Present passive: questions
460 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 46 tests of ten
Move is or are in front of the subject. The past participle stays put.
The past participle is the third form in verb tables: written, gone, built. It never changes with the subject.
Practice this form
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The pattern
Swap the auxiliary and the subject:
The forms are checked. → Are the forms checked?
Short answers use be
Is the hall cleaned daily? — Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t.
Wh-questions
The question word comes first and the rest follows the same swap:
- Where is the bread baked?
- How often are the filters changed?
- Why is this door kept locked?
Asking who did it
English puts the preposition at the end, which looks odd at first but is the normal form:
Who is this book written by?
The formal alternative moves it to the front: By whom is this book written? — correct, but rare outside written English.
A useful test
If you are unsure whether a question needs is or does, look at the verb. A past participle means the passive and takes is or are. A plain verb means the active and takes does or do.
All forms
| Type | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| yes/no, singular | Is the post delivered before nine? | Yes, it is. |
| yes/no, plural | Are the bins emptied on Tuesdays? | Yes, they are. |
| wh-question | Where is the bread baked? | On the premises. |
| who by | Who is it written by? | By the head office. |
Examples
Taken from the 460 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- Is this information provided by the government?
- Are the reports reviewed by the manager?
- Are these letters delivered by the mail carrier?
- Are these paintings painted by Picasso?
- Is this house designed by an architect?
- Are these emails sent by you?
- Is this poem written by Shakespeare?
- Is this song composed by the band?
- Is this document prepared by you?
- Are these buildings constructed by that construction company?
- Is this movie directed by that director?
- Is this cake baked by you?
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: Does the post delivered before nine? correct: Is the post delivered before nine?
The passive already has an auxiliary, so does is not needed.
Wrong: Are these rooms clean every day? correct: Are these rooms cleaned every day?
Without the past participle the sentence asks whether the rooms are tidy, not whether someone cleans them.