The passive in English
The passive puts the focus on what happens rather than on who does it: The bridge was built in 1890. It's common in news, science and formal writing, and when the person doing the action is unknown or unimportant.
The lessons cover the basic forms, the impersonal passive used to report opinions, and having something done by someone else.
The essentials
- Be + past participle, in any tense: It is made in Italy. It was built in 1890. It has been sold.
- Add by only when who did it matters: The book was written by a teacher.
- Report what people think impersonally: It is said that… / He is believed to be in Spain.
- Have or get something done when someone else does a job for you: I'm having my car repaired.
Every lesson on this topic
Each lesson has a full explanation, examples, common mistakes and practice questions.
B1 (English at B1)
- It was built in 1890: the passive: Say what is done or was done when the action matters more than who did it
B2 (English at B2)
- It is said that… / He is believed to…: reporting what people think: Report opinions and claims impersonally, as news reports and formal writing do
- I'm having my car repaired: having something done: have / get something done when someone else does a job for you, and for unpleasant things that happen to you
Other topics
- Present perfect or past simple?
- Talking about the past: English past tenses
- English conditionals: first, second, third and mixed
- English modal verbs: must, have to, should and more
- Talking about the future in English
- Reported speech and reporting verbs
- Relative clauses: who, which, that, whose
- Linking words: although, despite, however, whereas
- -ing or to? Verb patterns in English
- Formal, professional and academic English
- Emphasis in English: inversion and cleft sentences