PASSIVES

Passive Voice

Active Voice

Verbs can be active or passive . We normally use the active form when the focus of the sentence is on the "agent" - the person or thing that does the action.

All kinds of people buy products like these.focus (agent) = all kinds of people

Passive Voice

When we use the passive, the sentence isn't about the agent anymore. Tha passive emphasizes the action.

Products like these are bought by all kinds of people.

Form

When we use the passive the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

All kinds of people buy

products like these.

object

Products like these are bought by all kinds of people.

subject

We use the passive with a form of the auxiliary verb be (am, is, are) and the past participle of the main verb.

Millions of people visit

malls every day.

object

Malls are visited by millions of people everyday.

subject

farmer's markets to offer freseher foods.

People created

object

Farmer's markets were created to offer fresher foods.

subject

Amazon

in 1995.

Jeff Bezos founded

object

Amazon was founded in 1995 by Jeff Bezos.

subject

Millions of people are buyingevery minute.

products online

object

Products online are being bought online every minute.

subject

in the first quarter

Apple has sold 57 millionof 2021.

iPhones

object

57 million iPhones have been sold in the first quarter of 2021.

subject

BY

We can use by + noun to say who does or did the action in a sentence with a passive verb. This makes the information sound new or important.

The new farmers' market was opened by a local businessman last month.

Thank you!