1. Passive Voice 1

2. You are being replaced by a machine.2

3. Form Different tenses of be (is, was, is being, have been, …) +
past participle of the main verb.
This article was written by a well-known journalist. 3

4. Form English is spoken here. I wasn’t invited, but I went.
* PP = Past participle
Passive Tense
Structure
Present Simple
am/are/is + PP*
English is spoken here.
I wasn’t invited, but I went.
You’ll be told soon.
Past Simple
was/were + PP
Will future
will be + PP 4

5. Structure Passive: This church was built in 1275.
Active: They built this church in 1275.
Subject
Object 5

6. Structure Passive: German is spoken in Germany.
Active: Germans speak German.
Subject
Object 6

7. Use We use the passive voice: when the agent is unknown;
My car was stolen last night. (I don’t know who stole my car)
to emphasise the action rather than the agent;
The factory was painted during the war. (We are interested in the factory.)
when the agent is generally understood;
The thief was arrested (by the police).
When we don’t want to say who the agent is/was.
A mistake was made. (Active voice: I made a mistake.) 7

8. Use The passive voice is usually used in: Newspapers (/ news);
Formal notices;
Scientific or technical writing. 8