be + p.p. (passive)
Rulebe + past participle: focus on the receiver of the action; the doer is optional (by + agent).
Curiosity
"The team completed the project" versus "The project was completed (by the team)." Why flip it?
Intuition
The passive moves the receiver to the front when the doer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. The verb becomes be + past participle.
Visualization
See the passive sentence parts: the subject (receiver) and "be + past participle" are highlighted; "by + agent" is dimmed (it can be dropped).
Passive = be + past participle; the receiver becomes the subject.
The reportwas writtenby the team
Essence
Tense lives in "be" (is / was / will be / has been + p.p.). Only transitive verbs can be passive. TOEIC Part 5 tests the agreement of "be" and the correct past-participle form.
Examples
The contract was signed yesterday.
All packages are inspected before shipping.
The new policy will be announced next week.
Mini-quiz
"The annual report ___ by the finance team every January." Which fits?