Passive with modals and infinitives
Use passive infinitives and gerunds — to be done, being done, to have been done — and passives with modals and reporting.
In this lesson you will
- Use passive infinitives and -ing forms
- Use perfect passive infinitives and modals
- Choose active or passive for style and focus
Learn
Passive infinitive: (to) be + participle: The report needs to be finished* by Friday. This problem must be solved.*
Passive -ing: being + participle: I hate being interrupted. She avoided being seen.
Perfect passive: (to) have been + participle: The letter should have been sent* yesterday. He claims to have been treated unfairly.*
Use the passive to keep the topic at the start, to move long subjects to the end, and in formal/impersonal writing. Avoid long chains of passives — they make writing heavy.
Examples
- Nobody likes being told what to do.
- All applications have to be submitted online.
- The building is thought to have been designed by a student.
- The missing files may have been deleted by mistake.
Vocabulary
submit
send officially
treat
behave towards
claim
say something is true
delete
remove (data)
impersonal
not showing personal feelings
Practice
I don’t like ___ what to do.
Speaking
Talk about things you like and hate being done to you (being interrupted, being given advice…) and things that should have been done differently in your town.
Writing
Write a short formal notice or policy (100–120 words) using passive infinitives, gerunds and modals.
Lesson quiz
He was lucky not ___ .
Review
Key points
- (to) be done / being done.
- (to) have been done; modal + have been done.
- Use passive for focus and formality, but not in long chains.
What you learned
- ✓ I can use passive infinitives and gerunds.
- ✓ I can use perfect passives.
- ✓ I choose active or passive thoughtfully.
Grammar reference: The passive voice