5 Passive Voice Patterns in TOEFL ITP Structure: Was Wrote or Was Written?
Passive voice in TOEFL ITP Structure: 5 patterns including be + past participle, has been, modal passives, and being + past participle, with a quiz.
“The letter was wrote by Tom” or “The letter was written by Tom”? It looks trivial, but choosing between the past tense (V2) and the past participle (V3) like this is a classic TOEFL® ITP Structure trap.
Passive voice is used when the subject receives the action instead of doing it. In Indonesian it’s usually marked by the prefix “di-” (ditulis, diumumkan, dibangun). In English, the formula always involves be + past participle (V3).
Here are the 5 passive voice patterns that appear most often, along with their traps. (The slides below are in Indonesian, with English example sentences.)
Active vs Passive in One Example
Active: Tom wrote the letter.
Passive: The letter was written by Tom.
The object of the active sentence (the letter) becomes the subject, and the verb becomes be + V3. The form of be follows the tense of the active sentence. For a refresher on tenses, see the 12 tenses guide, and for the forms of be, the to be guide.
Pattern 1: The Basic Formula, Be + V3
Pattern: subject + is / am / are / was / were + V3
The letter was written by Tom.
❌ The letter was wrote by Tom.
✅ The letter was written by Tom.
After be in a passive sentence, always use V3, never V2. For regular verbs, V2 and V3 look the same (announced, finished), so this trap usually uses irregular verbs: wrote/written, took/taken, gave/given, began/begun, chose/chosen, broke/broken.
Pattern 2: Don’t Drop the Be
Pattern: subject + be + V3 (the be can’t disappear)
The results were announced yesterday.
❌ The results announced yesterday.
✅ The results were announced yesterday.
This one often goes unnoticed. Without were, the sentence reads as active: “the results announced (something) yesterday”, but results can’t announce anything. And because announced looks the same in V2 and V3, the error is easy to miss.
Warning sign: a non-human subject + V2/V3 with no be and no object. Ask yourself: “Can this subject perform the action by itself?” If not, the sentence needs be.
Note: a V3 without be can be correct when it isn’t the main verb, as in The results announced yesterday were surprising (a reduced form of which were announced). There, the main verb is were.
Pattern 3: Has / Have Been + V3 (Already Done)
Pattern: subject + has / have been + V3
The bridge has been built.
❌ The bridge has been build.
✅ The bridge has been built.
This is the passive of the present perfect. Compare:
- The company has built a bridge. = active (the company built it)
- The bridge has been built. = passive (the bridge was built)
Has/have must also agree with the subject: The bridge has been built, The bridges have been built.
Pattern 4: Modal + Be + V3
Pattern: can / must / will / should + be + V3
The work must be finished today.
❌ The work must finished today.
✅ The work must be finished today.
After a modal, always use the base form be, not is, are, or was. So must is finished is wrong too.
More examples:
The form should be submitted before Friday.
The problem can be solved easily.
Pattern 5: Being + V3 (In Progress)
Pattern: is / are / was / were + being + V3
The road is being repaired now.
❌ The road is repairing now.
✅ The road is being repaired now.
The road is repairing would mean the road is doing the repairing, which makes no sense. A road can’t fix itself, so you need the progressive passive.
Summary
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple past | Tom wrote the letter. | The letter was written. |
| Present perfect | They have built the bridge. | The bridge has been built. |
| Modal | We must finish the work. | The work must be finished. |
| Present continuous | They are repairing the road. | The road is being repaired. |
The core rule: be (in any form) + V3.
Quick Quiz
Choose the correct form:
- The museum ___ in 1920. (built / was built)
- All applications must ___ by email. (send / be sent)
- The new library ___ at the moment. (is building / is being built)
- The prize was ___ to the youngest participant. (gave / given)
Answers:
- was built (the museum was built; it didn’t build anything).
- be sent (modal + be + V3).
- is being built (in progress).
- given (after was, use V3).
Practice Structure With Explanations
Passive voice is often combined with other traps such as subject-verb agreement or tenses, so you need varied practice.
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