It is done / it was done

(passive)

Paucara Pinto Elizabeth

Reymundo Jara Hernan

Huachaca Ampuero Carlos

Guanilo Lozano Alejandro

The room was

cleaned yesterday.

The room is

cleaned every day.

Compare:

Somebody cleans the room every day.

The room is cleaned every day.

Somebody cleaned the room yesterday.

The room was cleaned yesterday. (passive)

(active)

(passive)

(active)

The passive is:

Past participle

+ Past was/were

Cleaned

Exported

damaged (not)

am/is/are Present done

made

broken

The past participle of regular verbs is –ed (cleaned/damaged etc.). For a list of irregular past participles (made/seen etc.).

• Butter is made from milk.

• Oranges are imported into Britain.

• How often are these rooms cleaned?

• I am never invited to parties.

• This house was built 100 years ago.

• These houses were built 100 years ago.

• When was the telephone invented?

• I wasn’t invited to the party last week.

• Six people were injured in the accident

yesterday.

We say was/were born:

I was born in London in 1958. (not ‘ I am

born’) Where were you born?

Passive + by …

We were woken up by the noise. (=The noise woke us up.)

The telephone was invented by Alexander Bell in 1876.

My brother was bitten by a dog last week.

EXERCISES AND

EXAMPLES

Write sentences from the words in brackets ( ). All the sentences are

past

•

I

(The room / clean / yesterday)

The room was cleaned

yesterday.

1.1

(When / the room / clean?)

When was the room cleaned?

1.3

(this room / paint / last month)

This room was painted last

month.

1.4

(These houses / build / about 50 years ago)

These houses were built

about 50 years ago.

1.5

(Ann’s bicycle / steal / last

week)

Ann’s bicycle was stolen last week

1.6

(Three people / injure / in the accident)

Three people were injured in

the accident.

1.7

(When / this church / build?)

When was this church built?

1.8

(When / television / invent?)

When was television invented?

1.9

(how / the window / break?)

How was the window broken?

1.10

(anybody / injure / in the accident?)

Was anybody injured in the

accident?

1.11

11. (Why / the letter / send / to the wrong address?

Why was the letter sent to the wrong address?

1.12

Write sentences from the word in brackets ( ). All the sentences

are present.

II

(This room / clean / every day)

This room is cleaned every day.

2.1

( How often / the room / clean? )

How often is the room cleaned ?

2.2

( glass / make / from sand )

Glass is made from sand.

2.3

( stamps / sell / in a post office )

Stamps are sold in a post office.

2.4

( football / play / in most

countries )

Football is played in most countries.

2.5

( this machine/ not/ use / very

often )

This machine is not used very often.

2.6

7 ( what language / speak / in

Ethiopia ? )

What language is spoken in Ethiopia?

2.7

8 ( what / this machine/ use / for )

What is this machine used for?

2.8

III. Complete the sentences. Use the passive (present or past) of

these verbs:

Blow

Damage

Clean Build

Steal

Speak

Show Pay

Make

Invent

Find

3.1 The room every

day.

is cleaned

3.2 Two trees down

in the storm last night.

were blown

3.3 Paper from wood is made

3.4 There was a fire at the

hotel last week. Two

rooms .

were damaged

3.5 Many different

languages in

India.

Are spoken

3.6 These houses are very

old. They about

500 year ago.

were built

3.7 Many American

programmes on

British television.

are shown

3.8 Is this a very old film?

Yes, it in 1949. was made

3.9 My car last week.

The next day it by

the police.

was stolen

was found

3.10 The transitor in

1948.

was invented

3.11 He has a very good job.

He $3000 a month. is paid

4.1

4.2

4.3