Unit 6 · Environment & Society · Lesson 28
City Living
Learn when the passive is the natural choice — for processes, systems and city life where the action matters more than who does it. You'll describe how cities are shaped and who gets left out.
Warm-up · §1
5 minGet talking
In one sentence, what's the best and worst thing about where you live?
Who decides what gets built in your neighbourhood?
Name one group of people your city doesn't design for well.
Grammar focus · §2
8–10 minThe passive voice — when the action matters more than the actor
Quick rule
Passive = be + past participle. Use it when the action matters more than the doer.
Pattern builder
Present simple
am/is/are + past participle
e.g. Rents are raised every year.
Present continuous
am/is/are being + past participle
e.g. New flats are being built.
Present perfect
have/has been + past participle
e.g. Nothing has been done.
Past simple
was/were + past participle
e.g. The market was demolished.
Future
will be / is going to be + past participle
e.g. A bike lane will be added.
Modal
modal + be + past participle
e.g. Something must be done.
Compare
| Active | Passive | Why passive? |
|---|---|---|
| Developers are building new flats. | New flats are being built. | The 'who' is obvious/less important. |
| The council cut public transport. | Public transport was cut. | The focus is the loss, not the council. |
| Someone has stolen my bike. | My bike has been stolen. | The 'who' is unknown. |
Examples
- →
New flats are being built along the river.
- →
The old market was demolished last year.
- →
Rents have been pushed up by foreign investment.
- →
Public transport is being cut to save money.
- →
A new bike lane is going to be added next month.
- →
Nothing has been done about the housing crisis.
Common mistakes
New flats are build near the river.
✓ New flats are being built near the river.
Passive needs 'be' + past participle, not the base verb.
The market was demolish last year.
✓ The market was demolished last year.
Use the past participle, not the base form.
The bike was stole.
✓ The bike was stolen.
Learn irregular past participles ('stole' → 'stolen').
Natural English
In city talk, passive is more common than active. 'Rents are being pushed up' sounds neutral; 'Landlords are pushing rents up' sounds like an accusation. Choose your tone.
Deep dive (full explanation)
Use the passive when WHO does the action is unknown, obvious, unimportant, or you want to focus on the action itself. Common in news, processes, and formal writing. Form: 'be' + past participle. Add 'by + agent' only if the agent is useful information.
Question 1.'New flats ___ built along the river.'
Question 2.'The old market ___ demolished last year.'
Question 3.'Nothing ___ about the housing crisis.'
Question 4.Which is a good use of passive?
Question 5.'A bike lane ___ next month.'
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.'New flats ___ built along the river.'
Quick check 2.'The old market ___ demolished last year.'
Vocabulary · §3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
affordable housing
housing at prices ordinary people can pay.
gentrification
the process of a neighbourhood becoming wealthier and pushing out original residents.
urban sprawl
cities spreading outwards in an uncontrolled way.
public transport
buses, trains and metros for everyone.
green space
parks and other outdoor areas in a city.
the cost of living
how much everyday life costs in a place.
inequality
unfair difference between groups of people.
commuter
someone who travels regularly to work.
to be priced out
to no longer be able to afford to live somewhere.
regeneration
improvement of a neighbourhood — often controversial.
Activate it now
Try the vocabulary on your real city.
- Make it yours#1
Have you or people you know been priced out of a neighbourhood? What happened?
to be priced outaffordable housing - Your view#2
Is gentrification always bad, or does it bring real benefits?
gentrificationregeneration - Rank#3
Rank most to least important in a city: public transport, green space, affordable housing, safety.
public transportgreen spaceaffordable housing - Complete#4
Finish: 'The cost of living in my city is ___ because ___.'
the cost of livinginequality - Discuss#5
What's the longest commute you've ever done? Was it worth it?
commuterpublic transport
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · §4
3–4 minWeak forms in the passive
In the passive, the small words 'is', 'are', 'been', 'was' become weak: sounds like 'iz', 'ə', 'bin', 'wəz'. The past participle carries the stress. 'The flats are BUILT.' 'The market was DEmolished.'
- The market was DEmolished.
- New flats are being BUILT.
- Nothing has been DONE.
- The bike lane will be ADDED.
Reading · §5
8–10 minWho Is the City For?
Listen to the passage
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Walk through any 'regenerated' neighbourhood and you'll see the same pattern. The old market has been replaced by a design shop. The affordable pub has been renamed and repriced. The families who lived on this street for two generations have been priced out and pushed to the outskirts. Regeneration is not a bad word in itself. Cities are living things; they change. But the question is always the same: who is the change designed for? Across Europe, city centres are being reshaped for tourists, high-earners and short-term rentals. Public housing is being sold off. Green space is being replaced by luxury developments. Commuters are being pushed further and further out, into neighbourhoods where the transport hasn't been built yet. The result is a familiar kind of inequality. The city looks better in photographs. It functions worse for the people who actually live and work in it. Until affordable housing and public transport are treated as basic infrastructure — not luxuries — that pattern won't change.
Question 1.What has happened to the old market?
Question 2.What is happening to public housing across Europe?
Question 3.Where are commuters being pushed?
Question 4.What must be treated as basic infrastructure?
Q1.The writer says regeneration is always bad.
Q2.Public housing across Europe is being sold off.
Q3.The writer says the city functions better for people who live there.
Listening · §6
8–10 minA local activist and a resident on a neighbourhood podcast (about 1:30)
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Host:So — three new luxury blocks have been approved on the old market site. Reaction?
Activist:Predictable. No affordable units. The community wasn't consulted properly.
Resident:My rent has been raised twice this year already. I've lived here twelve years.
Host:Is this gentrification or regeneration?
Activist:It's regeneration on paper, gentrification in practice. Green space is being lost. Long-term residents are being priced out.
Resident:My kids' school could be closed next year — numbers are down because families have moved.
Host:What would you change?
Activist:Thirty per cent affordable housing on every new development. Not negotiable.
Resident:And proper public transport before the flats go up, not after.
Host:The council says the plans are being reviewed.
Activist:Reviewed by whom? That's the real question.
Question 1.What has been approved on the market site?
Question 2.How many times has the resident's rent been raised?
Question 3.What percentage of affordable housing does the activist want?
Question 4.When should public transport go in?
Exam skills · §7
5 minStrategy focus — The passive in Writing Part 1 (report/essay)
Task
Reports and essays about cities, environment or society use the passive to sound neutral and formal. Overusing the active makes writing sound accusatory or informal.
Strategy
In your first paragraph, use TWO passives to set the situation neutrally. Then switch to active for your own opinion. Signal the shift ('In my view…', 'I believe…').
Example
Across the city, affordable housing is being sold off and green space is being replaced by luxury developments. In my view, this is short-sighted. If ordinary residents are pushed to the outskirts, the centre loses the very communities that made it worth visiting.
Practice · §8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.New flats ___ built along the river.
Question 2.The old market ___ demolished last year.
Question 3.Nothing ___ about the housing crisis.
Question 4.Families have been ___ out of the neighbourhood.
Question 5.___ transport is being cut to save money.
Question 6.The area needs proper ___ housing, not just luxury flats.
Q1.Fill: 'The market ___ (demolish) last year.'
Q2.Fill: 'Nothing ___ (do) about it yet.'
Q3.One-word: 'unable to afford to live somewhere' = to be p___ out.
Writing · §9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 130–170 word letter to your local council about ONE change happening in your city. Use at least FOUR passive verbs and FIVE items of Unit 6 vocabulary. End with a specific request.
Your answer
Show model answer
To the Council, I am writing about the redevelopment of the old market site. Three luxury blocks have been approved, but no affordable housing has been included. Long-term residents like myself are being priced out of a neighbourhood we have lived in for decades. Regeneration is being sold to the public as improvement. In practice, families are being pushed to the outskirts, public transport has not been extended to match, and green space is being lost to developments most of us can never afford. A thirty per cent affordable housing minimum should be added to every new development in this district. Public transport must be planned before, not after, the flats go up. I would like to know what percentage of the new units will be genuinely affordable, and how residents will be consulted before the plans are approved. Yours faithfully, A long-term resident
Speaking · §10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
ROLEPLAY — The Neighbourhood Meeting. Your teacher or partner plays a council representative. You raise ONE concern about your area (housing, transport, green space or safety). Answer in 60–90 seconds using at least THREE passive verbs and FOUR Unit 6 vocabulary items.
Useful phrases
- • New flats are being built, but ___
- • Nothing has been done about ___
- • Public transport hasn't been ___
- • Long-term residents are being priced out.
- • Green space is being lost.
- • A minimum of ___% should be included.
- CouncillorThanks for coming. What's your main concern about the redevelopment?
- You_______________
- CouncillorThe plans are still under review.
- You_______________
- CouncillorWhat would you propose specifically?
- You_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Optional teacher-led activities for group settings. ~20 min total
Homework · §11
Take-homeTake it home
Write the 150-word letter to your local council about a real change in your area.
Record a 90-second voice note: 'Who is my city for?' Use at least three passives.
Write true sentences using: affordable housing, gentrification, urban sprawl, priced out, regeneration, public transport.
Find one news article about a housing or transport issue in your city. Note two passive sentences.
Recap · §12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- You can use the passive voice across tenses to describe processes, systems and change.
- You can talk about housing, transport and inequality with precise B2 vocabulary.
- You can write a neutral, formal letter of complaint or concern to a council.
- You're ready for Lesson 29 — 'Speak Up' with argument linkers.