The continuous passive

This looks like a good place to hide.

Hi guys! Dan for BBC Learning English. Today’s session is all about the continuous passive. I have to do it really quickly. 90 seconds or less because I’m being chased, I’m on the run for my life!

Here, now. Oh sorry. You didn’t recognise me. I’m in disguise you see. Anyway, like I said, I’m being chased. I don’t know who by. I noticed it started yesterday. I was coming out of work and I noticed I was being watched.

I haven’t got a clue what I’ve done but I think they don’t want me to teach you about today’s lesson, the continuous passive. Well guess what? They can’t stop you, they can’t stop me! English before death. Ha ha ha. Ssh, ssh.

Here’s what you need to know. OK here’s the continuous passive formula: be plus being plus the past participle . Remember it, don ‘t tell anybody.

Now, the passive continuous tense is a continuous tense so it focuses on actions that are happening now or around now. For example, “I’m being chased.” But it’s also a passive tense and we use a passive tense to focus on the object of a verb or the action of the verb and not the person who’s doing the thing. Especially when we don’t know who they are.

I could have said: “They are chasing me.” But because I don’t know who they are, the word ‘they’ is meaningless in this situation.

We also use the passive for lots of other reasons, which you can see here. Don’t tell anyone.

Aargh. The things I do for … I’m out of time. I’m out of here. Don’t forget, we use it in the present form or the past form, not the perfect form - too many verbs.

I’ve got to go guys. Dan for BBC Learn … They’re here, it’s too late, no, stay back, aaah, don’t touch the faaaace.