get Passive (Informal)

In spoken English, we sometimes use get instead of be to make the passive. This is more informal.

My car got stolen last night. (informal)
She got promoted last month. (informal)
He got hurt in the accident. (informal)

In formal writing, always use be: My car was stolen.

Common Mistakes

❌ The house is build every year.
✅ The house is built every year. (Use the past participle, not the base form.)

❌ The car was repairing yesterday.
✅ The car was repaired yesterday. (Past simple passive uses was/were + past participle, not -ing.)

❌ The letter has been wrote by my teacher.
✅ The letter has been written by my teacher. (Use the correct past participle: written, not wrote.)

❌ The food is been prepared right now.
✅ The food is being prepared right now. (Present continuous passive needs is/are being + past participle.)

❌ The results will announced tomorrow.
✅ The results will be announced tomorrow. (Do not forget be after the modal verb.)

❌ English is spoken by people here. (when "people" is obvious)
✅ English is spoken here. (Omit by + agent when it adds no useful information.)

❌ The accident was happened on the motorway.
✅ The accident happened on the motorway. (Intransitive verbs like happen cannot be passive.)

Passive Revision: Quick Summary

Here are the key points to remember from this passive revision:

• The passive focuses on what happens to something, not on who does it.
• The basic formula is: subject + correct form of "be" + past participle.
• The form of be changes depending on the tense (am/is/are, was/were, has/have been, will be, etc.).
• Always use the past participle (third form of the verb) — never the base form or -ing form.
• Use by + agent only when the agent is important or surprising.
• With modal verbs, use: modal + be + past participle.
• Only transitive verbs (verbs with an object) can be made passive.
• In informal speech, get can replace be in the passive.

Now practise the passive in the exercises below.