Passive 2 (be done / been done / being done)
The passive with infinitives, present perfect, and continuous forms
Infinitive Passive (be + past participle)
After will, can, must, going to, want to, and other verbs followed by an infinitive, the passive form is be + past participle.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody will clean the office. | The office will be cleaned. |
| We can see the sign. | The sign can be seen. |
- The situation is serious. Something must be done before it’s too late.
- The file is encrypted — it can’t be explained without the access key.
- The announcement was loud and could be heard from the other end of the building.
- A new warehouse is going to be built next year.
- Please close the door. I want to be left alone to finish this report.
Perfect Infinitive Passive (have been + past participle)
After should, might, would, and similar modals, the perfect infinitive passive is have been + past participle. Use this when you look back at something that happened (or should have happened) before now.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody should have cleaned the room. | The room should have been cleaned. |
- I haven’t received the contract yet. It might have been sent to the wrong address.
- If you had locked the cabinet, the files wouldn’t have been stolen.
- There were some issues at first, but they seem to have been solved.
Present Perfect Passive (have/has been + past participle)
Use have/has been + past participle when the action happened at an unspecified time before now, or when the result matters now.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody has cleaned the office. | The office has been cleaned. |
- Have you heard? The business trip has been cancelled.
- Have you ever been asked to give a presentation with no preparation time?
- “Are you going to the company party?” “No, I haven’t been invited.”
Past Perfect Passive (had been + past participle)
Use had been + past participle for a passive action completed before another past event.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody had cleaned the office. | The office had been cleaned. |
- The samples didn’t pass inspection. They had been stored too long.
- The laptop was three years old but hadn’t been used very much.
Present Continuous Passive (is/are being + past participle)
Use am/is/are being + past participle when a passive action is happening right now or around now.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody is cleaning the office. | The office is being cleaned. |
- There’s someone watching us in the lobby. I think we are being followed.
- A new branch office is being built across town. It will be finished next year.
Past Continuous Passive (was/were being + past participle)
Use was/were being + past participle for a passive action that was in progress at a specific past moment.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Somebody was cleaning the office when I arrived. | The office was being cleaned when I arrived. |
- There was someone watching us outside. I think we were being followed.
Summary Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | be + past participle | It will be finished tomorrow. |
| Perfect infinitive | have been + past participle | It should have been finished yesterday. |
| Present perfect | has/have been + past participle | It has been finished. |
| Past perfect | had been + past participle | It had been finished before the deadline. |
| Present continuous | is/are being + past participle | It is being finished right now. |
| Past continuous | was/were being + past participle | It was being finished when I checked. |
Quick Self-Check
The quarterly report _____ to the wrong department. We still haven't received it.
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Have you heard? The office renovation _____ until next quarter.
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Please don't use the main conference room. The carpet _____.
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If the server had been backed up, the data _____ lost.
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A new distribution centre _____ next to the airport. Construction starts in March.
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