Passive

pASSIVE VOICE

Passive voice and reporting verbs

índex

Common tenses

common tenses

Passive info

present

past

Passive

common tenses

passive

reporting verbs

future

reporting infinitive

Passive

common reporting verbs

How to buildthe passive voice

1st Identify the direct object. This will be the subject of the new sentence. 2nd Identify the tense of the original sentence 3rd Change the verb to be into that tense 4th add the past participle of the verb in the active voice 5th if you know and think it is important, add the agent introduced by the word "by"

We use the passive when:

• what happened is more important than who does it
• we don't know who or what does/did something
• we don't need to say
• when writing in an offical style

Most common present tenses

Most common past tenses

Most common future tenses

Passive with reporting verbs

If we want to avoid mentioning the generalised agents we, they, people, everybody, one etc. with reporting verbs, we can use the following passive patterns: it + passive reporting verb + that-clause In this pattern, the generalised agent + active reporting verb is replaced with it + passive reporting verb: Everybody knows that my grandfather likes red wine. It is known that my grandfather likes red wine. subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive In this pattern we start with the subject of the reported clause, which is followed by the passive reporting verb and the to-infinitive form of the verb in the reported clause: Everybody knows that my grandfather likes red wine. My grandfather is known to like red wine.

Passive with reporting verbs

Sub + is thought/believed/said + to WHICH FORM OF THE INFINITIVE DO WE USE?  If it carries an idea of present or future --> Simple: to write  It it carries an idea of past, whatever the tense (Past Simple, Past Perfect, Present Perfect) --> Perfect: to have written.  If either of them are in a continuous form, you use the adequate Infinitive continuous form --> to be writing or to have been writing

Passive with reporting verbs

Passive with reporting verbs

Other uses

We can use a causative form (have+something+done) with a passive meaning. The form is have/get + object + past participleShe had her car broken into. He got his teeth removed. Spoken grammar Get is more informal than have. A spoken form of the causative have is common in the US. I had the mechanic fix my car.