TOEFL: STRUCTURE SKILL 30-40 TOEFL STRUCTURE SKILL 30-40 | Page 9

SKILL 37: USE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE PASSIVE The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence. How to change an active voice sentence to a passive voice sentence 1. Make the object of the active sentence into the subject of the passive sentence. 2. Use the verb “to be” in the same tense as the main verb of the active sentence. 3. Use the past participle of the main verb of the active sentence. Active: They renovated the restaurant in 2004. Passive: The restaurant was renovated in 2004. In order to create a correct passive voice sentence, do not forget include the verb to be in the sentences in any of its forms Be: am, is, are, was ,were, been, being, to be, be.