PASSIVE VOICE

GRAMMAR UNIT 3

Active andPassive voice

by Íngrid Palomino

What's the passive voice?

Before talking about the passive voice, we need to talk about what we mean with the term "voice". Voice is the form a verb takes to indicate if the subject of the sentence performs or receives the action.

a) Active voice: the subject performs the action (agent). He sent a letter. b) Passive voice: the subject receives the action (receiver) A letter was sent by him.

Subject (object of the active sentence) + verb "to be" conjugated ( same verb tense as the verb in the active sentence) + past participle of the verb in the active sentence (-d/-ed if regular and 3rd column of the list if irregular) + by + object (subject in the active sentence)

by+ object (optional to use it, put it only if who did the action is relevant)

Passive Voice

Active voice: The hunter killed the lion. Passive voice: The lion was killed by the hunter. In the passive voice, the object of the active sentence turns into the subject of the passive sentence, and the subject is omitted or goes at the end of the sentence, after the preposition "by".

direct or indirect

example with direct and indirect object

Direct and Indirect objects

Complements directe i indirecte i com passar-los a passiva

Example with a direct object:

Active voice: Joe makes Mary's breakfast. Passive voice: Mary's breakfast is made by Joe.

Example with direct and indirect objects:

Active voice: Joe gave Mary a ring. Passive voice: A ring was given to Mary (by Joe). Passive voice: Mary was given a ring (by Joe)

Personal pronouns

and how to do the active-passive transformation

When the subject of the active sentence is a subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they), we change the subject pronoun to an object pronoun, like in the example: He sent a letter. --> A letter was sent by him,When the indirect object of an active sentence is an object pronoun (me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them), we change the subject to the corresponding subject pronoun.

Amy has shown him around the city . --> He has been shown around the city by Amy.

Possible verb tenses

Positive, negative, interrogative

Per fer frases negatives i preguntes en passiva, caldrà que sàpigues conjugar el verb TO BE en tots els temps verbals que hem vist fins ara (Present/Past/Future simple, Present/Past/Future continuous, Be going to, i Present/Past perfect simple) Present simple examples of passive:

• Iberian ham is made in Spain. (Positive) 385,000 babies are born each day.
• Iberian ham isn't made in Japan. (Negative) 1,000,000 babies aren't born each day
• Is Iberian ham made in Spain (Interrogative) Are millions of babies born each day?

Past simple examples of passive:

• The cake was eaten by your brother. (Positive) The kids were found.
• The cake wasn't eaten by your brother. (Negative) The kids weren't found.
• Was the cake eaten by my brother? (Interrogative) Were the kids found?

Positive, negative, interrogative

Per fer frases negatives i preguntes en passiva, caldrà que sàpigues conjugar el verb TO BE en tots els temps verbals que hem vist fins ara (Present/Past/Future simple, Present/Past/Future continuous, Be going to, i Present/Past perfect simple) Present continuous examples of passive:

• The dishes are being washed. (Positive) I am being followed.
• The dishes aren't being washed. (Negative) I'm not being followed.
• Are the dished being washed? (Interrogative) Am I being followed?

Past continuous examples of passive:

• The biscuits were being baked in the oven when the power went out. (Positive)
• The biscuits weren't being baked in the oven when the power went out. (Negative)
• Were the biscuits being baked in the oven when the power went out? (Interrogative)

Positive, negative, interrogative

Per fer frases negatives i preguntes en passiva, caldrà que sàpigues conjugar el verb TO BE en tots els temps verbals que hem vist fins ara (Present/Past/Future simple, Present/Past/Future continuous, Be going to, i Present/Past perfect simple) Present perfect simple examples of passive:

• The news report has been written. (Positive) We have been told to wait here.
• The news report hasn't been written. (Negative) We haven't been told to wait here.
• Has the news report been written? (Interrogative) Have we been told that?

Past perfect simple examples of passive:

• The house had been cleaned before the guests arrived. (Positive)
• The house hadn't been cleaned before the guests arrived. (Negative)
• Had the house been cleaned before the guests arrived? (Interrogative)

Future simple examples of passive:

• The new building will be built next year. (Positive)
• The new building won't be built next year. (Negative)
• Will the new building be built next year? (Interrogative)

Future continuous examples of passive:

• The new vaccine will be being tested on a group of volunteers next year. . (Positive)
• The new vaccine won't be being tested on a group of volunteers next year. (Negative)
• Will the new vaccine be being tested on a group of volunteers next year? (Interrogative)

Be going to examples of passive:

• The car is going to be repaired by a mechanic this afternoon. (Positive)
• The car isn't going to be repaired by a mechanic this afternoon. (Negative)
• Is the car going to be repaired by a mechanic this afternoon? (Interrogative)

Uses of the Passive voice

The passive voice is used when...

You want to focus on the receiver of the action, rather than on the actor of the action (agent).

The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.

When you don't want to say who or what did the action because you don't know who/what did it or it is obvious or unimportant .

The cathedral was built in 1829. (unknown agent) My bike has been stolen. (unknown agent) The criminals were arrested. (obvious/unimportant agent)

To express a general opinion, thought, knowledge or belief.

It is believed that money can buy happiness. It is said that Paris is the city of love.

In formal (media,etc.) or scientific writing.

This product has not been tested on animals.

Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.

The lab chemicals must not be touched.

Video I

Video II

Video III

Video IV

Video V

Exercises to practise

Exercises to practise the passive

Exceptions

Intransitive verbs

Intransitive verbs (verbs that can't accept a direct or indirect object) can't be passive. For example:

• It rains
• I am sitting in my office.
• He died last week.
• We have worked together for 5 years.