Forming passive sentences (2) - advanced

This lesson covers advanced uses of the passive voice beyond simple tenses. You will learn how to form perfect, modal and causative passives, passive infinitives, reporting passives and how to choose when to include or omit the agent.

• Use the correct form of be + past participle to match tense and aspect.
• Form perfect and modal passives (e.g., 'must have been done', 'has been reviewed').
• Use passive infinitives after verbs like 'expect', 'seem', 'appear', and reporting verbs ('is said to have...').
• Express causative meaning with 'have something done' or 'get something done'.

Form the passive by matching the auxiliary 'be' to the tense/aspect and adding the past participle. Keep the subject that receives the action in front.

• Tense & aspect: change the form of 'be' (is/was/has been/had been/being) to keep the same time meaning.
• Modals: modal + be / modal + have been (for perfect modal).
• Passive infinitive: use 'to be' or 'to have been' depending on aspect.
• Causatives: use 'have + object + past participle' (not 'be' passive).

Always check that the past participle is correct and that the auxiliary matches the intended tense.

Be aware of frequent errors learners make when forming advanced passive structures.

• Using the wrong auxiliary (e.g., 'have been' instead of 'had been').
• Incorrect or regularized past participles (e.g., 'writed' instead of 'written').
• Using passive when the active is required for clarity (or vice versa).
• Confusing causative 'have something done' with passive 'be + past participle'.
• Forming passive with two objects incorrectly (e.g., wrong recipient placement).
• Incorrect passive infinitive or perfect infinitive after reporting verbs.

When in doubt, identify the tense and subject first, then choose the correct form of 'be' or the appropriate causative structure.