Casa ESL · B1 Intermediate · Unit 5 of 20 · Step 1
The Passive Voice (Present and Past)
Name
Date
Vocabulary
manufacture
verbTo make goods in large quantities using machines.
"The cars are manufactured in Germany."
process
nounA series of actions or steps taken to achieve a result.
"The recycling process involves several stages."
stage
nounA step or period in a process or development.
"The first stage is collecting the raw materials."
assemble
verbTo put together the parts of something.
"The phones are assembled by hand."
distribute
verbTo give or deliver something to people or places.
"The products are distributed to shops worldwide."
inspect
verbTo look at something carefully to check quality or condition.
"Every item is inspected before it leaves the factory."
raw
adjectiveIn a natural state; not yet processed.
"The raw materials are imported from abroad."
transform
verbTo change something completely in form or appearance.
"The old building was transformed into a modern hotel."
Grammar Focus
Passive voice — present simple and past simple
Form the passive with 'be + past participle'. Present simple passive: am/is/are + past participle (e.g., 'Coffee is grown in Brazil'). Past simple passive: was/were + past participle (e.g., 'The bridge was built in 1890'). Use the passive when the action is more important than who does it, when the doer is unknown, or when describing processes.
English is spoken in many countries around the world.
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
These shoes are made in Italy.
The email was sent yesterday afternoon.
Exercises
Exercise 1
Rewrite the underlined part using the passive voice (present or past).
1. Coffee (grow) in Colombia and Brazil.
2. The pyramids (build) thousands of years ago.
3. The packages (deliver) every morning.
4. The novel (write) by a young author in 2018.
5. All employees (give) a training session when they start.
Exercise 2
Choose the correct passive form for each sentence.
1. The report ___ by the entire team last week.
2. Thousands of cars ___ in this factory every year.
3. The window ___ during the storm last night.
Reading
How Chocolate Is Made
Chocolate production is a fascinating process that involves many steps. First, cacao beans are harvested from trees in tropical regions such as West Africa and South America. The beans are then dried in the sun for several days. After drying, they are shipped to factories, where they are roasted at high temperatures. Next, the roasted beans are crushed and the shells are removed. The remaining material, called cacao nibs, is ground into a thick paste known as chocolate liquor. Sugar and milk powder are added at this stage. Finally, the mixture is heated, cooled, and poured into moulds. The finished chocolate bars are wrapped, packaged, and distributed to shops around the world.
1. Where are cacao beans harvested?
2. What happens to the beans after they are roasted?
Speaking
Discuss these questions with a partner or your teacher.
Writing
Write 6–8 sentences describing how something is made or done (e.g., how bread is baked, how a phone is recycled, how paper is produced). Use the present simple passive.
Example: First, wheat is harvested from the fields. It is taken to a mill, where it is ground into flour. The flour is mixed with water, yeast, and salt. The dough is kneaded and left to rise for about an hour. Then it is shaped and placed in the oven. The bread is baked at 200 degrees for thirty minutes.
Answer Key — For Teacher Use
Exercise 1
1. is grown · 2. were built · 3. are delivered · 4. was written · 5. are given
Exercise 2
1. was reviewed · 2. are produced · 3. was broken
Reading Comprehension
1. They are harvested from trees in tropical regions such as West Africa and South America. · 2. They are crushed and the shells are removed.