Intermediate 📐 Grammar · #101 of 305

Passive Voice: Present and Past

be + past participle shifts focus to the receiver.

Examples

  • The letter was written by Tom.
  • English is spoken here.

Key rules

  • Present passive: am/is/are + past participle
  • Past passive: was/were + past participle
  • Use the passive when the doer is unknown or unimportant
  • Add by + agent only when the agent matters

Common mistakes

  • The window broke by the storm → The window was broken by the storm
  • English is speaking here → English is spoken here
💡 Tip: Intransitive verbs like happen and arrive have no passive.
Practise this topic in the appPractise Intermediate quiz
← Wish and If Only (Past)Passive Voice: Perfect and Future →

Related Intermediate topics

See all Intermediate grammar lessons →

Present Perfect Continuous

have been + -ing stresses duration up to now.

Past Perfect

had + past participle for an earlier past action.

Past Perfect Continuous

had been + -ing for duration before a past moment.

Future Continuous

will be + -ing for actions in progress at a future time.

Future Perfect

will have + past participle for completion before a future time.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + -ing for duration up to a future point.