Grammar: ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: 🎭 Modals & 🌱 Non-Finite Verbs (Advanced) (B2) - Lesson 3: Passive Voice - All Tenses (Present/Past/Future Simple & Continuous, Perfect forms)

✨ Lesson 3: Passive Voice - All Tenses Review

You have learned the basic Passive Voice¹, which focuses on the receiver of an action. Now, we will do a comprehensive² review and expand this structure to cover all major English tenses. The good news is that the reason for using the passive voice never changes; only the form of the verb 'to be' changes.

The Golden Rule: The passive voice is always formed with `a form of the verb 'to be' + Past Participle`.

Simple Tenses - Passive

• Present Simple: am/is/are + p.p.
  "Rice is grown all over Cambodia."
• Past Simple: was/were + p.p.
  "The Royal Palace was built in the 1860s."
• Future Simple: will be + p.p.
  "The new bridge will be opened next year."

Continuous Tenses - Passive

This form shows that an action is/was in progress. It is less common than the simple forms.

• Present Continuous: am/is/are + being + p.p.
  "You can't go down that street. A new road is being built."
• Past Continuous: was/were + being + p.p.
  "The lights went out while the movie was being shown."

Perfect Tenses - Passive

This form is very common in formal and written English.

• Present Perfect: has/have + been + p.p.
  "The old market in Battambang has been renovated recently."
• Past Perfect: had + been + p.p.
  "The food was gone when I arrived because it had been eaten."
• Future Perfect: will have + been + p.p.
  "By 2030, the new airport will have been completed."

Complete Passive Tense Chart

This chart shows the clear pattern³ of changing the verb 'to be' for each tense.

Tense	Passive Structure
Present Simple	is/are + p.p.
Present Continuous	is/are + being + p.p.
Present Perfect	has/have + been + p.p.
Past Simple	was/were + p.p.
Past Continuous	was/were + being + p.p.
Past Perfect	had + been + p.p.
Future Simple	will be + p.p.
Future Perfect	will have + been + p.p.

🧠 Practice Quiz: Tense Transformation

Convert the verb in brackets to the correct passive tense.

1. Right now, a new hotel _______ (build) by the riverside.
   Answer: is being built (Present Continuous Passive)
2. By the time we got to the party, all the good food _______ (eat).
   Answer: had been eaten (Past Perfect Passive)
3. The results of the exam _______ (announce) tomorrow morning.
   Answer: will be announced (Future Simple Passive)
4. My motorbike _______ (steal) last night!
   Answer: was stolen (Past Simple Passive)
5. The old bridge is closed. It _______ (repair) this week.
   Answer: is being repaired (Present Continuous Passive) or has been repaired (Present Perfect Passive) could both fit, depending on context.

📝 Homework: Change the Voice

Rewrite these active sentences in the passive voice.

1. (Present Simple) The university provides scholarships to many students.
   Answer: Scholarships are provided to many students by the university.
2. (Past Simple) The storm damaged hundreds of homes.
   Answer: Hundreds of homes were damaged by the storm.
3. (Present Perfect) They have just opened a beautiful new cafe.
   Answer: A beautiful new cafe has just been opened.
4. (Future Perfect) By next year, the government will have built the new road.
   Answer: By next year, the new road will have been built by the government.

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. Comprehensive: (Adjective) - ទូលំទូលាយ (tu'lŭm'tu'léay) - Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements of something. ↩
3. Pattern: (Noun) - ទម្រង់ (tŭm'rɔng) - The regular and repeated way in which something is done; a structure or rule. ↩
4. Active Voice: (Noun Phrase) - ប្រយោគកត្តុវាចក (brâyoŭk kât'tŭ'véa'chôk) - A sentence where the subject performs the action of the verb. ↩
5. Renovate: (Verb) - ជួសជុល (chuəh'chul) - To repair and improve a building to a good state of condition. ↩