Joy English
Joy English

B2 Grammar

B2Passive voice20 min

Have something done and advanced passives

Talk about jobs other people do for you, and use passives with modals, perfect and continuous tenses.

We use have + object + past participle when someone else does a job for us, usually because we pay or ask them. The focus is on the result, not on the person who did the work. Get + object + past participle means the same and is a little more informal.

TenseExample
Present simpleI have my hair cut every six weeks.
Past simpleWe had the kitchen painted last spring.
Present perfectHave you had your eyes tested recently?
going toMalik is going to have his bike repaired.
get (informal)She got her phone screen replaced in an hour.

The same structure can describe something unwelcome that happened to you, which you did not arrange: Tomás had his flight cancelled because of the fog.

Other passive forms

FormStructureExample
Modal passivemodal + be + past participleThe form must be signed by both parents.
Perfect passivehas / have / had been + past participleThe results have been published online.
Continuous passiveis / was being + past participleThe road is being repaired this week.
Passive -ing formbeing + past participleNobody likes being interrupted.
Reporting passiveit is said that... / subject + is said to...The castle is said to be 900 years old.

Reporting passives such as it is believed, it is thought and it is said are common in formal writing when the source is general or unknown. After a subject, use to + infinitive, or to have + past participle for an earlier action.

  • It is believed that the island was once joined to the mainland.
  • The new stadium is expected to open next year.
  • The bridge is thought to have been built around 1400.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the correct form

Choose the option that correctly completes each sentence.

  1. I don't cut my own hair. I _____ at a salon near my office.

  2. We're _____ a new kitchen fitted next month.

  3. Where did you _____ your photos printed?

  4. The report _____ by Friday, so we need to start now.

  5. The new hospital _____ at the moment. It will open next year.

  6. Your application _____. We will contact you soon.

  7. The painting _____ to be worth a great deal of money.

  8. Ama _____ her passport renewed before the trip.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Write the passive form

Type the correct form of the words in brackets.

  1. My laptop was very slow, so I (have / it / repair) at a shop in town.

  2. The bridge (close) since Monday because of the floods.

  3. The results will (announce) tomorrow morning.

  4. Sorry about the noise. Our bathroom (renovate) this week.

  5. Kwame is (have) his car serviced tomorrow.

  6. The old mill is believed to have (build) in the 15th century.

  7. It (say) that the lake has no bottom, but of course that isn't true.

  8. I hate (tell) what to do.

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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