The passive
Be + past participle in every tense, phrasal verbs, "is said to be" and "have something done".
In the passive, the action is more important than the person who does it. It appears in Part 4 all the time – let's master it!
Be + past participle – in every tense
Keep the tense of the active sentence and change only the verb 'be'.
Special cases
Have something done
Use this when someone else does something for you – or when something bad happens to you.
How it comes up in Part 4
In Part 4 you complete the second sentence with the key word, so that it means the same as the first one (2–5 words).
BEING
A new stadium is being built in our town.
Present continuous passive: is being + past participle.
HAVE
I'm going to have my car repaired tomorrow.
Someone else does it for you: have + object + past participle.
SAID
The lake is said to be very deep.
Passive reporting: subject + is said + to be.
Common mistakes
- ✗ The letter was send yesterday.✓ The letter was sent yesterday.Always use the past participle.
- ✗ The meeting was called because of the snow.✓ The meeting was called off because of the snow.Don't lose the particle of a phrasal verb.
- ✗ We were made wait for an hour.✓ We were made to wait for an hour.In the passive, 'make' needs 'to'.
- ✗ I cut my hair at the hairdresser's.✓ I had my hair cut at the hairdresser's.If someone else does it, use have something done.
Keep the same tense as the first sentence: 'are building' → 'is being built'. Then check that the verb agrees with the new subject: the stadium IS, the stadiums ARE.
Quick check
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the key word and write 2–5 words.
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