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 students painted the mural. At B1 you meet the passive voice, where the subject receives the action: The mural was painted. The passive is everywhere in English — in the news, in science, in instructions and in descriptions of how things are made and shared.
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 | The magazine is read by everyone. |
| Past simple | was / were + V3 | The gym was built in 1990. |
| Future (will) | will be + V3 | The new website will be finished next year. |
| Present perfect | has / have been + V3 | My phone 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). | My friend edits the video. → The video ... |
| 2 | Add the correct form of be + the past participle (V3). | The video is edited ... |
| 3 | Put the old subject (the doer) after by — if you need it. | The video is edited by my friend. |
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 phone 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 photos are edited on a computer. |
| The doer is obvious / general | Everyone already knows who. | The winners were announced today. (by the teachers) |
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 message was wrote by Ali. | The message was written by Ali. | Use the past participle (V3), not the past simple (V2). |
| These phones is made in China. | These phones are made in China. | 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 student shows a new member around the school magazine club. 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 videos, songs, games and school life.
Write 8 sentences about how videos, songs, games or school events are made and shared. 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): create · design · record · share · upload · organize · prize · skill
The Northgate School Magazine is made by students, and it is read in every classroom. The club was founded in 2005 by a student named Deniz, and it has been run by students ever since. Although the school has grown, the friendly spirit of the club has not been forgotten.
The club is quite big now, and about thirty students are welcomed every September. Every Friday afternoon, a meeting is held in Room 12, and the jobs are shared out among the members. Some students are trained as writers, while others are taught how to take photos or draw cartoons. Nobody is left out, because a place is always found for everyone, even for the shy ones. New friends are made at these noisy meetings, and a lot of laughter is heard through the classroom door.
Every month, fresh news is collected from students in every class. When the ideas arrive, the best ones are chosen, and then the articles are written by the club members. While the stories are written, photos are taken around the school. After a few weeks, the pages are designed on a computer, but nothing is rushed, because a good magazine cannot be hurried. The cover is drawn by hand, and the finished pages are printed in the school library, where they are shared with hundreds of students.
But how is a single article created from start to finish? First, an idea is suggested by a member, and then it is discussed by the whole group. If the idea is liked, a writer is chosen and a deadline is set. Notes are made, questions are prepared, and sometimes teachers or older students are interviewed after class. When the first draft is finished, it is read aloud, and helpful advice is given by friends. Finally, the text is corrected, a title is added, and the best photo is placed next to it. Only then is the article passed to the design team.
The magazine is divided into several sections, and each one is looked after by a small team. In the sports pages, matches are reported and the best players are interviewed. In the music and film pages, new songs, films and games are reviewed, and star ratings are given. A favourite part is the "Student Voice" page, where funny stories and honest opinions are shared. All the articles are checked twice for mistakes before they are accepted, and weak sentences are rewritten until they are clear. Deadlines are always taken seriously, so the work is never left until the last minute.
These days, the magazine is not only printed on paper. A digital copy is uploaded to the school website, and the best stories are shared on social media too. Short videos are filmed on a phone, and then they are edited by a small group of students who love technology. When a post is liked hundreds of times, everyone in the club is excited. Comments are read carefully, and good ideas from the readers are often used in the next issue. In this friendly way, the whole school is invited to take part.
The magazine is loved by the younger children too. On the day it comes out, copies are grabbed quickly from the shelves, and quiet corners are soon filled with happy readers. Some pages are even hung on the classroom walls, and the funniest jokes are repeated for weeks. By the end of the week, not a single copy is left, and the team is asked to print a few more.
Over the years, the club has won many prizes. Last year, the magazine was chosen as the best in the city, and hundreds of copies were printed. The magazine has also been read by students in other schools. However, it is given to everyone for free, so every student can enjoy it.
Because of all this hard work, many useful skills are learned in the club. Writing is improved, teamwork is practised, and confidence is slowly built. Students who were once very shy are often surprised by how much they can do. When a prize is won, it is celebrated by the whole team, but the members always say that the friendships matter more than the awards. Photos of the happy group are taken, and they are kept in a special album that is shown to every new member.
One issue is still remembered by everyone. Two years ago, a famous local singer was interviewed by two very nervous students, and the story was read by the whole town. For the first time, the pages were printed in colour, and extra copies had to be made twice. After that exciting day, the club became very popular, and many new members were welcomed. Even the teachers admitted that they were impressed, and the magazine was praised in the school assembly.
The future of the club looks bright. Next year, even more students are expected to join, and new cameras and computers will be bought with the prize money. A quiet corner of the library will be turned into a small studio, where interviews and songs can be recorded. Younger students are already being encouraged to try new roles, so that the magazine will always be run by fresh, excited teenagers.
The club is now led by Deniz's cousin, Selin. She has modern plans: a new website will be built next year, and a school podcast will be offered to students. 'Our magazine is made with love,' Selin 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 is the magazine given to students for free?
2. Describe two steps in the process of making the magazine.
3. What are Selin's plans for the future of the club?
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 clip is filmed and edited. |
| but | show a small contrast | It is edited on a laptop, but the cover is drawn by hand. |
| so | show a result | The photos are good, so the page looks great. |
| because | give a reason | Nothing is rushed because a good magazine takes time. |
| when | say at what point | When the ideas are ready, they are written up. |
| while | two things at the same time | While the articles are written, photos are taken. |
| also | add an extra point | The magazine is read at school. It is also shared online. |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although computers are used, the cover is drawn by hand. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | The club is old. However, its ideas are modern. |
See the difference — the same steps, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| The ideas are collected. The articles are written. The photos are taken. The pages are designed. It is shared. | When the ideas are collected, the articles are written, and photos are taken around the school. The pages are then designed, so everything looks tidy. However, the cover is still drawn by hand. |
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 thing (passive). | At our school, a magazine is made every month. |
| 2. Body | The steps of the process, in order, in the passive, linked with connectors. | First, the ideas are collected. Then the articles are written and the pages are designed. |
| 3. Closing | A final comment about quality, sharing or the future (passive). | The magazine is read at school, and some copies are also shared online. |
Describe how something you enjoy is made (a video, a song, a school magazine or a dish), OR the history of your school or a club. 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...