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Passive Across Tenses

Passive voice is a way of talking about an action without focusing on who does it, and it is commonly used in formal writing and speeches to emphasize the action rather than the doer.

B1Passive Voice

What is Passive Across Tenses?

Passive voice is a way of talking about an action without focusing on who does it.

  • The pattern is was/were + past participle, which is used to describe an action that happened in the past.
  • The past participle is the third form of a verb, like 'eaten' or 'written', and it is used to show that the action is complete.

When Do We Use Passive Voice?

  • Use passive voice to emphasize what is happening, rather than who is doing it.
  • Use passive voice to be more formal or objective.
  • Use passive voice when the doer of the action is not important or is unknown.

Examples of Passive Voice

  • The ball was thrown by John.
  • The play is being performed at the theater.
  • The new policy has been announced by the company.
  • The package will be delivered tomorrow.
  • The research is being conducted by a team of scientists.
  • The book has been written by a famous author.

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: The ball throw by John. Correct: The ball was thrown by John.
  • Wrong: The play perform at the theater. Correct: The play is being performed at the theater.
  • Wrong: The package will deliver tomorrow. Correct: The package will be delivered tomorrow.

Memory Trick

Try to remember that the passive voice is like a game of hide and seek, where the doer of the action is hidden, and the focus is on the action itself.

Quick check
The package _____ by the courier service.

Where this matters in your exam

The passive voice is important for IELTS because it is commonly used in academic writing and formal speeches, and being able to understand and use it correctly can improve your score in the writing and listening sections. It is especially useful in Writing Task 2 to express complex ideas in a clear and concise manner.

  • Writing Task 2

    Passive voice is often used in formal essays to emphasize the action rather than the doer.

  • Listening Section 3

    Passive voice may be used in discussions to report information in a neutral way.