The Passive Form

The Passive Form
The passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb.

When should we use the Passive form of the verb?

First: when the subject is unimportant:
1. Parents put the children to bed at seven o’clock.
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2. Mothers sometimes send the older children to do the shopping.
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3. The painter has painted the outside of the house.
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Second: when the speaker doesn’t want to name the performer of the action:
1. The cook has spoilt the meat.
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2. My brother broke your television.
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3. The police had arrested the wrong man.
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Third: in order to replace a “thing” subject by a “person” subject:
1. The flooded river carried several people away.
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2. Cholera used to kill several people every year.
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3. A bus ran over an old man.
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Forth: when the speaker doesn’t know who or what did the action.
1. Something had broken the window.
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2. Somebody found the lost jewel.
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3. One day, somebody will explore the planet Mars.
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