Grammar: B1 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: 🎭 Modals & 🌱 Non-Finite Verbs (Introduction) - Lesson 5: Simple Passive Voice - Present Simple (The cake is made by Mary.)

🎭 Lesson 5: Simple Passive Voice - Present Simple

Today, we are learning a very important structure called the Passive Voice¹. In a normal sentence (Active Voice²), the subject *does* the action. In the Passive Voice, the subject *receives* the action. We shift the focus from the "doer" to the person or thing affected by the action.

How to Form the Present Simple Passive

The structure is simple. We use the Present Simple of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are) followed by the Past Participle³ (the third form of the verb, e.g., make -> made, see -> seen).

Formula: Subject + am/is/are + Past Participle

Let's see how a sentence transforms:

Active: Sopheak makes the coffee.

Passive: The coffee is made by Sopheak.

Notice how the object of the active sentence ("the coffee") becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

When to Use the Passive Voice

We use the Passive Voice for specific reasons:

1. When the doer (the agent⁴) is unknown or not important.
   Example: "The streets in Battambang are cleaned every morning." (It doesn't matter exactly who cleans them.)
2. When the action or the result is more important than the doer.
   Example: "Kralan (bamboo sticky rice) is sold along this road." (The food is the main topic, not the sellers.)
3. To sound more formal or objective⁵, like in news or scientific writing.
   Example: "It is believed that the new bridge will help the local economy."

Including the Agent with "by"

If you want to say who or what performs the action, you can add it at the end of the sentence using the preposition "by".

"This beautiful painting was created by a local artist." (Correction from a student's common mistake in the past - this should be present tense for this lesson!) Let's correct that: "This beautiful art is created by local artists at Phare Ponleu Selpak."

Wait, I made a mistake in the example above. Let's fix it for the Present Simple Passive lesson:

"Excellent coffee is made by Kinyei Cafe in Battambang."

🧠 Practice Quiz: Active or Passive?

Choose the correct form to complete the sentences.

1. Active: "They grow a lot of rice in Battambang."
   Passive: A lot of rice _______ in Battambang.
   Answer: is grown
2. Which sentence is correct?
   a) The mail is deliver every day.
   b) The mail is delivered every day.
   Answer: b) The mail is delivered every day. (We need the past participle.)
3. Active: "The students write the weekly reports."
   Passive: The weekly reports _______ by the students.
   Answer: are written
4. This coffee is amazing! Where _______ it _______?
   Answer: is / made

📝 Homework: Change the Focus

Change these active sentences into passive sentences.

1. Active: My mother cleans the kitchen every day.
   Passive: The kitchen is cleaned by my mother every day.
2. Active: They make beautiful silk scarves in that village.
   Passive: Beautiful silk scarves are made in that village.
3. Active: Someone steals my pen from my desk!
   Passive: My pen is stolen from my desk! (Here the agent 'someone' is unknown, so we don't include it.)

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Passive Voice: (Noun Phrase) - ប្រយោគកម្មវាចក (brâyoŭk kâm'mâ'véa'chôk) - A sentence where the subject receives the action of the verb. ↩
2. Active Voice: (Noun Phrase) - ប្រយោគកត្តុវាចក (brâyoŭk kât'tŭ'véa'chôk) - A sentence where the subject performs the action of the verb. ↩
3. Past Participle: (Noun Phrase) - ទម្រង់ទី៣នៃកិរិយាស័ព្ទ (tûm'rɔng tii bay ney kĕ'rĭ'ya'sâp) - The third form of a verb, used in passive voice and perfect tenses (e.g., break -> broke -> broken). ↩
4. Agent: (Noun) - អ្នកធ្វើ (neăk'thvə) - The person or thing that performs the action in a passive sentence. ↩
5. Objective: (Adjective) - អព្យាក្រឹត (âp'pya'krət) - Not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; neutral. ↩