🔄 Present Simple Passive

Mastering When the Action is More Important Than the Doer

🎯 Objective

To help learners understand and correctly use the Present Simple Passive Voice, focusing on when and why to use passive constructions instead of active ones.

📖 Active vs Passive Voice

The passive voice shifts focus from WHO does the action to WHAT happens or WHAT receives the action.

Voice Structure Focus Example
Active Subject + verb + object WHO does the action The chef cooks the meal.
Passive Subject + am/is/are + past participle WHAT happens/receives action The meal is cooked (by the chef).

📚 Step-by-Step Guide: Mastering Present Simple Passive

Understanding Passive Voice

Key Concept: In passive voice, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject. We use passive when the action or result is more important than who performs it.

Transformation: Chef (subject) cooks (verb) meal (object) → Meal (subject) is cooked (passive verb) by chef (agent)

Formation: Present Simple Passive

1. ✅ Positive Form

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + past participle

Examples:

  • English is spoken worldwide.
  • Cars are made in factories.
  • I am invited to parties.
2. ❌ Negative Form

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + not + past participle

Examples:

  • This product isn't sold here.
  • Pets are not allowed.
  • I am not informed about changes.
3. ❓ Question Form

Structure: Am/Is/Are + subject + past participle?

Examples:

  • Is English spoken here?
  • Are students tested regularly?
  • Am I expected to attend?
4. 👤 With Agent (by + doer)

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + past participle + by + agent

Examples:

  • This book is written by Shakespeare.
  • Houses are built by construction workers.
  • Students are taught by experienced teachers.

When to Use Present Simple Passive

1. General Facts and Processes

Use: Describing how things are generally done

  • "Rice is grown in Asia." (general fact)
  • "Cars are manufactured in factories." (process)
  • "Bread is baked fresh daily." (routine process)
2. When the Doer is Unknown/Unimportant

Use: Focus on the action, not who does it

  • "My bike was stolen." (don't know who)
  • "This building is cleaned every night." (cleaner unimportant)
  • "Mistakes are made." (general statement)
3. Formal and Scientific Writing

Use: Academic and professional contexts

  • "The data is analyzed carefully." (formal tone)
  • "Experiments are conducted regularly." (scientific)
  • "Reports are submitted monthly." (business)
4. Rules and Regulations

Use: Official policies and procedures

  • "Smoking is prohibited in this area."
  • "Students are required to wear uniforms."
  • "Visitors are asked to sign in."

Active to Passive Transformation

Step-by-Step Process:
  1. Identify the object in the active sentence
  2. Make it the subject of the passive sentence
  3. Use appropriate be verb (am/is/are)
  4. Add past participle of the main verb
  5. Add 'by + agent' if necessary
Examples:

Active: "The company produces cars."

Step 1: Object = cars

Step 2: Cars (new subject)

Step 3: Cars are

Step 4: Cars are produced

Step 5: Cars are produced by the company.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

✅ DO:
  • Use correct be verb: "Cars are made" ✅
  • Use past participle: "is written" ✅
  • Match subject-verb: "Books are sold" ✅
  • Omit agent when obvious: "English is spoken" ✅
❌ DON'T:
  • Use wrong be verb: "Cars is made" ❌
  • Use base form: "is write" ❌
  • Wrong agreement: "Books is sold" ❌
  • Overuse agent: "by people" unnecessary ❌

Irregular Past Participles (Common Ones)

Important Irregular Forms:

make → made: "Toys are made of plastic."

write → written: "Letters are written by hand."

speak → spoken: "French is spoken in Canada."

build → built: "Houses are built quickly now."

sell → sold: "Tickets are sold online."

buy → bought: "Products are bought globally."

🧩 Task: Transform and Correct the Passive Sentences

Read the text below about coffee production. Identify errors and transform active sentences to passive where appropriate.

📝 Student Text:

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages. Farmers is growing coffee beans in tropical regions around the world. The beans are harvesting by workers when they are ripe. After harvesting, the beans is dried in the sun for several days. Then, companies exports the dried beans to different countries. In coffee shops, baristas are grind the beans fresh daily. Finally, customers are served hot coffee in cups. Coffee are enjoyed by millions of people every morning.

1. ❌ Find and correct the subject-verb agreement errors in passive sentences.

2. ❌ Identify the wrong verb forms in passive constructions.

3. ✅ Transform these active sentences to passive voice: "companies exports" and "baristas are grind"

4. ✅ Explain why passive voice is appropriate in this coffee production text.

✅ Answer Key & Explanation

1. ❌ Subject-Verb Agreement Errors:

Error 1: "Farmers is growing" → "Coffee is grown by farmers"

Error 2: "the beans is dried" → "the beans are dried"

Error 3: "Coffee are enjoyed" → "Coffee is enjoyed"

Rule: Use "is" with singular subjects and "are" with plural subjects.

2. ❌ Wrong Verb Forms:

Error 1: "are harvesting" → "are harvested"

Error 2: "are grind" → "are ground"

Rule: Passive voice requires past participle, not present participle (-ing) or base form.

3. ✅ Active to Passive Transformations:

Active: "companies exports the dried beans"

Passive: "The dried beans are exported by companies"

Active: "baristas are grind the beans"

Passive: "The beans are ground by baristas" OR "The beans are ground fresh daily"

4. ✅ Why Passive Voice is Appropriate:

Process Description: The text focuses on what happens to coffee at each stage rather than who does each action.

General Facts: Describes how coffee is generally produced, making the process more important than specific people.

Formal Tone: Passive voice creates a more objective, informational style suitable for factual descriptions.

🏆 Corrected Model Text

Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages. Coffee beans are grown by farmers in tropical regions around the world. The beans are harvested by workers when they are ripe. After harvesting, the beans are dried in the sun for several days. Then, the dried beans are exported to different countries. In coffee shops, the beans are ground fresh daily. Finally, customers are served hot coffee in cups. Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people every morning.

Grammar Analysis:
  • ✅ Correct subject-verb agreement: "beans are" (plural), "coffee is" (uncountable)
  • ✅ Proper past participles: grown, harvested, dried, exported, ground, served, enjoyed
  • ✅ Consistent passive voice: focuses on the coffee production process
  • ✅ Appropriate agent omission: "by farmers/workers" included when relevant
  • ✅ Process sequence: logical flow from growing to consumption
Passive Voice Benefits in This Text:

Process Focus: Emphasizes the stages of coffee production rather than the people involved

Universal Truth: Describes how coffee is generally processed worldwide

Formal Register: Creates an informational, encyclopedic tone appropriate for factual content

Logical Flow: Follows the coffee from farm to cup, maintaining focus on the product

Alternative Active Versions (Less Effective):

Active: "Farmers grow coffee beans..." (focuses on farmers)

Passive: "Coffee beans are grown..." (focuses on coffee process) ✅ Better for this context