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A1
Beginner
39 lessons
Common Greetings Present Simple Tense Listening Skills: Tips and Strategies Telephone and Video Call English Articles: A, An and The Numbers, Dates and Time Asking Simple Questions The Verb To Be Classroom and School Vocabulary Personal Pronouns: I, You, He, She Plurals: Regular and Irregular Nouns Possessives: My, Your, His, Her Family Members and Relationships Food and Drink Basics Days, Months and Seasons Reading: A Short Email to a Friend Colours, Shapes and Sizes Reading: Short Personal Profiles Reading: Signs and Notices Reading: Product Labels Using Capital Letters and Full Stops Reading: A Simple Menu Reading: A Basic Timetable Writing Your First Email in English Writing About Yourself Writing a Simple Message Writing a Shopping List Writing Numbers and Dates Correctly Listening: Numbers and Prices Listening: Greetings and Introductions Listening: Simple Instructions Listening: Spelling Names and Words Greeting People and Saying Goodbye Listening: Days and Times Listening: Short Conversations at a Shop Asking for Directions Introducing Yourself in English Ordering Food and Drinks Talking About Your Daily Routine
A2
Elementary
25 lessons
Past Simple Tense Reading: A Day in London Writing Paragraphs Food and Drink Vocabulary The Present Continuous Tense Describing People: Appearance and Personality At the Airport Reading: A Famous City Writing Simple Sentences Comparatives and Superlatives Simple Past Tense: Regular Verbs Simple Past Tense: Irregular Verbs Can and Can't: Ability and Permission How Much and How Many Work and Jobs Vocabulary Transport and Travel Vocabulary Sports and Hobbies Health and Body Parts Shopping and Money Vocabulary Reading: A Short News Story Reading: A Holiday Postcard Reading: A Job Advertisement Reading: A Simple Recipe Reading: A Hotel Review Writing About Your Weekend
B1
Intermediate
14 lessons
Reading: The Future of Work Understanding Accents and Dialects Countable and Uncountable Nouns The Present Perfect Tense Phrasal Verbs: Top 30 Health and Medicine Vocabulary Listening Strategies for Podcasts Job Interview English Writing a Formal Letter First and Second Conditional Modal Verbs: Should, Must, Might Environment and Nature Vocabulary Passive Voice in Present and Past Gerunds and Infinitives
B2
Upper Intermediate
13 lessons
Business Email Writing Reading: The Art of Listening Passive Voice Discourse Markers and Linking Words Academic Writing: Paragraphs and Essays Debate and Discussion Language Reading: Understanding Opinion Pieces Relative Clauses: Defining and Non-defining Academic Vocabulary: Word Families Inversion for Emphasis Cleft Sentences for Emphasis Reading: Academic Journal Extracts Environment and Climate Change Vocabulary
C1
Advanced
10 lessons
Nominalisation in Academic English Advanced English Idioms Hedging Language in Formal Writing Advanced Collocations and Word Partnerships Reported Speech Critical Listening: Analysing Arguments Persuasive Speaking and Rhetoric Reading: Literary and Cultural Texts Advanced Passive Structures Advanced Conditionals and Wishes
Lessons Grammar
🔄

Passive Voice in Present and Past

Grammar Intermediate ~2 min

Use passive voice correctly to describe actions in present and past situations, like explaining how things are made or what happened.

📖 Lesson

What You Will Learn

You'll learn when and how to use passive voice in present and past tenses. This is super useful when you want to focus on the action itself rather than who does it — like in news reports, instructions, or when you don't know who did something.

Explanation (with real-life context)

In active voice, the subject performs the action: "My boss rejected my proposal." But in passive voice, the action is the focus: "My proposal was rejected."

Why use passive? Three main reasons:
1. You don't know who did it: "My phone was stolen at the train station."
2. It's not important who did it: "The office is closed on Sundays."
3. It's more polite: "A mistake was made in your bill" instead of "You made a mistake."

Present Passive: am/is/are + past participle
- "Smartphones are produced in factories."
- "The restaurant is being renovated right now."

Past Passive: was/were + past participle
- "The email was sent yesterday."
- "We were invited to the party last week."

Examples (natural sentences from daily life)

  • Present: "Coffee is served every morning at 7am." (You don't need to say by someone)
  • Present Continuous: "My website is being updated. That's why it's slow."
  • Past: "I was offered two jobs last month, but I chose this one."
  • Past Continuous: "While we were talking, the power was cut off."
  • WhatsApp situation: "The meeting has been rescheduled to Friday." (News announcement)

Common Mistakes

❌ "The house was built 20 years ago by my grandfather." — Awkward with by; just say: "The house was built 20 years ago."

❌ "The work is done by him every day." — Too specific about who; better: "The work is done every day."

❌ "The letter was writing." — Wrong! Past participle needed: "The letter was written."

Quick Tips

  • Use "by" only when it's important: "The decision was made by the CEO" (matters who decided).
  • Remember the helping verb: am/is/are (present) or was/were (past).
  • The past participle never changes: broken, sent, made, created — same form every time.
  • When in doubt, ask: Does the doer matter? If no → passive is perfect.
Follow Along reads paragraph by paragraph with highlighting. Hover underlined words for quick definitions.

🃏 Key Vocabulary — tap to flip

9 words
passive voice
/ˈpæsɪv vɔɪs/
Intermediate
Tap to see definition →
Definition
Grammar structure where the object becomes the subject; the action is more important than who does it.
"The email was sent by mistake—here, 'was sent' is passive voice."
Tap to flip back
agent
/ˈeɪdʒənt/
Intermediate
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Definition
The person or thing that performs the action in a passive sentence; comes after 'by'.
"In 'The cake was baked by Maria,' Maria is the agent."
Tap to flip back
to transform
/trænsˈfɔːrm/
Intermediate
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Definition
To change from one form to another; in grammar, to convert active to passive.
"We can transform 'They make cars' into 'Cars are made' (passive)."
Tap to flip back
continuous passive
/kənˈtɪnjuːəs ˈpæsɪv/
Intermediate
Tap to see definition →
Definition
Passive structure showing an action in progress; uses 'being' + past participle.
"The office is being renovated right now (action happening currently)."
Tap to flip back
present perfect passive
/ˈprezənt ˈpɜːrfɪkt ˈpæsɪv/
Intermediate
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Definition
Passive showing a recent action with connection to present; uses 'have/has been' + past participle.
"I have been invited to three weddings this year."
Tap to flip back
to reject
/rɪˈdʒekt/
Intermediate
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Definition
To refuse to accept or consider something or someone.
"My application was rejected because I didn't meet the requirements."
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to cancel
/ˈkænsl/
Intermediate
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Definition
To decide that something planned will not happen.
"The flight was canceled due to bad weather."
Tap to flip back
helping verb (auxiliary)
/ˈhelpɪŋ vɜːrb/
Intermediate
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Definition
A verb that works with the main verb to create specific tenses, like 'is,' 'was,' 'have been.'
"In 'The email was sent,' 'was' is the helping verb."
Tap to flip back
to focus on
/tə ˈfoʊkəs ɑːn/
Intermediate
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Definition
To give special attention or importance to something.
"We use passive voice to focus on the action rather than on who does it."
Tap to flip back

✏️ Fill in the Blank

Type the missing word to complete each sentence.

The email was sent by mistake—here, 'was sent' is ___.
In 'The cake was baked by Maria,' Maria is the ___.
We use passive voice ___ the action rather than on who does it.

✅ Check Your Understanding

Quick Check
3 questions · no login needed

1. Which sentence correctly uses the present passive voice?

2. What is the main reason to use passive voice in this sentence: 'My laptop was stolen at the airport'?

3. Which sentence is in the past continuous passive?

🧠 Practice Quizzes

Test Your Knowledge: Passive Voice in Present and Past
5 questions · 10 min
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