Question 1

How do I form passive voice with modal verbs?

Accepted Answer

Modal passive is formed with: modal + be + past participle. Examples: "can be done", "must be completed", "should have been finished". For past modals, use modal + have been + past participle (e.g., "The work could have been completed earlier").

Question 2

What are the most challenging passive structures at advanced level?

Accepted Answer

Advanced passive structures include: perfect passives (has been done), continuous passives (is being done), passive infinitives (to be done), passive gerunds (being done), and double passives with reporting verbs (is said to have been seen). Combining these with modals creates the most complex forms.

Question 3

When should I use passive with reporting verbs?

Accepted Answer

Use passive with reporting verbs (say, believe, think, report, consider) to express general opinions without naming the source. Two patterns exist: "It is said that..." and "He is said to...". Example: "People believe he is guilty" becomes "It is believed that he is guilty" OR "He is believed to be guilty".

Question 4

How do I choose between different passive tenses?

Accepted Answer

Match the passive tense to the time reference: Present simple for facts/habits, present continuous for ongoing actions, present perfect for completed actions with present relevance, past simple for completed past actions, and future simple for planned/predicted actions. Context clues like time expressions help determine the correct tense.

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Present Simple Passive

Past Simple Passive

Passive Negatives

Conditionals

Present Perfect

Reported Speech

Advanced Passive Voice Mixed Practice