lunes, 29 de diciembre de 2025

The Logic of Passive Voice

The Logic of Passive Voice | PAGS Unit

PAGS Level 3/4 Preparation

The Logic of
Passive Voice

Shift the spotlight. In passive voice, what matters is not who did it, but what happened. Cambia el foco. En la voz pasiva, lo importante no es quién lo hizo, sino qué ocurrió.

Start Game

SUBJECT

(The Doer)

(El que hace la acción)

OBJECT

(The Receiver)

(El que recibe la acción)

Roadmap to Success

Spotlight

Active vs Passive.

Formula

BE + V3.

Tenses

Time Travel.

Impersonal

"It is said..."

Game

50 Questions.

Phase 1

The Spotlight Rule

Who is important? The architect or the building? ¿Quién es importante? ¿El arquitecto o el edificio?

Example 1: Classic

Active: Picasso painted Guernica.

Guernica was painted by Picasso.

El Guernica fue pintado por Picasso.

Focus on the masterpiece. Foco en la obra maestra.

Example 2: Unknown Agent

Active: Someone stole my keys.

My keys were stolen.

Mis llaves fueron robadas.

We don't know who did it, so we delete "by someone". No sabemos quién fue, así que eliminamos "por alguien".

Example 3: Process/Habit

Active: The chef cooks the meal daily.

The meal is cooked daily.

La comida es cocinada a diario.

Focus on the result, not the chef. Foco en el resultado, no en el chef.

Neuro Tip

Use Passive Voice when: Usa la voz pasiva cuando:

1

We don't know who did it.
"My bike was stolen."
No sabemos quién lo hizo. (Mi bici fue robada).
2

It doesn't matter who did it.
"The letter was delivered."
No importa quién lo hizo. (La carta fue entregada).
3

It's obvious who did it.
"The thief was arrested." (by police)
Es obvio quién lo hizo. (El ladrón fue arrestado).

Phase 2

The Golden Formula

You only need two ingredients. Solo necesitas dos ingredientes.

TO BE

Changes tense (is, was, will be...)

Cambia el tiempo (es, fue, será...)

V3

Past Participle (Always frozen!)

Participio Pasado (¡Siempre congelado!)

"The work is done." "El trabajo está hecho."

"The message was sent." "El mensaje fue enviado."

Phase 3

Time Travel Table

Watch how "To Be" travels in time, but V3 never changes. Observa cómo "To Be" viaja en el tiempo, pero V3 nunca cambia.

Tense

Active Example

Passive Transformation

Present Simple

I write letters. Escribo cartas.

Letters are written. Las cartas son escritas.

Present Cont.

I am writing letters. Estoy escribiendo cartas.

Letters are being written. Las cartas están siendo escritas.

Past Simple

I wrote letters. Escribí cartas.

Letters were written. Las cartas fueron escritas.

Past Cont.

I was writing letters. Estaba escribiendo cartas.

Letters were being written. Las cartas estaban siendo escritas.

Present Perfect

I have written letters. He escrito cartas.

Letters have been written. Las cartas han sido escritas.

Past Perfect

I had written letters. Había escrito cartas.

Letters had been written. Las cartas habían sido escritas.

Future (Will)

I will write letters. Escribiré cartas.

Letters will be written. Las cartas serán escritas.

Future (Going to)

I am going to write letters. Voy a escribir cartas.

Letters are going to be written. Las cartas van a ser escritas.

Future Perfect

I will have written letters. Habré escrito cartas.

Letters will have been written. Las cartas habrán sido escritas.

Modals

I must write letters. Debo escribir cartas.

Letters must be written. Las cartas deben ser escritas.

Click rows to listen. Haz clic para escuchar.

Phase 4

The "Gossip" Passive

How to report rumors, beliefs, and news formally. Cómo reportar rumores, creencias y noticias formalmente.

TYPE A

The Easy Way

Use "It" as a dummy subject.

Active: People say that he is rich.

"It is said that he is rich."

Se dice que él es rico.

Formula: It + Passive Verb + that...

Verbs: said, thought, believed, reported, known, expected.

Fórmula: It + Verbo Pasivo + que...

TYPE B

The Pro Way

Focus on the person + Infinitive.

Active: People say that he is rich.

"He is said to be rich."

Se dice de él que es rico.

Formula: Subject + Passive Verb + TO + Inf.

Fórmula: Sujeto + Verbo Pasivo + TO + Infinitivo

Structure A (It...)

Structure B (Subject...)

It is believed that she works hard.

Se cree que ella trabaja duro.

She is believed to work hard.

It is reported that they lost money.

Se informa que perdieron dinero.

They are reported to have lost money.

Past Action = "to have + V3"

Acción pasada = Infinitivo Perfecto.

It is expected that the train will arrive late.

Se espera que el tren llegue tarde.

The train is expected to arrive late.

It is thought that the plan is risky.

Se piensa que el plan es arriesgado.

The plan is thought to be risky.

It is known that he drives a Ferrari.

Se sabe que él conduce un Ferrari.

He is known to drive a Ferrari.

Click rows to listen. Haz clic para escuchar.

Phase 5: The Neuro Arena

Passive Challenge

50 Questions. 4 Levels + Boss. Can you handle the spotlight? 50 Preguntas. 4 Niveles + Jefe Final. ¿Puedes manejar el foco?

Ready to switch focus?

Level 1 (1-10): Active or Passive?
Level 2 (11-20): Choose the 'To Be'
Level 3 (21-30): Structure Check
Level 4 (31-40): Writing (Rewrite)
Boss (41-50): Advanced Mix

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lunes, 29 de diciembre de 2025