BBC Learning English

Grammar Challenge

Catherine's Grammar Explanation: © British Broadcasting Corporation 2007

Present Perfect Passives

Catherine:

That's exactly right, Veronica! Elena can't go to the party because it has been
cancelled. Listen to Diarmuid again:

Diarmuid: The party has been cancelled!

Diarmuid used a present perfect passive sentence. He could have used an present
perfect active sentence, like this:

Diarmuid: William has cancelled the party.

But he wanted to talk about the party, not William! So the party moves to the
beginning of the sentence, and he doesn't talk about William at all:

Diarmuid: The party has been cancelled!

In the present perfect tense, we use have or has with a past participle, but for
present perfect passive sentences, we use has been, or have been, followed by the
past participle. So we get the party, followed by has been, then the past participle
– cancelled. Listen one more time:

Diarmuid: The party has been cancelled!

Got it? But don't forget, when people are speaking, they often shorten words like is
or has, so they sound like this:

Diarmuid: The party's been cancelled!

The has is shortened to 's' in the spoken form, so watch out for that.
Ok, that's all from me. Good luck with your grammar challenge!

Grammar Challenge © BBC Learning English

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