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PASSIVE VOICE: Chart for Each Verb Tense
We'd like to welcome you to the ESL HELP! Desk, where all activities and exercises are authentic English, from learners of English.
In this lesson we are proud to present to you one of the handiest charts you will ever see. Our chart will help you with both active voice sentences and passive voice sentences.
If you'd like to begin with Part
1 of our series, please
click here: What Is Passive Voice?
Active and Passive Voice Chart for Each Verb Tense
Use the chart below to guide you when constructing passive voice verb forms.
The chart will also help you with
the correct sentence structure (syntax).
Notice that correct subject-verb agreement
is essential.
In cases where the active voice sentence indicates a
direct and an indirect object, the passive voice sentence
is shown in two different ways, one with the direct
object as the new subject, and the other with the indirect
object as the new subject.
| Active Voice Sentence | Passive Voice Sentence |
| Simple Present Tense | |
| These laws frighten us. | We are frightened (by these laws). |
| The mountains surround our town. | Our town is surrounded by mountains. |
| Simple Past Tense | |
| The judge sent Frank to jail. | Frank was sent to jail. |
| The priest married us in Puerto Rico. | We were married in Puerto Rico. |
| Present Progressive Tense | |
| Sam is fixing the T.V. | The TV is being fixed by Sam. |
| Present Perfect Tense | |
| Nobody has (ever) told me this. | I
have (never) been
told
this (by anybody). This has (never) been told to me (by anybody). |
| Past Perfect Tense | |
| He had given this to me before you left. | I
had been
given
this (by him) before you left. This had been given to me (by him) before you left. |
| Infinitive Phrase | |
| I have to do my homework right now. | My homework has to be done right now. |
| I am going to finish this by six o'clock. | This is going to be finished by six o'clock. |
| Modals | |
| The judge will put them in prison. | They will be put in prison. |
| I will finish this by six o'clock. | This will be finished by six o'clock. |
| People must respect the law. | The law must be respected. |
| I believe that people should tell the truth. | I believe that the truth should be told. |
| Drugs would affect his life. | His life would be affected by drugs. |
Quick Summary
Here is a quick summary of the correct form of the verb when forming passive voice:
| verb tense | "be" verb | past participle of the main verb |
| simple present | am/is/are | The past participle is then added. |
| simple past | was/were | The past participle is then added. |
| present progressive | is/am/are being | The past participle is then added. |
| past progressive | was/were being | The past participle is then added. |
| present perfect | have/has been | The past participle is then added. |
| past perfect | had been | The past participle is then added. |
| modals |
modal + be (e.g. will be, must be, etc.) |
The past participle is then added. |
Next.... The Past Participle and Passive Voice
In our next lesson we discuss
the Past Participle and
its application in passive voice sentences.
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