1. PASSIVE VOICE Business English 3 Unit 11

2. Structure Passive Form: form of be + past participle. Ex. Christ Church was built in 1172. This house could have been built in 1450. Be careful: After/Before being fermented, yeast is removed from the mixture.

3. Uses Passive voice is used when the message needs to be impersonal. For example, A mistake has been made (by Ellen). The church was built in 1208. (Who built it?— no information is given) Coffee beans are ground to brew coffee. (Who ground them? – unimportant detail.)

4. Active vs. Passive We use active voice more frequently. Ex. Mary baked the apple pie. In passive voice, this sentence would be: The apple pie was baked by Mary.

5. Forms of the verb “be” Am Is Are Was+Past Participle Were (modal verb) be (Has, have, had) been