Passive Infinitive and Passive Gerund

The proposal is expected to be approved next week.

Notice

  • The contract needs to be signed today.
  • This problem seems to be caused by a software bug.
  • She doesn’t like being told what to do.
  • He avoided being seen by the manager.
  • I hate being interrupted when I’m speaking.

Rule

Passive infinitive: to be + past participle — follows verbs like need, want, expect, seem, hope, would like.

Passive gerund: being + past participle — follows verbs and prepositions like avoid, enjoy, hate, mind, without, after.

Both let you keep the focus on the action or the receiver of the action, in a slightly more compact and formal style than a full passive clause.

Practice

  1. Complete: ‘The house needs _____ (paint) before winter.’
    Answer: to be painted
  2. Complete: ‘He hates _____ (correct) in front of others.’
    Answer: being corrected
  3. Complete: ‘The issue appears _____ (resolve) already.’
    Answer: to have been resolved
  4. Rewrite using a passive gerund: ‘Nobody likes it when people criticise them.’
    Answer: Nobody likes being criticised.

Connect

Practise spotting passive infinitive and gerund errors in context.

Try Error Correction →

CEFR: Reading — understand more complex, formally worded texts with confidence.

Azizul Hakim
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