Take a look at the following forms in active and passive.
- After will, can, must, going to, want to, etc.
active: eat => Somebody will eat the cake later.
passive: be eaten => The cake will be eaten later.
Examples:
Her lies are getting more and more serious. Something must be said to her.
The criminal is very elusive he can’t be caught.
He asked everyone to leave. He wanted to be left alone.
- After should have, might have, would have, seem to have, etc.
active: eaten => Somebody might have eaten the cake.
passive: been eaten => The cake might have been eaten.
Examples:
If you had locked the door, nothing would have been stolen.
The casino will not be opened until further notice.
The impact of the typhoon is devastating. Something must be done to help the victims.
- Present Perfect
active: has/have eaten => The cake is delicious. Somebody has eaten it.
passive: has/have been eaten => The cake is delicious. It has been eaten.
Examples:
I heard their wedding has been canceled.
Have you ever been arrested by the police?
She doesn’t take no for an answer. She has not been turned down.
- Past Perfect
active: had eaten => The cake was delicious. Somebody had eaten it.
passive: had been eaten => The cake was delicious. It had been eaten.
Examples:
The fruits weren’t ripe enough. They had been picked too soon.
This book was bought a year ago but it hadn’t been read.
Their house was very old but had not been renovated.
- Present Continuous
active: is/are/am eating => Somebody is eating the cake at the moment.
passive: is/are/am being eaten => The cake is being eaten at the moment.
Examples:
Her boyfriend isn’t faithful. She is being cheated on.
She is being kept alive by a machine.
The elderly people are being taken care of in this facility.
- Past Continuous
active: was/were eating => Somebody was eating the cake.
passive: was/were being eaten => The cake was being eaten when she arrived.
Examples:
She wasn’t being trained properly.
The dishes weren’t being washed thoroughly.
His car wasn’t being repaired.