Chapter: The Passive
đ Vocabulary
English Grammar and Composition Classes Nine and Ten
â Most Important Exam Words
passive voiceactive voicesubjectobjectagenttransitiveintransitivepast participleis being preparedwas builtwere invitedhas been completedcan be arrangedis going to be constructedwas being repairedhas to be tornis allowed to fallreportedapprovedseized
đ Word Formation Rules
âē Active present simple: subject + base verb or s/es + object; passive: object + am/is/are + past participle + by + subject.
âē Active present continuous: subject + am/is/are + verb-ing + object; passive: object + am/is/are + being + past participle.
âē Active past simple: subject + past verb + object; passive: object + was/were + past participle.
âē Active past continuous: subject + was/were + verb-ing + object; passive: object + was/were + being + past participle.
âē Active present perfect: subject + has/have + past participle + object; passive: object + has/have + been + past participle.
âē Active with a modal: subject + modal + base verb + object; passive: object + modal + be + past participle.
âē Going-to passive: object + am/is/are + going to be + past participle.
âē Negative passive: place not after the first auxiliary, for example, âThe plan was not approvedâ.
âē Interrogative passive: place the first auxiliary before the subject, for example, âWhen was it built?â
âē Use âbyâ before the agent only when the doer is important or needs to be identified.
1. Passive Voice Basics â Passive-āĻāĻ° āĻŽā§āĻ˛āĻŋāĻ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ (8 words)
passive voice[/ËpÃĻsÉĒv vÉÉĒs/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯ā§ āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻĒāĻ° āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻŦ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§
Example: The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the doer.
Syn: passive constructionAnt: active voice
đĄ Exam tip: Object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
active voice[/ËÃĻktÉĒv vÉÉĒs/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯ā§ āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻž āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻ°ā§
Example: The students planted the trees in the school garden.
Syn: active constructionAnt: passive voice
đĄ Exam tip: Identify the subject, verb and object before changing an active sentence.
subject[/ËsĘbdĘÉĒkt/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻž
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻ°ā§
Example: In âThe boy opened the doorâ, âthe boyâ is the subject.
Syn: doerAnt: object
đĄ Exam tip: The active subject normally comes after âbyâ in a passive sentence.
object[/ËÉbdĘÉĒkt/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽ
Alt: āĻ¯āĻžāĻ° āĻāĻĒāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ¨ā§āĻ¨ āĻšā§
Example: In âRina wrote a letterâ, âa letterâ is the object.
Syn: receiverAnt: subject
đĄ Exam tip: Only a transitive verb with an object can normally form a passive sentence.
agent[/ËeÉĒdĘÉnt/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻž
Alt: passive sentence-āĻ āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻ¯ā§ āĻāĻ°ā§
Example: The painting was created by a famous artist; the artist is the agent.
Syn: doerAnt: receiver
đĄ Exam tip: Use âbyâ before the agent when the doer is important.
action[/ËÃĻkĘÉn/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻ
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ¨ā§āĻ¨ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸āĻāĻāĻāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ¯
Example: The action was reported by the newspaper.
Syn: deedAnt: inaction
đĄ Exam tip: The passive voice focuses attention on the action or its result.
transitive[/ËtrÃĻnzÉĒtÉĒv/]adjmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ verb-āĻāĻ° object āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Example: âBuildâ is a transitive verb in âThey build housesâ.
Syn: object-takingAnt: intransitive
đĄ Exam tip: Check whether the verb has an object before making a passive form.
intransitive[/ÉĒnËtrÃĻnzÉĒtÉĒv/]adjmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ verb-āĻāĻ° direct object āĻĨāĻžāĻā§ āĻ¨āĻž
Example: âSleepâ is usually an intransitive verb.
Syn: objectlessAnt: transitive
đĄ Exam tip: Intransitive verbs generally cannot be changed into ordinary passive voice.
2. Forms of Be and Tenses â Be verb āĻ āĻāĻžāĻ˛ (8 words)
is[/ÉĒz/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻšā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Alt: present simple passive-āĻ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ be form
Example: English is spoken in many countries.
Syn: existsAnt: is not
đĄ Exam tip: Use is with a singular subject in present simple passive.
are[/ÉËr/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻšā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Alt: āĻŦāĻšā§āĻŦāĻāĻ¨ subject-āĻāĻ° present be form
Example: The windows are cleaned every morning.
Syn: existAnt: are not
đĄ Exam tip: Use are with plural subjects and you.
was[/wÉz/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ āĻŦāĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: singular subject-āĻāĻ° past be form
Example: The bridge was built in 2010.
Syn: existedAnt: was not
đĄ Exam tip: Use was with a singular subject in past simple passive.
were[/wÉËr/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŋāĻ˛ āĻŦāĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: plural subject-āĻāĻ° past be form
Example: The players were praised by the coach.
Syn: existedAnt: were not
đĄ Exam tip: Use were with plural subjects and you in past passive.
being[/ËbiËÉĒÅ/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻšāĻā§āĻž āĻ
āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžā§
Alt: continuous passive-āĻāĻ° be form
Example: The road is being repaired.
Syn: in progressAnt: completed
đĄ Exam tip: Continuous passive structure: am/is/are/was/were + being + past participle.
been[/biËn/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻšā§ā§āĻā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻāĻž
Alt: perfect passive-āĻ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ be-āĻāĻ° past participle
Example: The work has been completed.
Syn: occurredAnt: not been
đĄ Exam tip: Perfect passive structure: has/have/had + been + past participle.
participle[/pÉËËtÉĒsÉĒpÉl/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻā§āĻ°āĻŋā§āĻžāĻŦāĻŋāĻļā§āĻˇ āĻ°ā§āĻĒ
Alt: verb-āĻāĻ° āĻāĻŽāĻ¨ āĻ°ā§āĻĒ āĻ¯āĻž tense āĻŦāĻž adjective-āĻ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ āĻšā§
Example: âWrittenâ is the past participle of âwriteâ.
Syn: verb form
đĄ Exam tip: A passive verb always uses the past participle form after be.
tense[/tens/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽā§ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻā§āĻļāĻ verb form
Example: The tense remains unchanged when an active sentence becomes passive.
Syn: time form
đĄ Exam tip: Keep the tense of the active verb while changing only the auxiliary structure.
3. Passive Structures â āĻāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ āĻ¨ (8 words)
completed[/kÉmËpliËtÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ¨ā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻļā§āĻˇ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The assignment was completed by the students.
Syn: finishedAnt: started
đĄ Exam tip: Completed is the past participle used after was or were.
prepared[/prÉĒËpeÉd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻā§ā§āĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The plan is being prepared by the class captains.
Syn: arrangedAnt: neglected
đĄ Exam tip: Present continuous passive: is being prepared.
invented[/ÉĒnËventÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻĻā§āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻ¨āĻ¤ā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻˇā§āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The radio was invented by Marconi.
Syn: createdAnt: destroyed
đĄ Exam tip: Use was invented for a singular object in past simple passive.
built[/bÉĒlt/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻŖ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻŦāĻ¨ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻĒāĻ¨āĻž āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The historic building was built in the Mughal era.
Syn: constructedAnt: demolished
đĄ Exam tip: Built is both the past and past participle of build.
arranged[/ÉËreÉĒndĘd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻā§ā§āĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻāĻ˛ā§āĻĒāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻž āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The picnic can be arranged by Iqbal.
Syn: organizedAnt: disorganized
đĄ Exam tip: After a modal, use modal + be + past participle: can be arranged.
sent[/sent/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻžāĻ āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻ°āĻŖ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The invitation cards have already been sent.
Syn: dispatchedAnt: received
đĄ Exam tip: Sent is the past participle of send and follows have been.
taken[/ËteÉĒkÉn/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻ¨ā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ¨āĻŋā§ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The patient was taken to the hospital.
Syn: carriedAnt: returned
đĄ Exam tip: Taken is the past participle of take; do not use took after be.
invited[/ÉĒnËvaÉĒtÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŽāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŖ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻˇā§āĻ āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻĄāĻžāĻ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: Many guests were invited to the wedding party.
Syn: welcomedAnt: excluded
đĄ Exam tip: Question form: How many people were invited?
4. Reporting and Public Information â āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻĻāĻ¨ āĻ āĻāĻ¨āĻ¸āĻžāĻ§āĻžāĻ°āĻŖā§āĻ° āĻ¤āĻĨā§āĻ¯ (8 words)
reported[/rÉĒËpÉËtÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻ¸āĻāĻŦāĻžāĻĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¤āĻĨā§āĻ¯ āĻšāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āĻŦā§ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The incident was reported in the daily newspaper.
Syn: announcedAnt: concealed
đĄ Exam tip: Passive voice is frequent in news reports because the event is emphasized.
announced[/ÉËnaĘnst/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻā§āĻˇāĻŖāĻž āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻ¸āĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻā§ āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻˇā§āĻ āĻžāĻ¨āĻŋāĻāĻāĻžāĻŦā§ āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The results were announced yesterday.
Syn: declaredAnt: withheld
đĄ Exam tip: Use were announced when results is plural.
approved[/ÉËpruËvd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻŽā§āĻĻāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻ¸āĻ°āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻˇā§āĻ āĻžāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻŽāĻ¤āĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The plan was approved by the government.
Syn: authorizedAnt: rejected
đĄ Exam tip: The agent may be omitted when the approving authority is obvious.
financed[/ËfaÉĒnÃĻnst/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻžā§āĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻžāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻ
āĻ°ā§āĻĨ āĻ¸āĻ°āĻŦāĻ°āĻžāĻš āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The project was financed by the government.
Syn: fundedAnt: defunded
đĄ Exam tip: Use was financed for a singular project.
constructed[/kÉnËstrĘktÉĒd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻŖ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻāĻ˛ā§āĻĒāĻ¨āĻž āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻžā§ā§ āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: A new bridge is going to be constructed over the river.
Syn: builtAnt: demolished
đĄ Exam tip: Going-to passive: is going to be constructed.
benefited[/ËbenÉĒfÉĒtÉĒd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻĒāĻā§āĻ¤ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻŋāĻ§āĻž āĻĨā§āĻā§ āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻŦāĻžāĻ¨ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: People in the southern districts will be benefited by the bridge.
Syn: gainedAnt: suffered
đĄ Exam tip: Benefit is commonly followed by âbyâ in passive constructions.
visited[/ËvÉĒzÉĒtÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻĻāĻ°ā§āĻļāĻ¨ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻ¨ āĻĻā§āĻāĻ¤ā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The construction site was visited by the minister.
Syn: inspectedAnt: avoided
đĄ Exam tip: Use was visited when the singular site receives the action.
seized[/siËzd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻŦā§āĻĻ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻžāĻŦā§ āĻĻāĻāĻ˛ā§ āĻ¨ā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: Illegal polythene was seized by the authorities.
Syn: confiscatedAnt: released
đĄ Exam tip: Newspaper headlines often omit be verbs, but complete sentences need them.
5. Travel, Safety and Incidents â āĻā§āĻ°āĻŽāĻŖ, āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°āĻžāĻĒāĻ¤ā§āĻ¤āĻž āĻ āĻāĻāĻ¨āĻž (8 words)
stuck[/stĘk/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻā§ āĻāĻŋā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻ˛ āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¨āĻž āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋāĻ° āĻšā§ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The rickshaw was stuck in a traffic jam.
Syn: trappedAnt: free
đĄ Exam tip: Stuck is the past participle of stick and follows was or were.
repaired[/rÉĒËpeÉd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻŽā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŽāĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻā§āĻˇāĻ¤āĻŋāĻā§āĻ°āĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ āĻŋāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšāĻā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The road was being repaired when we arrived.
Syn: mendedAnt: damaged
đĄ Exam tip: Past continuous passive: was being repaired.
told[/tÉĘld/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻā§ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¤āĻĨā§āĻ¯ āĻŦāĻ˛āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: I was told that the bus would be late.
Syn: informedAnt: misled
đĄ Exam tip: Told is the past participle of tell; use was told, not was telled.
entertained[/ËentÉËteÉĒnd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻŦāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻ¨āĻ¨ā§āĻĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻŽā§āĻĻ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The passengers were entertained with music and videos.
Syn: amusedAnt: bored
đĄ Exam tip: Use were entertained because passengers is plural.
stopped[/stÉpt/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĨāĻžāĻŽāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻ˛āĻŽāĻžāĻ¨ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The bus was stopped by the police.
Syn: haltedAnt: started
đĄ Exam tip: Stopped is a regular past participle ending in -ed.
checked[/tĘekt/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻā§āĻˇāĻž āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻ˛ā§āĻāĻžāĻŦā§ āĻ¯āĻžāĻāĻžāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The bus was checked thoroughly.
Syn: examinedAnt: ignored
đĄ Exam tip: Adverbs such as thoroughly usually come after the passive verb.
charged[/tĘÉËdĘd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻŽā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ¯ āĻ¨ā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻĒāĻŖā§āĻ¯ā§āĻ° āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ¯ āĻ
āĻ°ā§āĻĨ āĻĻāĻžāĻŦāĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: We were charged a higher hotel tariff.
Syn: billedAnt: refunded
đĄ Exam tip: Charged can be followed by a person and an amount or price.
unlocked[/ĘnËlÉkt/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ˛āĻž āĻā§āĻ˛āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Alt: āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āĻ§ āĻĻāĻ°āĻāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ¤āĻžāĻ˛āĻž āĻā§āĻ˛ā§ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ˛
Example: The door was unlocked by the porter.
Syn: openedAnt: locked
đĄ Exam tip: Use was unlocked for a singular door in past simple passive.
6. Commands and Instructions â āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻā§āĻļ āĻ āĻāĻĻā§āĻļ (8 words)
torn[/tÉËn/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŖā§āĻĄāĻŋāĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The paper has to be torn into four pieces.
Syn: rippedAnt: mended
đĄ Exam tip: Torn is the past participle of tear; structure: has to be torn.
folded[/ËfÉĘldÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻžāĻĒā§ āĻāĻžāĻāĻ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The paper is folded in the middle.
Syn: bentAnt: unfolded
đĄ Exam tip: Instructions often use âis to be foldedâ or âhas to be foldedâ.
drawn[/drÉËn/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻāĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻ°ā§āĻāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻŦāĻŋ āĻ¤ā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: A horizontal line is drawn across the paper.
Syn: sketchedAnt: erased
đĄ Exam tip: Drawn is the past participle of draw, not drawed.
divided[/dÉĒËvaÉĒdÉĒd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻā§ āĻ
āĻāĻļā§ āĻŦāĻŋāĻāĻā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The paper is divided into three equal parts.
Syn: separatedAnt: united
đĄ Exam tip: Use divided with âintoâ to show the resulting parts.
attached[/ÉËtÃĻtĘt/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻ¯ā§āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻāĻ°āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻāĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ¸ āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻāĻŋāĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻžāĻ¨ā§ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: A paper clip is attached to the centre flap.
Syn: fastenedAnt: detached
đĄ Exam tip: Attached is commonly followed by âtoâ.
raised[/reÉĒzd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻ¤ā§āĻ˛āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ āĻĨā§āĻā§ āĻāĻĒāĻ°ā§ āĻ¤ā§āĻ˛āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The whole object is raised high.
Syn: liftedAnt: lowered
đĄ Exam tip: Raise is transitive, so it can form a passive sentence.
allowed[/ÉËlaĘd/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻŽāĻ¤āĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻāĻ°āĻžāĻ° āĻ¸ā§āĻ¯ā§āĻ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻž āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: The object is allowed to fall.
Syn: permittedAnt: forbidden
đĄ Exam tip: Use be allowed + to-infinitive in passive constructions.
required[/rÉĒËkwaÉĒÉd/]verbeasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§ā§āĻāĻ¨ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻžāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻāĻŦāĻļā§āĻ¯āĻ āĻšā§ā§āĻā§
Example: An A4-size paper is required for the experiment.
Syn: neededAnt: optional
đĄ Exam tip: âIs requiredâ is a formal passive way to say âis neededâ.
đĄ Exam Tips
âĸ First identify the object of the active sentence; make it the subject of the passive sentence.
âĸ Keep the original tense unchanged while changing the auxiliary verb.
âĸ Always use the past participle after be, being or been.
âĸ Use was or were according to the new passive subject, not the old active subject.
âĸ Use âbyâ before the doer, but omit it when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant.
âĸ For continuous passive, remember âbeingâ; for perfect passive, remember âbeenâ.
âĸ After can, may, must, should or other modals, use âbe + past participleâ.
âĸ Do not use passive with a verb that has no suitable object in ordinary transitive constructions.
âĸ In newspaper headlines, be verbs are often omitted; restore them in complete sentences.
âĸ Check subjectâverb agreement after moving the object to the subject position.
âĸ Common irregular past participles include built, taken, sent, told, drawn, torn and written.
âĸ For questions, move the first auxiliary before the new subject: âWho was invited?â