These questions ask you to build or recognise a passive for a future action, an obligation, a recommendation, a possibility or a prohibition. The central task is to keep the receiver as the subject while preserving every required part of the verb chain.
Build from the signal to the form
Begin with meaning. Check that the subject receives the action rather than performs it. Then identify the signal that must lead the chain: a future time or an instruction naming will calls for will, while possibility, necessity, recommendation and permission call for a suitable modal. After will or a modal, place be, then use the past participle of the main verb. If the meaning is negative, place not immediately after will or the modal.
| Signal in the sentence or instruction | Construction to build |
|---|---|
| A future event with the receiver in subject position | Use will, then be, then the past participle. |
| Possibility, necessity, recommendation or permission affecting the subject | Use the modal that expresses the meaning, then be and the past participle. |
| A negative requirement or prohibition | Keep not after will or the modal; be and the participle still follow. |
| An adverb such as carefully or promptly | Place it without removing be or changing the participle. The adverb adds detail but does not replace part of the chain. |
Use a final three-part check. First, read from the subject to confirm that it receives the action. Second, count the structural parts: will or modal, be, participle. Third, test the main verb form. Regular participles often end in -ed, but the decision is grammatical rather than visual: the form must be the verb's past participle, not its base form or its -ing form.
Where the chain breaks
- An active base verb follows will or a modal even though the subject receives the action. Without be, that pattern makes the subject sound like the performer, so return to the receiver check before rebuilding the chain.
- A past participle is placed directly after will or a modal. The participle alone does not form this passive: be must stand between the first auxiliary and the participle.
- Be is followed by the base form of the main verb. Be establishes the passive frame, but the following verb must still change to its past participle.
- Be is followed by an -ing form. That ending signals an ongoing construction rather than supplying the participle required here; replace only the main-verb form while keeping the auxiliary chain intact.
- Have is inserted because a longer chain seems more complete. Have needs a separate perfect-time meaning, and a perfect passive would also require been before the participle. It cannot substitute for be in the future or modal pattern taught here.
Try it
Which sentence contains an error in the auxiliary chain of a future passive?
- The balcony will be reopened after the safety check.
- The archive will archived the signed letters next week.
- The seedlings will be moved indoors before the frost.
- The final route will be published after the consultation.
Complete the sentence using will + be + past participle and the verb in brackets. The shortlist ___ at noon tomorrow. (announce)
Complete the sentence using the negative of must + be + past participle and the verb in brackets. Under museum policy, food ___ in the textile gallery. (not allow)