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Learning Objectives

2 minutes reading
✓
Form passive voice in present and past simple
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Focus on actions and results, not the doer
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Write formal reports and process descriptions
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Understand when passive voice is more appropriate
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Key for this lesson

Passive = be + past participle. Use passive when the action matters more than who did it. "The update was deployed" sounds more formal!

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Grammar Explanation

4 minutes reading
Present Passive

Current States and Regular Actions

am/is/are + past participle

Regular: "Reports are sent every Friday."

Current: "The issue is being investigated."

Formal: "Employees are required to sign in."

is doneare madeis being + pp
Past Passive

Completed Actions

was/were + past participle

Completed: "The update was deployed last night."

Process: "The bug was fixed this morning."

Report: "The decision was made by management."

was donewere sentwas completed
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Active vs Passive

Active: "Tom fixed the bug." (focus on Tom). Passive: "The bug was fixed." (focus on the bug/result). Passive is more formal and objective.

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Context & Professional Usage

5 minutes reading

When to Use Passive

📊Reports: "The data was analysed."
🔧Updates: "The system was updated overnight."
📋Policies: "All visitors are required to sign in."
❓Unknown doer: "The file was deleted."

Business Contexts

📧Emails: "Your request has been received."
🚀Releases: "The new version was launched yesterday."
✅Approvals: "The proposal was approved."
📝Processes: "Applications are reviewed weekly."
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Business English Examples

6 minutes reading
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Professional Passive Voice

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"The update was deployed last night."

Past passive - focus on result

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"The report is being reviewed by the team."

Present continuous passive

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"All emails are scanned for security."

Present passive - regular process

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"The decision was made by the board."

With "by" to mention the doer

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Common Mistakes

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"The report was send yesterday."

Use: "was sent" (past participle)

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"The bug fixed." (missing be)

Use: "The bug was fixed."

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"The data is analyse."

Use: "The data is analysed." (past participle)

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Professional Listening Exercise

6 minutes

Listen to a release notes briefing:

🎵Audio: Release Notes
Ready
0:00 / 0:00
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Speed:

Dev Lead: Good morning, team. Here's a quick update on last night's release.

Team: Great. We've been waiting to hear how it went.

Dev Lead: The update was deployed at 2 AM as planned. All systems were tested before going live.

Team Member: Were any issues found?

Dev Lead: One minor bug was discovered during testing, but it was fixed immediately. The login page was also redesigned based on user feedback.

Team Member: Has it been approved by QA?

Dev Lead: Yes, the new design was approved last week. Also, several performance improvements were made.

Team Member: What about the old data?

Dev Lead: All user data was migrated successfully. Backups are stored securely and are checked daily.

Team Member: That's great news.

Dev Lead: Yes, and customers are being notified by email today. A press release is also being prepared.

Question 1: When was the update deployed?

Question 2: What happened to the bug that was found?

Question 3: Complete: "The update _______ at 2 AM."

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Quick Comprehension Quiz

4 minutes
1

Correct past passive:

AThe report send yesterday.
BThe report was sent yesterday.
CThe report was send yesterday.
2

Present passive for regular processes:

AReports send every Friday.
BReports are sent every Friday.
CReports was sent every Friday.
3

When to use passive voice:

AWhen you want to emphasize who did the action
BWhen the action or result is more important than the doer
COnly in informal writing
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Professional Practice Exercises

7 minutes

Exercise A: Change to passive voice

1. They fixed the bug. → The bug _______ _______.

2. The team sends reports weekly. → Reports _______ _______ weekly.

3. They approved the proposal. → The proposal _______ _______.

4. We review applications daily. → Applications _______ _______ daily.

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Speaking Preparation

4 minutes
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Preparation for Class

Practice describing processes and updates using passive voice.

📊 Task 1: Status Update (1 min)

Describe project updates: "The report was completed... The data is being reviewed..."

🔧 Task 2: Process Description (2 min)

Explain how something works: "Applications are submitted... They are reviewed..."

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Well Done!

Key structure: be + past participle. Passive makes communication more formal and objective.
Next: Lesson 7.2 - Question Tags and Verification

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