Passive: all tenses, modals and infinitives
It is being repaired, it had been sold, it should have been checked, I hate being interrupted: every passive form.
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You met the passive at B1: be + past participle. The same pattern works in every tense and after every modal verb. The tense is always shown by be, and the main verb is always the past participle. Passive forms also exist for the infinitive (to be done) and the -ing form (being done).
Form | Passive |
|---|---|
present simple | It is made in Italy. |
present continuous | It is being repaired. |
past simple | It was built in 1900. |
past continuous | It was being repaired. |
present perfect | It has been sold. |
past perfect | It had been sold. |
will | It will be finished soon. |
be going to | It's going to be opened in May. |
future perfect | It will have been finished by May. |
modal | It must be signed. |
modal + have | It should have been checked. |
infinitive | I want to be told. |
-ing form | I hate being interrupted. |
Continuous: being + past participle
In the continuous forms, being comes between be and the past participle. It shows that the action is in progress.
- The road is being repaired, so we have to go round.
- When I arrived, the suspect was being questioned.
- Incorrect: My car is repairing at the moment.
- Correct: My car is being repaired at the moment.The car doesn't do the repairing: someone repairs it. The passive needs being + past participle.
Perfect: been + past participle
In the perfect forms, been comes after have or had.
- The flight has been cancelled because of the fog.
- By the time we got there, all the tickets had been sold.
- The work will have been finished by the end of the month.
- Incorrect: Ten new schools have built in the city this year.
- Correct: Ten new schools have been built in the city this year.Without been, the sentence says the schools did the building.
After modal verbs
After a modal verb, use be + past participle. To talk about the past, use have been + past participle.
- The form must be signed by both parents.
- This can't be done in one day.
- The window must have been left open all night.
- The letter should have been sent last week, but nobody remembered.
- Incorrect: The report should have sent yesterday.
- Correct: The report should have been sent yesterday.Someone sends the report, so after should have, add been + past participle.
The passive infinitive: to be done
After verbs and adjectives that take to, the passive form is to be + past participle.
- I want to be told the truth.
- She hopes to be chosen for the team.
- There's a lot of work to be done.
- These tablets need to be taken with food.
- Incorrect: I expect to invite to the wedding.
- Correct: I expect to be invited to the wedding.Someone will invite me, so the infinitive is passive: to be invited.
The perfect form is to have been + past participle: He was lucky to have been chosen.
The passive -ing form: being done
After prepositions and verbs that take -ing, the passive form is being + past participle.
- I hate being interrupted when I'm speaking.
- She's afraid of being left alone.
- He got into the building without being seen.
- Incorrect: Nobody likes laughing at by strangers.
- Correct: Nobody likes being laughed at by strangers.The strangers do the laughing, so the -ing form is passive: being laughed at.
Make, see and hear: to + verb in the passive
After make, see and hear in the active, the verb has no to. In the passive, to appears.
- They made us wait for an hour. → We were made to wait for an hour.
- Someone saw him leave the building. → He was seen to leave the building.
- Incorrect: We were made wait outside.
- Correct: We were made to wait outside.In the passive, make is followed by to + verb.
Let has no normal passive. Use be allowed to: We were allowed to go home early. With see and hear, the -ing form is also common: He was seen leaving the building.
Verbs with a preposition
When the verb has a preposition (look after, deal with, talk about), the preposition stays after the verb in the passive.
- The children are looked after by their grandmother.
- This problem must be dealt with today.
- Incorrect: The problem has been dealt.
- Correct: The problem has been dealt with.The preposition is part of the verb, so it stays.