The Passive Voice in the Present Progressive Tense (Also Called Present Continuous)

The passive voice is one of two grammatical voices in English. 

A voice is the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of a sentence does the action (= the active voice) or is affected by it (= the passive voice).

"Jonny eat his lunch."

Examples:

• In the sentence "James dropped the ball," the verb "dropped" is in the active voice. In other words, the form "dropped" shows that the subject (James) did the action. The sentence "James dropped the ball" is an active sentence.
  
  
• In the sentence "The ball was dropped by James," the verb "was dropped" is in the passive voice. In other words, the form "was dropped" shows that the subject (the ball) was affected by the action. The sentence "The ball was dropped by James" is a passive sentence.
  
  

The passive voice allows the speaker to put the focus on the object of a sentence instead of the subject. (Object = someone or something to which an action or feeling is directed.)

Normally, we use the active voice because we want to focus attention on the person or thing doing the action. The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the person or thing affected by the action of the subject or to emphasize the object itself.

Example:

Active: Sally decorated the wedding cake.

This sentence is written in the active voice because Sally, the subject, performs the action (decorating) on the object (the wedding cake).

We can rewrite the sentence using the passive voice to put the focus on the object (the cake).

Passive: The wedding cake was decorated by Sally.

In this sentence, Sally is no longer the subject. The wedding cake is now the subject of the sentence, although it is not performing the action. The action (decorating) is performed on the cake by Sally. 

The Passive Voice in the Present Progressive Tense

The present progressive is a very common tense in English. The present progressive is a verb form that shows the action is currently in progress, incomplete, or planned for the near future.

Examples:

• The music is playing in my room.
• She is teaching them.
• He is fixing my computer. 
• He is publishing the book soon.
• My boss is giving me the reports tomorrow. 
• We are not going on vacation this year.

These examples are written in the present progressive active voice.

 

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Learn more about the English Progressive Tenses with this illustrated series:
Stories and Exercises to Practice the Progressive Tenses

This series and our Active and Passive Voice booklet is also included in the our Full Package:
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Passive voice in the present progressive tense is created with the present tense form of the verb to be (am, is, are)  + being + the 3rd form of the verb (eaten, done, begun, etc.) . 

Examples:

• The music is being played in my room.
• They are being taught.
• My computer is being fixed.
• His book is being published soon.
• The reports are being given to me by my boss tomorrow. 
• A vacation is not being taken by us this year.

Like the present progressive active, the present proressive passive shows that the action is ongoing, incomplete, or planned to happen in the near future. But this passive form allows the speaker to emphasize the object in the sentence. 

You can also ask questions in the present progressive passive using the present tense form of the verb to be (am, is, are) + [the subject] + being + the 3rd form of the verb (eaten, done, begun, etc.). 

Examples:

• Are you being helped?
• Is the play being performed tonight?
• Is your car being repaired by Tom?
• What foods are being served tonight? 

Practice

Part A: Identify which sentences are written in the passive voice.

1. His wife made dinner.
2. The garden was planted by her.
3. The postman delivered the letter to me.
4. His name was added to the list by me.
5. John is studying for his exam.
6. The party is being hosted by the Smith family.
7. The gift was given to me by my sister.
8. The child is being noisy.
9. The test is being conducted tomorrow.
10. The party was ruined by the storm.

Part B: The following sentences are written in the present progressive active voice. Change each sentence to the present progressive passive.

1. The waitress is bringing our food to the table.
2. They are picking apples from the tree.
3. I am growing vegetables in my garden this year.
4. He is questioning the witness.
5. Susan is preparing dinner.
6. Her children are learning English.
7. The girl is reading a good book.
8. We are washing our car.
9. The teacher is grading the essays now.
10. Billy’s dog is always eating bones.

Part C: The following sentences are written in the present progressive passive voice. Change each sentence to present progressive active. 

1. The soup is being cooked by Mr. Thomas.
2. The Christmas celebration is being held at the church tonight.
3. The package is being delivered by him.
4. Our house is being painted by us. 
5. The exam is being scored by the computer.
6. His lawn is being mowed every week by his neighbor.
7. The shopping is being done by the ladies.
8. Basketball is not being played this month. 
9. My dishes are not being washed this week by me.
10.  The house is being built by the company.

Answers:

Part A: 

1. His wife made the dinner. 
2. The garden was planted by her. (passive)
3. The postman delivered the letter to me. 
4. His name was added to the list by me. (passive)
5. John is studying for his exam. 
6. The party is being hosted by the Smith family. (passive)
7. The gift was given to me by my sister. (passive)
8. The child is being noisy. 
9. The test is being conducted tomorrow. (passive)
10. The party was ruined by the storm. (passive)

Part B: 

1. Our food is being brought to the table by the waitress.
2. The apples are being picked by them. 
3. The vegetables are being grown by me this year.
4. The witness is being questioned by him.
5. The dinner is being prepared by Susan.
6. English is being learned by her children.
7. The book is being read by the girl.
8. Our car is being washed.
9. The essays are being graded by the teacher now.
10. Bones are always being eaten by Billy’s dog. 

Part C:

1. Mr. Thomas is cooking the soup.
2. The church is holding the Christmas celebration tonight. 
3. He is delivering the package. 
4. We are painting our house. 
5. The computer is scoring the exam. 
6. His neighbor is mowing his lawn every week.
7. The ladies are doing the shopping.
8. They are not playing basketball this month.
9. I am not washing my dishes this week.
10. The company is building the house.
    
    

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