Passive Voice

PASSIVEVOICE

NOV, 22

#0120

Monday

THE DAILY NEWS

Everything you need to know

BABY WAS STOLEN AT HOSPITAL

They were asked to stay in their respective rooms. The place was search by police, and some nursesdecided to help. After some minutes, thwe baby was found in a car nearby. Sevral witnesses were interviewed by police and a sketch was drawn. A suspect was captured a few hours after the incident

Found by nurse in a car nearby.

A baby was stolen from the Seattle Grace hspital yesterday evening. A lockdown was required for personel, patients, and visitors.

New planet was found

Chemestry teacher was arrested

A new planet was found in the Aquarius constelletion by a new NASA member.

After selling meth to students, chemestry teacher was arrested.

When is it used?

To emphasize the action/object

Passive: Napa Valley is known for its excellent wines.Active: [Many people] know Napa Valley for its excellent wines.

We do not know go did the action

Passive: My laptop was stolen.Active: Somebody stole my laptop.

We could say that the subject in passive voice is the receiver of the action

How to write in passive voice?

Passive voice is not a tense. Each tense has its own passive voice.

Auxiliary verb to be + Verb (Past Participle)

Perfect tense

Continuous tense

Simple tense

Modals

"have" + been + Past Part.

"be" + being + Past Participle

modal + be + Past Participle

"be" + Past Participle

They have made a cake.A cake has been made. You had made a cake. A cake had been made.

She was making a cake. A cake was being made. I am making a cake. A cake is being made.

I can make a cake.A cake can be made. He must make a cake. A cake must be made.

I will make a cake.A cake will be made. We made a cake. A cake was made.

Negative

Question

We use the first auxiliary in the verb.

We use the first auxiliary in the verb.

S + "be" + NOT + Past ParticipleS + "be" + NOT + being + Past Participle S + "have" + NOT + been + Past Participle S + modal + NOT + "be" + Past Participle

"be" + S + Past Participle?"be" + S + being + Past Participle? "have" + S + been + Past Participle? modal + S + "be" + Past Participle?

BY AGENT

We are normally not interested in the ›doer‹ of an action in a passive sentence. When we want to mention the ›doer‹, we use the preposition by. The whole phrase is called by-agent in English. Mr. Brown built a house. A house was built by Mr. Brown.

When we do not know, who was the ›doer‹ of the action, we use someone or somebody in the active sentence. We leave out these words in the passive sentence. Someone stole my bike. M bike was stolen

Agent represents the person or a thing that performs the action and is the subject of an active sentence. The majority of the passive sentences do not have any agent.

Passive with 2 objects

Mike sent a bouquet of lowers to his girlfrind. Mike sent her a bouquet of flowers.

Indirect object

Direct object

Direct object

Indirect object

To turn these sentences into passive voice we can use either of the object as the subject in the passive voice sentence. It depends on what you want to emphasize.

Passive with 2 objects

Mike sent her a bouquet of flowers. She was sent flowers by her boyfriend. A bouquet of flowers were sent to her.

Indirect object

Direct object

Indirect object

Direct object