Changing from active into passive

Only transitive verbs (verbs followed by an object) can be changed into the Passive.

ACTIVE	subject	verb	object
	Tom	invited	me
PASSIVE	subject	verb	agent
	I	was invited	by Tom

But: They travelled to London last summer. (intransitive verb)

Note: Some transitive verbs such as have, fit, suit, resemble, let, look like, etc. cannot be changed into the Passive.

e .g. I have a shower every morning. (NOT: A shower is had by me.)

Study the table:

Verb Tense/Form	Active	Passive
Present Simple	They mend watches here.	Watches are mended here.
Present Continuous	They are mending my watch.	My watch is being mended.
Past Simple	They mended my watch yesterday.	My watch was mended yesterday.
Past Continuous	They were mending my watch when I arrived.	My watch was being mended when I arrived.
Future Simple	They will mend my watch tomorrow.	My watch will be mended tomorrow.
Present Perfect	They have mended my watch.	My watch has been mended.
Past Perfect	They had mended my watch by six o’clock.	My watch had been mended by six o’clock.
Future Perfect	They will have mended my watch by Tuesday.	My watch will have been mended by Tuesday.
Present Infinitive	They can mend my watch.	My watch can be mended.
Perfect Infinitive	They must have mended my watch by now.	My watch must have been mended by now.
-ing form	I insisted on them mending my watch.	I insist on my watch being mended.
Modals + be + pp	They should mend my watch immediately.	My watch should be mended immediately.

Mentioning the agent

The agent is mentioned only when this information is important.

Preposition	Use	Example
by	when we mention who or what carries out the action	The car had been driven by my brother.
with	when we mention the instrument / material / ingredient used	The victim was killed with a knife. The walls were covered with posters. The dish was made with eggs, onions and mayonnaise.
Some verbs can be followed by with or by Verbs such as cover can be followed by with, by, in		The airport was surrounded by / with soldiers. Its body was covered by / in / with flies.

Exercise 1. Match a first part (1-10) with a second part (a-j). Use all the parts.

A decision to strike was taken This church was designed I was shocked He was shot He had been stabbed His trousers were completely covered The house was surrounded Her bedroom wall was covered They were married He used to be beaten

with a penknife. by beautiful grounds. by a hunter with a rifle. by some of the workers. by Christopher Wren. with a stick. by her rude behaviour. by a priest in a tiny little church. with posters of her favouirite singers. in oil.

Exercise 2. Fill in the blanks with by or with.

1. This sauce was made ______ fresh tomatoes. 2. Tommy was bitten ______ a mosquito during the night. 3. The old table was covered ______ a tablecloth. 4. The hall was decorated _____ pink and purple balloons. 5. His suit was made _____ his mother. 6. I was frightened ______ a strange noise coming from the attic. 7. The beautiful poem was written ______ my best friend. 8. This pie is made ______ spinach and cheese. 9. She was woken up _____ a loud noise. 10. The parcel was tied up _____ string. 11. John was told off ______ his mother. 12. This picture was painted ______ a famous artist. 13. The lock was broken _____ a hammer. 14. Claire was shouted at ______ her teacher. 15. He was taught all the Spanish he knows _____ Carmen.

Exercise 3. Make passive sentences using the prompts below. You can use any tense but you should introduce the agent wherever necessary.

1. trousers / wear

2. bills / pay

3. computer / use

4. thieves / arrest

5. car / damage

6. gift / offer

7. TV programme / show

8. curtains / clean

9. cake / decorate

10. I / tell off