Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
So far you have used the active voice, where the subject does the action: The workers built the bridge. At B1 you meet the passive voice, where the subject receives the action: The bridge was built. The passive is everywhere in English — in the news, in science, in instructions and in descriptions of how things are made.
Here is the core idea in one line: in the active voice we care about who does the action; in the passive voice we care about the action itself or the thing it happens to, not the doer.
Every passive sentence follows one simple pattern: a form of the verb be plus the past participle (the "third form", V3). Only the be part changes to show the tense; the past participle never changes. Regular verbs add -ed (cleaned, played); irregular verbs have a special V3 (make → made, build → built, write → written, take → taken).
| Tense | be | Example (passive) |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | am / is / are + V3 | Cheese is made from milk. |
| Past simple | was / were + V3 | The house was built in 1950. |
| Future (will) | will be + V3 | The road will be finished next year. |
| Present perfect | has / have been + V3 | My bike has been stolen. |
This is the heart of the unit. To turn an active sentence into a passive one, follow three steps. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one.
| Step | What to do | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Move the object to the front (it becomes the new subject). | The chef cooks the meal. → The meal ... |
| 2 | Add the correct form of be + the past participle (V3). | The meal is cooked ... |
| 3 | Put the old subject (the doer) after by — if you need it. | The meal is cooked by the chef. |
The doer of the action is called the agent. In a passive sentence, we mention the agent with by only when it is important or interesting. Very often, we simply leave it out.
| With the agent (by...) | Without the agent |
|---|---|
| America was discovered by Columbus. | My wallet was stolen. (We do not know who.) |
| This song was written by a teenager. | English is spoken here. (The doer is "people" — obvious.) |
English speakers do not choose the passive by accident. They use it for clear reasons. Learn these three — they explain almost every passive sentence you will read.
| Reason | Why | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The doer is unknown | We cannot say who did it. | The window was broken last night. |
| The doer is not important | The action matters more than the person. | The bottles are filled by machine. |
| The doer is obvious / general | Everyone already knows who. | He was arrested yesterday. (by the police) |
We can only make a verb passive if it has an object (a transitive verb). Verbs like arrive, happen, come, go and sleep have no object (they are intransitive), so they have no passive form.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| The accident was happened. | The accident happened. | "happen" has no object → no passive. |
| She was arrived late. | She arrived late. | "arrive" is intransitive → active only. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with the passive. Check your own writing against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| The letter was wrote by Ali. | The letter was written by Ali. | Use the past participle (V3), not the past simple (V2). |
| These cars is made in Japan. | These cars are made in Japan. | Plural subject → "are", not "is". |
| The bridge built in 1990. | The bridge was built in 1990. | A passive must include a form of "be". |
| A new school will built here. | A new school will be built here. | Future passive = will be + V3. |
| My keys have stolen. | My keys have been stolen. | Present perfect passive = have been + V3. |
A guide shows a visitor around a chocolate factory. Read it twice and notice how naturally the passive describes a process and a bit of history. The active voice adds the personal comments.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them in your own sentences about products and processes.
Write 8 sentences about how products are made or where things come from. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): produce · product · factory · material · process · quality · export · machine
Ovacık Cheese is a small family company in the mountains of eastern Turkey, and its cheese is loved all over the country. The factory was founded in 1962 by a farmer named Kemal, and it has been run by the same family ever since. Although the company has grown, the old methods have not been forgotten.
The village where the factory stands is very small, and for many years it was almost forgotten by the rest of the country. Most of the young people had moved to the big cities, because there was little work in the mountains. Kemal, however, decided to stay. He had grown up with cows and sheep, and he believed that the milk from the high pastures was special. The grass there is fresh and green in spring, and the animals are never kept indoors for long. 'Good cheese begins in the field, not in the factory,' Kemal often told his children. At first, only a few kilos were made each week, and the cheese was sold to neighbours and friends. Slowly, though, word spread, and people from other towns began to ask for it.
Every morning, fresh milk is collected from local farms. When the milk arrives, it is heated slowly, and then a natural culture is added. While the mixture rests, it becomes thick and soft. After a few hours, the young cheese is cut into blocks, but nothing is rushed, because good cheese cannot be hurried. Salt is added by hand, and the blocks are stored in cool cellars, where they are left to mature for at least three months.
The cool cellars under the building are one of its most important secrets. They were dug into the rock many years ago, and the temperature inside stays almost the same all year. In summer, when the sun is very hot outside, the cellars remain cool and quiet. The blocks of cheese are placed carefully on wooden shelves, and they are turned by hand every few days. While the cheese matures, it is checked often, because even a small mistake can spoil a whole batch. The workers who look after the cellars have done this job for a long time, and some of them learned it from their parents. 'You cannot teach patience in a day,' one old worker says, and he smiles as he cleans the shelves.
Cleanliness is taken very seriously in every part of the factory. The floors are washed twice a day, and the tools are boiled before they are used again. Nothing is left to chance, because the family knows that trust is easy to lose but hard to win back. Visitors are often surprised by how simple the place looks. There are no huge machines and no bright lights; instead, there are wooden tables, metal buckets, and the quiet sound of people working. Many of the staff live in the same village, so they walk to work each morning, and they go home for lunch. Because the team is small, everyone knows each other well, and problems are usually solved with a short conversation rather than a long meeting.
Over the years, the company has won many prizes. Last year, its famous white cheese was chosen as the best in the region, and thousands of boxes were exported. The cheese has also been served in some of the most expensive restaurants in Istanbul. However, the prices are kept low, so ordinary families can still enjoy it.
The prizes have brought new attention to the little company. After the white cheese was named the best in the region, journalists travelled to the mountains to write about it, and short films were made for television. Orders arrived from Germany, France, and even Japan, where the cheese is now sold in a few special shops. Some chefs in Istanbul have created new dishes around it, and one famous restaurant serves it with honey and walnuts as a dessert. Although the company is proud of these successes, it has not changed its size. 'We could grow much bigger,' Elif explains, 'but then the quality might fall, and that is a risk we are not willing to take.' The family would rather stay small and keep its good name, which took sixty years to build.
The taste of the cheese changes a little with the seasons, and regular customers say they can notice the difference. In spring, when the animals eat fresh flowers and young grass, the cheese is softer and slightly sweet. In winter, it becomes stronger, because the food of the animals is different. Even so, the recipe itself is never changed. Some families have bought the cheese for three generations, and they still send letters to thank the company. One woman wrote that the smell of the cheese reminds her of her grandmother's kitchen, and that a single taste can bring back many happy memories. These letters are kept in a wooden box in the office, and Elif reads them whenever she feels tired. 'This is why we do the work,' she says quietly.
The business is now managed by Kemal's granddaughter, Elif. She has modern plans: a new visitor centre will be built next year, and tours of the factory will be offered to tourists. 'Our cheese is made with love,' Elif says, 'and that will never be changed.'
When it is finished, the new visitor centre will be the plan that makes Elif most proud. Guests will be able to watch the whole process through large windows, and they will taste different kinds of cheese at the end of the tour. A small shop will be opened too, so that people can buy the cheese and take it home. Elif also hopes to invite school children from the cities, because she wants them to understand where their food really comes from. 'Many children think that cheese is made in a supermarket,' she says with a laugh. 'We want to show them the truth.' The old traditions will be protected, but the doors of the factory will finally be opened to the world.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the passive (be + past participle).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. Why does the company keep its prices low?
2. Describe two steps in the process of making the cheese.
3. What are Elif's plans for the future of the business?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, when, while, however, although, also. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Describe a famous invention with a partner, then do the extra practice quiz.
Pick a famous invention or building — ünlü bir icat ya da yapı seç — and describe it with the passive, without saying its name. Let your partner guess. Use was invented / was built / is made / is used. Önce örnek diyaloğa bak:
Şimdi sıra sende. Describe each of these out loud with the passive — sesli olarak, be + V3 kullanarak. Mümkünse bir arkadaşınla tahmin oyunu oyna. Amaç: bir süreci ya da nesneyi rahatça passive ile anlatabilmek.
Söylediğin tanımları yazıya dök ve öğretmenine gönder — istersen. (Write down your descriptions and submit them for feedback — optional.) 4-6 cümle, her birinde passive kullan.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your speaking task.)
10 questions on the passive — present, past, future and present perfect mixed. (10 soru: karışık passive.) Her soru anında değerlendirilir; zorluk giderek artar.
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A process is a list of steps, but a good description is not just a list. What connects your steps is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add also, when, while, although and however. Together with the passive, these let you describe a process like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | The beans are cleaned and roasted. |
| but | show a small contrast | It is done by machine, but the last check is done by hand. |
| so | show a result | The milk is fresh, so the cheese tastes better. |
| because | give a reason | Nothing is rushed because good cheese takes time. |
| when | say at what point | When the mixture is ready, it is cut into blocks. |
| while | two things at the same time | While the cheese matures, it is checked every week. |
| also | add an extra point | The cheese is sold at home. It is also exported. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although machines are used, the salt is added by hand. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | The process is old. However, the quality is modern. |
See the difference — the same steps, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| The milk is heated. A culture is added. The cheese is cut. It is stored. It is sold. | When the milk is heated, a culture is added, and the cheese is cut into blocks. It is then stored for months, so it matures slowly. However, most of it is sold quickly. |
A "how it is made" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | A general sentence that names the product (passive). | In my region, olive oil is produced every autumn. |
| 2. Body | The steps of the process, in order, in the passive, linked with connectors. | First, the olives are picked. Then they are washed and pressed by a machine. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about quality, selling or the future (passive). | The oil is sold locally, and some of it is also exported. |
Describe how a product from your country or home is made, OR the history of a famous building. Use the passive.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + extra practice. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...