Simple Present

 Verb TO BE  Past Participle of the main verb

Subject + verb to be (am/is/are) + past participle Example: Games are designed. A picture is drawn. A computer is sold.

Subject + verb to be (was/ were) + past participle Example: The picture was painted. A photo was taken. Computers were sold.

TenseSubjectVerbObject Simple Present Active:Ritawritesa letter. Passive:A letteris writtenby Rita. Simple Past Active:Ritawrotea letter. Passive:A letterwas writtenby Rita. Present Perfect Active:Ritahas writtena letter. Passive:A letterhas been writtenby Rita. Future IActive:Ritawill writea letter. Passive:A letterwill be writtenby Rita. ModalsActive:Ritacan writea letter. Passive:A lettercan be writtenby Rita.

TenseSubjectVerbObject Present Progressive Active:Ritais writinga letter. Passive:A letteris being writtenby Rita. Past Progressive Active:Ritawas writinga letter. Passive:A letterwas being written by Rita. Past PerfectActive:Ritahad writtena letter. Passive:A letterhad been written by Rita. Future IIActive:Ritawill have written a letter. Passive:A letterwill have been written by Rita. Conditional IActive:Ritawould writea letter. Passive:A letterwould be written by Rita. Conditional IIActive:Ritawould have written a letter. Passive:A letterwould have been written by Rita.

Subject VerbObject 1Object 2 Active:Ritawrotea letterto me. Passive:A letterwas writtento meby Rita. Passive:Iwas writtena letterby Rita.

 Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.  Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

 Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.  Example: he says – it is said

 Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).  Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

 Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.  Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

Complete the sentences (Active or Passive Voice). Use Simple Present.  He (sell) _________ cars.  The blue car (sell) __________.  In summer, more ice-cream (eat) ________ than in winter.  She (call) ______ her grandparents every Friday.  The letters (type)________.  He (take) _______ his medicine every day.  Jane (take / not) _________ to school by her father.  We (go) ___________ to school by bus.  She (work / not) ___________ for a bank.  Milk (keep) ___________ in the refrigerator.

Complete the sentences (Active or Passive Voice). Use Simple Past.  They (visit) _______ their granny.  We (visit) _________ by our teacher.  My friend Paul (bear) __________ in Dallas.  She (go) ___________ to school in Boston.  Antony (grow up) __________ in the country.  The new shopping centre (build) _________ last year.  The film (produce / not) _______________ in Hollywood.  Barbara (know) ____________ James very well.  The jewels (hide / not) ___________ in the cellar.  We (spend / not) ___________ all day on the beach.

 Summaries are usually written in present tense. Simple present is the most important tense in summaries. But other tenses are important,too. Decide whether to use simple present, simple past, present perfect, conjunctive or passive voice. Use the long forms. The Fellowship of the Ring (be) _____ the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which (set) _________ in a fictive world, Middle Earth. It(tell) _________ the story of Frodo, a hobbit, and a magic ring. As the story (begin) ____________, Frodo (give) ________ a magic ring. The wizard Gandalf then (tell) _______ him of the Rings of Power and of Sauron, the Dark Lord, who (make) __________ the Master Ring to rule all other Rings. Gandalf (advise) ___________ Frodo to leave home and keep the ring out of Sauron's hands who already (send) ___________ his Black Riders in search for it. Frodo's ring (give) ___________ Sauron the power to enslave Middle Earth.