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Advanced passive
הוצגהמיקום המנוהל נשמר בדפדפן הזה. המשך אינו משלים את השיעור או עונה על שאלותיו.
Passive verb frames and reporting
- Passive constructions combine with different time, aspect and modal meanings. Choose a natural frame for the intended message rather than mechanically building every possible auxiliary chain.
- Read the whole auxiliary chain: has been repaired, will be repaired, is being repaired. The participle of the main verb is repaired in each; has, will, been and being contribute different grammatical information.
- Outcome: preserve event status and source responsibility in a passive report. Start with basic passive. Starting check: does It is said that the bridge is safe establish who checked it? The source is not identified.
- It has been done. It will be done. It is being done.
The cake had been eaten before anyone admitted to seeing it.
Form across tenses
- Present perfect: has / have been + p.p. → The bridge has been repaired.
- Future: will be + p.p. → The work will be done soon.
- Modal: must / can be + p.p. → It must be finished today.
Four passive verb frames
Identify the full auxiliary chain in these examples, retaining the main participle. Passive form does not establish an unnamed source’s credibility.
Choose the present perfect passive: The bridge ___.
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Present perfect passive = has/have been + past participle.
Complete the future passive: The work will ___ done soon. (one word)
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Future passive = will be + past participle: “will be done”.
Passive reporting (it is said that …)
- To report a general opinion without naming who: It is said / believed / thought that ….
- Or: subject + is said / believed to + verb.
- It is said that he is rich. = He is said to be rich.
Is “It is said that he is rich.” a correct passive reporting structure?
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Yes: it is a grammatical impersonal reporting frame. It does not identify a source or prove that the wealth claim is true; grammatical correctness and reliable evidence are separate.
Translate into English: 据说他很有钱。
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The passive reference marks an impersonal report. “People say he is very rich” is also natural; neither wording supplies verification of the claim.
Why use it
- Common in news and formal writing.
- Impersonal grammar does not make an unsupported claim objective or verified. It is said that … reports a claim without identifying the speakers. Name or check a relevant source when reliability matters; do not replace evidence with a formal-looking passive.
Common mistakes
- ❌ The bridge has repaired. → ✓ The bridge has been repaired. — don't drop been.
- ❌ The problem must be solve. → ✓ …must be solved. — modal + be + participle.
- Keep the two frames distinct: It is said that he is rich / He is said to be rich, not He is said that …. For an earlier event, He is said to have left makes that earlier reference explicit.
- Near miss: changing The roof is being inspected into The roof has been inspected and is safe invents both completion and a safety conclusion. Preserve the source's actual status; grammatical polish must not change the evidence.
Match the tense to its passive shape.
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These examples show complete auxiliary frames, not a claim that be alone carries every tense/aspect feature. Has been done, must be done, is being done and will be done all retain done as the main participle.
Complete the present-continuous passive with one word: The road is ___ repaired at the moment.
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Being supplies the explicitly requested continuous passive: is being repaired. Other descriptions of a road’s condition may be grammatical, but they are not this requested verb frame.
- Use an appropriate passive auxiliary chain plus the main participle. Very long perfect-continuous passives are possible but often better rephrased.
- Perfect: has been + p.p.; future: will be + p.p.
- It is said that … marks reporting, not verified truth. Later recall: rewrite a new inspection update without adding completion, a result or an unnamed authority. Continue with past modals to separate deductions from confirmed events.
Usage guidance checked 2026-10-20: British Council, passives. Local source checks; independent language, answer and learner review pending.
Write one passive sentence using a perfect or future tense (for example: “… has been built”, “… will be opened”).
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Example: “A new library has been built in our town.”
Three worked contrasts: read the whole claim
1. Ongoing, complete and required are different
At ten a notice says The display is being assembled. At noon it says The display has been assembled, but it must be checked before visitors enter. The later message reports completed assembly and a separate checking requirement. A weak summary, The display has been assembled, checked and approved, invents two events. Track each main verb and the full auxiliary chain. A participle is not a universal completion stamp; the stamp, like the display, still needs checking.
2. A reported earlier event remains a report
An unsigned notice on Friday says a sculpture was moved on Thursday. A subject-first version can be The sculpture is reported to have been moved on Thursday. Is reported marks the current report, and to have been moved places the reported passive event earlier. The wording does not name a mover or verify the notice. If a named curator later confirms the move, attribute that new source explicitly; do not treat impersonal grammar as confirmation before that evidence exists.
3. Preserve attribution and the scope of a limit
According to the conservator, not all frames have been checked identifies a source and leaves some checking unfinished. It is said that no frames have been checked loses the conservator and changes not all into none. A stronger rewrite is The conservator says some frames remain unchecked. It preserves the source and limit without inventing an exact count. A shorter passive is not automatically a more faithful report; compare the complete claims.
Use the guided decisions to identify the frame, event, status, source and time. Suggested study: two sessions of about 25 minutes including writing and revision; this is an unmeasured local planning allowance, not official timing.
A work log says, “The display is being assembled now.” Which event status does this frame present?
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Is being assembled is the continuous passive here. It presents ongoing work, not a completion or approval result. Read the whole chain and the explicit now context.
“The labels have been printed, but they have not been checked.” Which distinction is stated?
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Have been printed and have not been checked concern different actions. The completed printing does not establish completed checking or a correct result. Preserve each verb and its negation.
The instruction says, “The form must be signed before entry.” What does must be signed express here?
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In this explicit instruction context, must expresses a requirement and be signed is passive. A duty is not proof of performance. Ask for the actual status separately when that matters.
“The tent had been packed before the van arrived.” Which event is presented as earlier?
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Had been packed locates the passive event before the stated past arrival. The by-agent is absent, but the temporal relationship is not. Separate omitted responsibility from expressed timing.
A current report says the guide left yesterday. Which subject-first passive-reporting frame preserves the earlier departure?
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Is reported to have left uses a perfect infinitive for the departure earlier than this current report. Is reported that left mixes frames; tomorrow changes the reference time. This is reported information, not independent proof of departure.
Compare “It is believed that the parcel is in storage” and “The parcel is believed to be in storage.” What do the frames share?
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The two grammatical reporting frames can carry the same belief claim. Neither supplies who believes it or a separate inspection. Choose a frame for the message, then preserve or seek appropriate attribution.
Independent status notes and a two-frame update
Interpret the fresh sources before choosing. Compare the main verb as well as the auxiliaries: dispatched and delivered are different events, just as a requirement and completed work are different statuses. Your English note must preserve the completed printing, ongoing check and missing result without awarding approval.
A restoration note says, “The painting is being cleaned. No final assessment has been made.” Which summary preserves the status?
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Ongoing cleaning and missing assessment can both be true. Do not upgrade is being cleaned to completed work or treat absence of final assessment as absence of all activity. Preserve both clauses.
“The results will be announced on Tuesday,” says the organiser on Monday. What can a faithful Monday update say?
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Will be announced places the event in the reported future. It does not establish past publication or guarantee that plans cannot change. Keep the organiser’s attribution and reference day.
A draft says, “The parcel has been delivered.” The source only says, “The parcel has been dispatched.” What is the problem?
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Dispatched and delivered name different events despite the shared passive frame. The source does not confirm arrival. Compare main-verb meaning as well as the auxiliary chain.
“The manuscript is thought to have been copied in the 1600s.” Which reading keeps both reporting and event reference?
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Is thought marks the current belief; to have been copied places the reported passive event earlier. The date is part of that belief claim. Neither a named copyist nor verification is supplied.
“Not all applications have been processed.” Which rewrite preserves the scope?
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Not all means at least some remain, not necessarily none processed. Preserve the scope of negation when rewriting a passive update. The grammar does not give the exact processed count.
“The room can be used for rehearsal after six,” says the venue manager, granting permission. Which claim goes beyond that message?
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In the supplied permission context, can be used allows an activity; it does not record an actual booking or rehearsal. Keep the manager’s stated role and the time limit, without converting permission into performance.
“According to the archivist, the records were moved on Monday.” Which impersonal rewrite loses useful source information?
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It is said preserves a reporting frame but drops the named archivist. The other two retain attribution. Impersonal style is not automatically a better or more reliable report; preserve a relevant identified source.
An editor changes “The roof is being inspected” to “The roof has been inspected and approved.” Which change needs evidence?
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Is being inspected presents ongoing work; has been inspected changes completion status, and approved adds a separate result. Two new claims need support. A fluent passive chain does not supply that support.
Source at 14:00: the exhibition labels are being checked by the curator; printing is complete; no checking result has been issued. Write a 3–4 sentence English status note using at least two suitable passive frames, retaining the stated agent, ongoing check and completed printing. Do not invent approval. Compare, then revise one time, completion or result mismatch.
Compare the source facts, topic, agent, reference time and status. This is local written self-review, not automatic correctness, a speaking assessment or a proficiency result.
Transfer: revise when a later source changes the status
A completed repair does not itself decide reopening. An unsigned belief does not outweigh a named source’s later no-agreement statement. In a handoff, attribute the old and new information, keep the exact status and ask for a useful next check. Do not replace an unconfirmed opening date with either a guaranteed date or a cancellation that nobody reported.
At noon a bulletin says “The footbridge is being repaired.” At four a supervisor says “Repair is complete; the reopening decision is tomorrow.” Which update preserves the new limits?
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The later source changes the repair status but keeps reopening undecided. Completion of one action does not imply completion of a separate decision. Attribute the update rather than inventing permission to use the bridge.
A message says “It is believed that the exhibition will open in May.” The curator later says, “No opening month has been agreed.” Which revision fits?
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The earlier belief and later explicit status are different evidence. A faithful revision attributes both and removes a confirmed-month claim. Formal impersonal grammar is not authority to override a later source.
Facts: an unsigned morning notice says the exhibition is believed to open in June; at noon the curator states that no month has been agreed. Write a 3–4 sentence English handoff with one grammatical passive-reporting frame and explicit attribution for the later statement. Preserve the difference between the old belief and current agreed status, and give a useful next check. Compare and revise unsupported certainty or a lost source.
Compare the source facts, topic, agent, reference time and status. This is local written self-review, not automatic correctness, a speaking assessment or a proficiency result.
Later retrieval and the next judgement
On a later study day, try the two review messages before rereading. Explain the whole frame and what evidence is still absent, then compare the feedback. These familiar cards support retrieval, not reserved assessment or a proficiency claim. Delayed-recall evidence requires an earlier successful attempt on an earlier session day. Continue with past modals to compare a speaker’s judgement, an expectation and a confirmed event in another practical update.
“The badges must be collected before entry” is a rule. “The badges have been collected” is an update. Which distinction fits?
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Must be collected expresses the stated requirement; have been collected reports completed action. Recover the whole auxiliary chain and the communicative context before treating the messages as equivalent.
“The model is said to have been built in 1985.” What remains missing from this sentence alone?
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Is said to have been built is grammatical and presents an earlier passive event as reported. It does not identify the speakers or independently verify the date. Do not confuse missing evidence with missing grammatical time reference.