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TermsEnglish (UK) · Passive Voice
Present & Past Passive
Use the passive when the action is more important than the person who does it, or when you don't know who did it. Form it with be + past participle:
- present: is/are + participle (English is spoken here.)
- past: was/were + participle (The castle was built in 1350.)
Use is/was for one thing and are/were for more than one. Words like today, now and every year point to the present; a date, last night or ago points to the past. Many participles are irregular: made, sold, written, built, caught, taught, found. To say who did the action, add by: The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Examples
- Cheese is made from milk.
- Our rooms are cleaned every day.
- The children were taken to school by bus.
- Was your car stolen last night?
- This song was written in 1965.
Try it yourself
English (speak) all over the world today.Show answer
English is spoken all over the world today.
The Mona Lisa (paint) by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s.Show answer
The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s.
Most of these cars (make) in Japan today.Show answer
Most of these cars are made in Japan today.
The thief (catch) last night.Show answer
The thief was caught last night.
Penicillin (discover) in 1928.Show answer
Penicillin was discovered in 1928.
Our bread (bake) by a local baker every morning.Show answer
Our bread is baked by a local baker every morning.
These photos (take) last summer.Show answer
These photos were taken last summer.
French and English (speak) in Canada today.Show answer
French and English are spoken in Canada today.
The Eiffel Tower (build) between 1887 and 1889.Show answer
The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889.
The office (clean) every evening after six.Show answer
The office is cleaned every evening after six.