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 how yummy things are made.
Write 8 sentences about how a food or a fun thing is made. 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): bake · mix · add · cut · decorate · kitchen · oven · recipe
Grandma Ayla's Kitchen is a tiny bakery in a small mountain village, and its cookies are loved by every child in the town. The little kitchen was opened many years ago by a kind woman named Grandma Ayla, and it has been run by the same family ever since. Although the family has grown, the old recipe has not been forgotten.
The village is very small, and for a long time it was almost forgotten by everyone else. Most of the young people had moved to the big city, because there was not much to do in the mountains. Grandma Ayla, however, decided to stay. She had grown up baking with her own mother, and she believed that the best cookies are made with fresh eggs and real honey. 'A good cookie begins with a happy heart,' Grandma Ayla often told the children. At first, only a few cookies were baked each day, and they were given to neighbours and friends. Slowly, though, every child in the village wanted them.
Every morning, fresh eggs are collected from the little farm next door. When everything is ready, the butter and sugar are mixed together, and then flour and honey are added. While the dough rests, it becomes soft and sweet. After that, small shapes are cut with metal cutters, but nothing is hurried, because good cookies cannot be rushed. Finally, the trays are put in the old oven, and the cookies are baked until they are golden and warm.
When the cookies are cool, they are decorated by hand. Bright icing is added, and tiny sugar stars are placed on top. Everything is kept very clean, so the tables are washed twice a day. The children who help in the kitchen have done this job for years, and some of them learned it from their parents. 'You cannot learn patience in a day,' one girl says, and she smiles while she cleans a tray.
Over the years, the little kitchen has won many prizes. Last year, its famous honey cookies were chosen as the best in the whole region, and hundreds of boxes were shared at the spring fair. The cookies have also been served at every school party in the village. However, they are never sold for a high price, so every family can enjoy them.
The taste of the cookies changes a little with the seasons. In spring, when the bees are busy, more honey is used, so the cookies are sweeter and softer. The old recipe, however, is never changed. Some children have eaten these cookies since they were very small. Their happy letters are kept in a wooden box, and they are read again whenever the family feels tired. 'This is why we bake,' Grandma Ayla says with a smile.
The kitchen is now looked after by Grandma Ayla's granddaughter, Zoe. She has a wonderful plan: a new play corner will be built next year, and free baking lessons will be offered to the village children. 'Many children think that cookies are made in a shop,' Zoe says with a laugh, 'but we want to show them how they are really made.' 'Our cookies are made with love,' she says, 'and that will never be changed.'
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 family keep the cookies cheap?
2. Describe two steps in the way the cookies are made.
3. What are Zoe's plans for the future of the kitchen?
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 eggs are collected and washed. |
| but | show a small contrast | The dough is mixed by machine, but the shapes are cut by hand. |
| so | show a result | The eggs are fresh, so the cookies taste better. |
| because | give a reason | Nothing is rushed because good cookies take time. |
| when | say at what point | When the dough is ready, it is cut into shapes. |
| while | two things at the same time | While the cookies bake, the icing is made. |
| also | add an extra point | The cookies are shared at home. They are also taken to school. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although a machine is used, the stars are added by hand. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | The recipe is old. However, the cookies are always fresh. |
See the difference — the same steps, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| The butter is mixed. Honey is added. The dough is cut. It is baked. It is shared. | When the butter is mixed, honey is added, and the dough is cut into shapes. It is then baked in the oven, so it turns golden. However, most of it is shared very 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 food or thing (passive). | In my home, honey cookies are made every weekend. |
| 2. Body | The steps of the process, in order, in the passive, linked with connectors. | First, the eggs are collected. Then they are mixed with sugar and honey. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about the taste, sharing or the future (passive). | The cookies are shared with friends, and some are also taken to school. |
Describe how a food or a fun thing from your 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...