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Caroline and Pearson Brown give you their

English Grammar Secrets

The Passive

We use the active form to say what the subject does. For example:

  • I speak English every day at work.
  • I repaired the flat tire on the car.

We use the passive form to say what happens to people and things, to say what is done to them. For example:

  • English is spoken here.
  • The car is being repaired.

We use the passive form when we don't know who did the action. For example:

  • The car was damaged while it was parked on the street.
  • The shirts were made in Turkey.

We use the passive form when what was done is more important than who did it. For example:

  • It was approved by Gerry last week.
  • I was informed by the Human Resources Manager only two days ago.

exercise 1

exercise 2

exercise 3

exercise 4

exercise 5

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