E9 M - Use passive voice in different tenses
aiMOOCE9 M - Use passive voice in different tenses
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E9 M - Use passive voice in different tenses
Einleitung
Use the passive when the action, result or affected thing is more important than the person who does it. In this aiMOOC you use familiar tenses in short factual reports, process descriptions and news-style texts. The main pattern is:
subject + form of be + past participle
Active: Workers recycle the cans. Passive: The cans are recycled.
You work mainly with present simple, past simple, present perfect and will-future. Your goal is not to collect grammar rules. Your goal is to choose and use passive forms when they make a text clearer.
Media starter: Look – think – say. Look at the photo for 20 seconds. Then say three short factual sentences. Try at least one passive sentence, for example: Different materials are collected here.
Deutsch-Hilfe
Im Passiv steht im Mittelpunkt, was geschieht oder was betroffen ist. Die handelnde Person ist oft unwichtig oder unbekannt.
I can ...
- I can recognise passive forms in factual and news-style texts.
- I can choose a suitable passive tense from familiar tenses.
- I can describe a simple process with clear sequence words.
- I can report past and recent events in a short news-style text.
- I can check and improve my own passive sentences.
- I can explain key information in English without translating every German word.
Your learning cycle
English first → understand → respond → ask → hint → improve → use again
If something is difficult, first use the context. Then ask a focused question. Use a hint only when needed. Improve your sentence and use the same pattern again in a new context.
Media starter: Why passive voice?
Watch the short BBC Learning English explanation. First watch for the main idea. On the second viewing, note two passive examples and the reason for using passive voice.
While viewing
- Listen for a form of be.
- Listen for the past participle.
- Ask: Is the doer important, unknown or unnecessary?
Quick response: Complete orally: Passive voice is useful when ...
Vorwissen
You already know common verb tenses and many past participles. Activate this knowledge before you build passive sentences.
| Active tense | Familiar signal | Passive example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | every day, usually | Plastic is sorted every day. |
| Past simple | yesterday, last week | The road was closed yesterday. |
| Present perfect | already, just, so far | Two reports have been published so far. |
| Will-future | tomorrow, next week | The results will be announced tomorrow. |
Remember: The tense is carried by the form of be. The past participle stays the same.
Functional grammar: build the passive
Step 1: Choose what should be in focus. Step 2: Choose the correct tense. Step 3: Put be into that tense. Step 4: Add the past participle. Step 5: Add by + agent only when the agent is useful.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Facts and regular processes | am / is / are + past participle | Glass is separated from paper. |
| Finished past events | was / were + past participle | The bridge was opened in 2018. |
| Recent result with present relevance | has / have been + past participle | A new rule has been introduced. |
| Future announcement or plan | will be + past participle | The station will be reopened next month. |
By or no by? The article was published at 8 a.m. → the publisher is not important. The report was written by the school journalism team. → the agent adds useful information.
Deutsch-Hilfe
Das Passiv wird mit einer passenden Form von be und dem past participle gebildet. By + Handelnder brauchst Du nur, wenn diese Information wichtig ist.
Listening and Viewing
Watch the BBC lesson about present and past passives.
First viewing – gist: Which two ideas are explained: form, use, pronunciation, spelling, or all of them?
Second viewing – detail: Write down one present passive and one past passive. Then change one of them into active voice.
Third step – respond: Explain to a partner why the speaker chose passive voice.
Viewing challenge
Watch this quiz-style BBC video. Pause before an answer is revealed. Decide first, then check.
Use this routine: predict → listen → check → explain → reuse.
Reading: A recycling process
Read for meaning first.
Used cans are collected from homes and schools. They are transported to a recycling centre. There, different materials are separated. The metal is cleaned and processed. New products are then made from the recycled material. In many places, recycling systems have been improved in recent years.
Reading task
- Find four passive forms.
- Decide which sentences describe a regular process.
- Find one sentence that connects past changes with the present.
- Explain why the people doing the actions are not named.
Use the media: Compare the text with the image. Add one factual sentence that could be true from what you can actually see. Do not invent hidden details.
Context vocabulary
| Word or phrase | Meaning from context | Useful example |
|---|---|---|
| collect | bring things together | Bottles are collected. |
| sort | put into groups | Waste is sorted. |
| separate | divide materials | Glass is separated from plastic. |
| process | treat or change material | The metal is processed. |
| publish | make a report public | The report was published. |
| announce | make information public | The result will be announced. |
| investigate | examine an event or problem | The cause is being investigated. |
| confirm | say officially that something is true | The result has been confirmed. |
Strategy: Do not translate every word. Use the topic, nearby words and familiar word families first.
Reading: News-style focus
School news desk – fictional report
A water leak was discovered in the science building on Tuesday morning. Two rooms were closed immediately. No one was injured. The damaged pipe has been repaired, and the rooms have been checked. Lessons will be moved back to the building tomorrow.
Read and notice
- Past simple passive reports the finished event: was discovered, were closed.
- Present perfect passive reports a recent result: has been repaired, have been checked.
- Will-passive gives the next step: will be moved.
- The text stays factual and does not invent a responsible person.
Media question: News texts often focus on events, results and affected people or things. Where could passive voice help a headline or short report stay focused?
Pronunciation and fluency
In spoken English, the important information usually carries the stronger stress. In a passive sentence, keep be clear enough to hear the tense, but stress the key content word and past participle.
Try:
- The ROAD was CLOSED yesterday.
- The RESULTS have been PUBLISHED.
- The BRIDGE will be OPENED tomorrow.
Read each sentence once slowly, once at natural speed, and once inside a two-sentence mini-report.
Goal: intelligibility before accent perfection.
Recordings are optional and private. Do not upload recordings unless you have deliberately chosen a safe, approved place to do so.
Speaking
30-second process report: Describe what happens on an assembly line. Use:
- one present simple passive,
- one sequence word such as first, then or finally,
- one useful active sentence if the worker is important.
Partner response Ask one question: What happens next? or Who checks the product? Then improve one sentence and say it again.
Speaking support
Starter level: First, the parts are ... Then, they are ... Finally, the product is ...
Standard level: Add a reason for using passive voice.
Challenge level: Switch naturally between active and passive according to the focus.
Writing: factual process
Write 80–110 words about a familiar process such as recycling, school lunch preparation, book production or parcel delivery.
Useful frame First, ... is/are collected. Next, ... is/are checked. After that, ... is/are ... Finally, ... is/are delivered / stored / used.
Check before you finish
- Is the process clear without naming a person in every sentence?
- Is the form of be correct?
- Is the past participle correct?
- Are sequence words used?
- Is passive voice useful, not automatic?
Writing: short news report
Write 90–120 words about a fictional school or town event.
Use:
- one past simple passive,
- one present perfect passive,
- one will-passive,
- at least one active sentence where the agent matters.
Do not use real private social-media data. Use fictional names or public, non-sensitive information only.
Newsroom media
Mini task: Imagine the print process. Write three steps with present simple passive. Then turn one step into past simple passive as if a problem happened yesterday.
Mediation
A German school notice says:
Wegen Reparaturarbeiten bleibt die Sporthalle am Donnerstag geschlossen. Die Arbeiten wurden am Montag begonnen. Neue Informationen werden am Mittwoch veröffentlicht.
Do not translate word by word. Give a short English message for an exchange student. Keep the key information and use passive voice where useful.
Possible opening: The sports hall will be closed on Thursday because ...
Deutsch-Hilfe
Bei Mediation überträgst Du die wichtigen Informationen sinngemäß. Du musst nicht jeden deutschen Satz vollständig übersetzen.
Feedback and error analysis
Use the code T – B – PP – F:
- T = tense: Does the tense match the time?
- B = be: Is the correct form of be present?
- PP = past participle: Is the participle correct?
- F = focus: Is passive voice useful here?
Typical errors The report published yesterday. → missing was. The cans are recycle. → use recycled. The results have announced. → use have been announced. The teacher was checked the test. → this is not a correct passive; decide whether you mean active or passive.
Improve, do not replace: Keep your original text. Mark one problem, add a correction, and write one improved version below it. If digital or AI feedback is used, check every suggestion against the task, grammar and reliable sources before accepting it.
Transfer: choose the focus
Decide which version fits the situation better.
Situation A: process description Workers sort the bottles. / The bottles are sorted.
Situation B: eyewitness report A student called the office. / The office was called.
Situation C: news update The repair team has reopened the road. / The road has been reopened.
There is not always one universal choice. Ask: What should the reader notice first?
Can-do check
Mark each statement: yes – nearly – not yet.
- I can identify be + past participle.
- I can form passive sentences in four familiar tenses.
- I can explain why a passive form is useful in a process or report.
- I can write a short coherent factual text.
- I can find and correct common passive errors.
- I can mediate key information without full translation.
If you choose nearly or not yet, return to one media example, one hint and one production task. Then try again.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
Which sentence is in the present simple passive? (The bottles are collected every Friday.) (!The bottles collected every Friday.) (!The bottles were collected every Friday.) (!Workers collect the bottles every Friday.)
Which sentence reports a finished past event in the passive? (The road was closed yesterday.) (!The road is closed every day.) (!The road has close yesterday.) (!Workers close the road yesterday.)
Which sentence uses the present perfect passive correctly? (The report has been published.) (!The report has published.) (!The report is been published.) (!The report was publish.)
Which sentence uses the will-passive correctly? (The results will be announced tomorrow.) (!The results will announced tomorrow.) (!The results are will announced tomorrow.) (!The results will be announce tomorrow.)
Why is passive voice useful in a process description? (It can focus on the process or material instead of the doer.) (!It always makes a sentence shorter.) (!It removes the need for a verb tense.) (!It is only used when a person is named.)
Which pattern forms the basic passive? (form of be plus past participle) (!form of have plus infinitive) (!past participle plus will) (!subject plus infinitive only)
When is by plus agent most useful? (When the agent adds important information.) (!In every passive sentence.) (!Only in questions.) (!Only with the future tense.)
Which sentence fits a news update about a recent result? (The damaged pipe has been repaired.) (!The damaged pipe repair.) (!The damaged pipe has repaired.) (!The damaged pipe is repair.)
Which correction is right for The cans are recycle? (The cans are recycled.) (!The cans recycled are.) (!The cans are recycling yesterday.) (!The cans be recycled.)
What should you check first when choosing active or passive voice? (What information should be in focus.) (!Whether the sentence is long.) (!Whether the verb has many letters.) (!Whether the text contains a name.)
Memory
| present simple passive | is or are plus past participle |
| past simple passive | was or were plus past participle |
| present perfect passive | has or have been plus past participle |
| will-passive | will be plus past participle |
| process text | focus on steps and materials |
| news update | focus on events and results |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| regular process | present simple passive |
| finished past event | past simple passive |
| recent result | present perfect passive |
| future step | will-passive |
| important doer | by plus agent |
...
Kreuzworträtsel
| recycled | Which past participle can complete The cans are ...? |
| published | Which past participle fits A report was ...? |
| announced | Which past participle fits The result will be ...? |
| repaired | Which past participle fits The pipe has been ...? |
| collected | Which past participle fits Bottles are ... every week? |
| participle | Which word completes the term past ...? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Passive Voice erkennen: Find eight passive forms in a short factual text and mark the form of be and the past participle.
- Bildbeschreibung: Choose one Commons image in this aiMOOC and write five factual sentences, including two useful passive sentences.
- Prozesskette: Describe a simple everyday process in six steps with present simple passive and sequence words.
- Fehlerdetektiv: Create four passive sentences with one deliberate error each, exchange them with a partner and correct the errors.
Standard
- News Report: Write a 100-word fictional school news report using past simple, present perfect and will-passive.
- Videoanalyse: Rewatch one BBC video, collect five passive examples and explain the function of three of them.
- Interview und Bericht: Conduct a short interview about a school process, then turn the factual information into a neutral process report without publishing private data.
- Mediation: Take a short German notice and explain the key points in English without translating sentence by sentence.
Schwer
- Active or Passive: Rewrite a factual paragraph in two versions, one more active and one more passive, and explain how the focus changes.
- Mini-Nachrichtenstudio: Prepare a 60–90 second fictional news bulletin with at least four accurate passive forms in different familiar tenses.
- Quellencheck: Compare two reliable explanations of passive voice, note what both agree on and verify all examples before using them.
- Peer-Editing: Give structured T–B–PP–F feedback on a partner's report while preserving the writer's own wording wherever possible.
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Lernkontrolle
- Fokuswechsel: You receive four active sentences from a factual report. Change only the sentences where passive voice improves the focus and justify every choice.
- Zeitformen im Kontext: Turn notes about a process, a past incident, a recent repair and a future announcement into one coherent paragraph with suitable passive tenses.
- Fehleranalyse Passive Voice: Correct a short text containing mistakes with be, past participles and tense choice. Explain the reason for each correction.
- News und Prozess vergleichen: Compare a process description with a news report and explain why they use different passive tenses.
- Mediation und Auswahl: Give an English summary of a short German school notice. Keep essential information, omit unnecessary details and use passive voice only where it helps.
- Transferaufgabe: Create a new factual context, choose active and passive forms deliberately, and explain how your language choices guide the reader's attention.
Lernnachweis
For a successful learning record, you should be able to:
- identify passive forms reliably,
- form present simple, past simple, present perfect and will-passive correctly,
- choose passive voice for a clear communicative reason,
- write a coherent process or news-style text,
- use context vocabulary accurately,
- mediate key information without full translation,
- respond to feedback and document one improved version,
- check facts, sources and digital or AI-generated feedback before using it,
- work with fictional or non-sensitive data and keep optional recordings private.
OERs zum Thema
Grammar reference: British Council LearnEnglish – Passives
Further reference: British Council – Active and passive voice
Folgekurs
Continue with E9 M - Write factual reports and news-style texts. Reuse passive voice together with paragraph structure, linking words, source awareness and clear distinction between fact and opinion.
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