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Lesson Plan August 7, 2026

Topic: Passive

In this lesson we will learn about using the passive to talk about actions in the past and present.

Section A

You form the passive with the verb be and the past participle.

Present simple

• Paper is made from wood.

• When is the room cleaned?

• Pineapples aren’t grown in Scotland.

Past simple

• The building was completed in 1853.

• When was the film made?

• His homework wasn’t done very well.

Present perfect

• All the rooms have just been painted.

• Have you been served yet?

• The books hasn’t been written yet.

You often use the passive when the object of the verb is more important than the subject

• They completed the building in 1853.
  becomes
  The building was completed in 1853.

In passive sentence, you use by before the person or thing that causes the action (the agent)

• (Active) JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books.

• (Passive) The Harry Potter books were writtenby JK Rowling.

If you do not know who the agent is, or it is clear who it is, you don’t need to use it

• His wallet was stolen while he was on holiday. (We do not know who stole his wallet)

• Letters are delivered every morning. (We know letters are delivered by the postman)

Lesson Notes

Words & Phrases

• The rain didn’t last long and only made things muggier.

  • We had a short 10 minute sun shower.

• We fill Sophie’s water fountains with cold filtered water every day.

  • Some supermarkets offer free filtered water if you sign up for their rewards program.

• We would freeze orange juice and apple juice with toothpicks to make homemade ice pops. (= In Canada we often use the word “popsicles”)

• A lot of modern fridges have water and ice dispensers.

The Passive

• In English, when "who" is normally singular, even if you expect the answer to be a group of people:

  • A: “Who was invited to the party?”
    B: “John, Sarah and Alex were invited.

• "The food is being prepared by the students today.” (The word “today” shows the action is currently happening)

  • “The food is prepared by the students every Friday.” (This is best used for routines and habits.)