@ Passive present and past

A) Explanation:

1. The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen. In this example, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

2. The passive voice is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made. In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. "You made a mistake!"). If you want to blame on that person, you can write this: "The mistake was made by you!" but you will probably say the active sentence.

3. Passive voice is used in scientific writing to get a more objective and precise text :

Example: Later, these results are analyzed by the experts.

B) Structure (Present S. and Past S.)

1. Present .................... IS / ARE  +  PARTICIPLE ............... Your paintings are + sold

2. Past Simple ............... WAS /  WERE  +  PARTICIPLE .......... Your paintings were + sold


C) Exercises

1. Active or passive?

• They often listen to music / These cars are produced in Japan / Alan teaches Geography / German is spoken in Austria / Lots of houses were destroyed by the earthquake in 1906 / Henry Ford invented the assembly line / The bus driver was hurt yesterday / She is reading the newspaper now / Pamela was watching TV yesterday.

2. Present simple sentences (gaps)
3. Simple past sentences (gaps)
4. Now write in passive...

1. They arrested her last week --->
2. John wrote a letter --->
3. They invited ten friends to the party --->
4. The police caught the thieves yesterday --->
5. My brother hit me --->
6. They removed two cars from the street --->

5. Fill in the gaps:

1) The words .......................... by the teacher today. (to explain - Simple Present)

2) He..................... to the party yesterday. (to invite - Simple Past)

3) The blue box............................ (to see - Simple Present)

4) I ............................... the book by my friend last Sunday. (to give - Simple Past)

5) A letter ......................... by Peter. (to write - Simple Present)

D) Comprehension: MLT, a man with a dream.


     a.     Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize.


      b.      Do the following exercise...

E) Challenge:

1.See the following video about the beginnings of Black People Civil Rights revolution in USA:

2. There is a U2's song that remembers that day.... What's its name?