Download Passive Voice2 - WordPress @ VIU Sites

THE PASSIVE VOICE
Eight Essential Questions
1. What is the Passive Voice
• a way of altering a verb to show that the subject of a sentence is not
the doer of the action
The building was destroyed by the fire.
The building was destroyed.
2. Is the passive voice a verb tense?
• no, it is not
• the passive voice can occur in any verb tense
The building was torn down.
The building is being torn down.
Simple past
Present continuous
The building has been torn down.
Present perfect
The building is going to be torn down.
Future tense
The building might be torn down.
Modal verb
The building should have been torn down.
Perfect modal verb
What do the verbs in all of these sentences have in common?
• the verb BE
3. How is the passive voice formed?
• Be (in any verb tense) + past participle (verb #3)
My car was stolen.
Simple past
The work has been completed.
Present perfect
The program will be cancelled
Future
The house was being painted.
Past continuous
4. What is the difference between the
passive voice and the active voice?
• ACTIVE VOICE = emphasizes that the subject is, was, or
will be the doer of the action
• the subject is also known as the ‘agent’ of the action in
active voice sentences
The dog bit the little boy.
(agent)
(recipient)
• PASSIVE VOICE = emphasizes that the subject is, was, or
will be the recipient of the action
The little boy was bitten by the dog.
(recipient)
(agent)
5. When do we use the passive voice?
• when the agent is unknown
Her purse was stolen .
(by someone)
• when the agent is common or unnecessary
Wheat is grown in Central Canada.
(by farmers)
• when the writer wishes to emphasize the recipient of the action over
the agent
The new ferry boats will be made in Poland.
(by a boat-making company)
A boat-making company will make the new ferries in Poland.
(AWKWARD!)
5. When do we use the passive voice?
• to change a direct object or an indirect object into a subject
The university gave twenty students scholarships.
ACTIVE
Twenty students were given scholarships by the university.
PASSIVE
Scholarships were given to twenty students in total.
PASSIVE
• when you want to paraphrase
“Scientists have discovered a new frog species in Central America.”
A new frog species has been discovered in Central America.
* NOTE : Simply changing a sentence from the ACTIVE to the PASSIVE or from
the PASSIVE to the ACTIVE is not enough to avoid plagiarism.
6. Can we drop the agent in a passive
sentence?
• yes, when it is commonly known, irrelevant, or unnecessary
He has been given a promotion.
(by his company)
Her laptop was stolen.
(by a thief)
The town has been flooded.
(by flood waters)
Corn is grown extensively in Mexico.
(by Mexican farmers)
• don’t drop the agent if it is important
Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.
7. Which is preferable, the ACTIVE or the
PASSIVE?
• ACTIVE is usually better because it is stronger and more direct
The fisherman caught a large salmon.
STRONG
A large salmon was caught by the fisherman.
WEAK
• but, they are always equal in meaning
• sometimes, they’re also equal in value
A woman pilot flew the plane.
The plane was flown by a woman pilot.
7. Which is preferable, the ACTIVE or the
PASSIVE?
• PASSIVE can be awkward in some cases
The team has finished the race.
The race has been finished by the team.
Awkward
I bought a new car.
A new car was bought by me.
DREADFUL !
• Remember: sometimes, they’re both acceptable
A woman pilot flew the plane.
The plane was flown by a woman pilot.
7. Which is preferable, the ACTIVE or the
PASSIVE?
• sometimes, ACTIVE is much better
The child rode his bicycle home.
STRONG
The bicycle was ridden home by the child.
WEAK
• sometimes, PASSIVE is better, especially if the recipient is well-known
Barak Obama was first elected in 2008.
STRONG
American voters first elected Obama in 2008.
WEAK
8. Is the passive commonly used?
• yes:
• when the agent is unknown
• when the recipient is considered more important by the
speaker or writer
• when the recipient is well-known or better known than the
agent
• when the agent is commonly understood or unnecessary
9. Which of the following sentences use
the passive voice?
1. America was not discovered by Columbus as is commonly
believed.
2. The examination was invigilated by a private contractor.
3. That book has been translated into forty languages.
4. The caviar was flown in directly from Russia.
5. A scholarship will be awarded to all students who achieve a grade
point average of over 3.5.
ANSWER:
All of them
Which sentence uses the passive voice twice?
#1
10. How do ‘ed’ and ‘ing’ adjectives
work?
• ‘ed’ adjectives describe nouns or pronouns that are caused by or affected
by something else
• the noun in question is a passive participant in the activity
He is interested in other cultures.
PASSIVE subject
(Other cultures interest him.)
ACTIVE subject
Marnie was confused by his explanation.
PASSIVE subject
(The explanation confused Marnie).
ACTIVE subject
The witnesses were horrified by the accident. PASSIVE subject
(The accident horrified the witnesses.)
ACTIVE subject
10. How do ‘ed’ and ‘ing’ adjectives
work?
• ‘ing’ adjectives describe nouns or pronouns that cause something
• the noun in question is the active participant in the activity
Other cultures are interesting for him.
These are interesting cultures.
His explanation was confusing for Marnie.
It was a confusing explanation.
The accident was horrifying.
It was a horrifying accident.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTIPATION!
I hope you understand the passive voice a little better than before.
Did I answer all of your questions?