Problem: basic passives (“was performed”) are easy; the formal writing examiners reward needs continuous, perfect and modal passives — “is being monitored”, “has been commenced”, “should be reviewed”. Answer in brief: each advanced passive has one job (ongoing process, completed-with-relevance, recommendation), trained to reflex, then fused into accurate paragraphs. This guide teaches all three with a fusion drill, and OET Grammar — Course 2 trains advanced passives across 28 topic sections.
Three advanced passives, three jobs
Continuous (“is being monitored”) reports processes in progress now. Perfect (“has been commenced”) reports completed actions with present relevance. Modal (“should be reviewed”, “must be monitored”) issues recommendations with professional softness. One job each; confusion between them produces the classic fault — “was being monitored” for a completed course, or “is commenced” for an ongoing one.
Continuous passive: ongoing processes
Use when the process continues at writing time: fluids running, observations scheduled, wounds healing under current dressings. “She is being nursed in…” / “He is being monitored four-hourly…” — always paired with a current status, because ongoing processes need today’s anchor. Never use continuous for finished events; the -ing promises continuation.
Master all three supervised? The full OET Grammar — Course 2 teaches continuous, perfect and modal passives with active-passive voice work across 28 topic sections with 102 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Perfect passive: completed with relevance
Use when the completed action explains today: “Antibiotics have been completed with good response” (hence afebrile now); “A care package has been arranged” (hence safe discharge). The relevance clause is obligatory — perfect passive without present consequence is just showing off. Pair each with its “so…” explicitly during practice until the habit forms.
Modal passives: recommendations without bosses
“Should be reviewed”, “needs to be monitored”, “must be followed up” — recommendations with graded force. Should for routine, needs to for important, must for safety-critical. Modal passives let writers recommend without commanding GPs — the politeness system of handover English. Match force to risk; inflated force (“must” for routine) reads as anxiety.
Fusion drill: into an accurate paragraph
Fictional lines, newly written — one paragraph using all three: “Mrs Adeyemi is being monitored four-hourly following yesterday’s fall (continuous + anchor). A CT head has been completed with no acute findings, so observations continue (perfect + relevance). She should be reviewed by the falls team before discharge (modal + graded force).” Three passives, three jobs, one coherent paragraph — the fusion this course drills to reflex.
FAQs
How many advanced passives per letter?
Three to five across a letter is plenty. Density beyond that obscures agency; the devices are seasoning, and the active voice remains the staple.
Do advanced passives need agents?
Only where responsibility matters (“has been referred by…” rarely; “should be reviewed by the GP…” usefully). Default agentless; add agents for actions and owners.
What is in the course?
Twenty-eight topic sections on continuous, perfect and modal passives with active-passive voice training, 102 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Grammar — Course 2 takes passives advanced: continuous, perfect and modal forms fused into accurate paragraphs — 28 topic sections, 102 lessons, 5 mock tests. For formal writing that sounds qualified, train here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing criteria per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Check current format guidance before the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 28 topic sections, 102 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Examples are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
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