Grammar › Passive Voice

Passive voice in the future tense

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

Will be, then the past participle. One form for every subject.

The past participle is the third form in verb tables: written, gone, built. It never changes with the subject.

The pattern

Three pieces and no agreement at all: will be plus the past participle.

It will be repaired. They will be repaired.

What it is used for

Announcements, schedules and official plans:

• The road will be closed for two weeks.
• Successful applicants will be contacted by email.
• Lunch will be served at one.

The passive suits these because the organization doing the work is either obvious or irrelevant.

going to be

Exactly the same meaning, slightly more spoken, and with the plan already made:

The building is going to be demolished.

After a modal

Any modal follows the same shape — modal, be, past participle:

It must be signed. It can be replaced. It should be checked.

This is worth practicing, because the passive after a modal turns up constantly in instructions and rules.

All forms

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

• The rugs will be cleaned as soon as the weather improves.
• The fences will be painted dark green early next week.
• The castle will be repaired by a team of masons next spring.
• The boiler will be replaced with money raised at the summer fair.
• The ticket office will be rebuilt when the contract is signed.
• The water channel will be cleared after the holidays.
• The shoe will be polished with black wax at the start of the new term.
• The bales will be stored in the upper barn next spring.
• The routes will be marked with yellow paint next month.
• The school hall will be rewired in the spring.
• The song will be performed by the school choir next spring.
• The newspaper will be folded by machine next spring.

Mistakes to avoid

Other forms of Passive Voice