active

• affirmative - anne paints landscapes.
• negative - anne doesn't paint landscapes.
• interrogative - does anne paint landscapes?
• short answers - yes, she does. / no, she doesn't.

passive

• affirmative - landscapes are painted by anne.
• negative - landscapes aren't painted by anne.
• interrogative - are landscapes painted by anne?
• short answers - yes, they are. / no, they aren't.

the passive

form

• affirmative subject + be (in the different tenses) + past participle of the main verb
• negative subject + be (in the different tenses) not + past participle of the main verb
• interrogative (is / are / am / was / were) + subject + past participle of the main verb
• by is used before the person / thing that does the action.

use

• to focus on the action / object - example: the new bridge was opened yesterday.
• when the agent is unknown, implicit or not important - example: the missing keys have been found.
• to describe a scientific/technical process - example: water is heated to produce steam.
• to describe a necessary action or obligation - example: brown sugar must be added to the hot chocolate.
• to provide historical information or events - example: magna carta was signed in 1215.
• to narrate past events or actions without emphasizing the doer - example: two men were caught after robbing a bank last night.
• to make announcements or notices - example: he meeting will be held in room 101.