Download 1- Passive Voice.IstockE





when the person who does the action is unknown...
My laptop was stolen. (We don’t know who did it.)
when the person who does the action is unimportant...
These tables are made in Bali. (Tables are important, not
the person)
when the person who does the action is obvious from the
context...
My house was painted two weeks ago.(We know a
painter paints a house so there is no need to say that.)
when the action is more important than the agent (doer)
such as in news reports, formal notices, instructions,
processes, headlines, advertisements...
The new school will be opened next week. (News report)
 Present
Simple
ACTIVE
They
They give Oscars every year.
give
Oscars
are given
 Present
every year.
PASSIVE
Continuous
They are broadcasting the Oscar
ACTIVE
ceremony now.
are
the Oscar
They
now.
broadcasting ceremony
is being
broadcast
PASSIVE
The Americans eat over thirty million
hamburgers each year.
Over thirty million hamburgers are eaten
by the Americans each year.
People hunt polar bears for their fur.
Polar bears are hunted for their fur.
A professor is giving a lecture in the main
hall at the moment.
A lecture is being given in the main hall at
the moment.
The Indian Ocean surrounds this tropical
island.
This tropical island is surrounded by the
Indian Ocean.
Is the secretary writing the e-mails at the
moment?
Are the e-mails being written by the
secretary at the moment?
How many languages do people speak all
around the world?
How many languages are spoken all
around the world?
ACTIVE
Archeologists
found
human bones.
past simple
PASSIVE
Human bones
were
found
to be
V3
by Archeologists.
 Past
Simple
ACTIVE
They
They held the 1st ceremony in
1929.
the 1st
held
in 1929.
ceremony
PASSIVE
was held
 Past
Continuous
ACTIVE
Workers
Workers were redecorating the hall in this
month last year.
were
redecorating
was being
redecorated
the hall
in this month
last year.
PASSIVE
Did you hear about the accident?
No.What happened?
A cyclist
(1) A taxi
was
hithit
a cyclist
in frontinoffront
the dorm
of theby
dorm.
a taxi.
Mike
Jane
Oh, really? I didn’t know that. What happened to
the cyclist?
(2) Someone
An ambulance
called an
was
ambulance.
called. He(3)
was
They
taken
tooktohim
CitytoHospital.
City Hospital.
(4)Was
Did the
theytaxi
arrest
driver
thearrested?
taxi-driver?
Yes.
Yes.He’s
He’slucky
luckythat
that(5)
thehecyclist
didn’twasn’t
kill thekilled.
cyclist.
Yeah. We have come to your house. Is that your guitar near the garbage bin?
Yes. It was broken by the painters accidentally while the room was being
Yes. (6)The painters broke it accidentally
painted.while they were painting the room.
 Present
Perfect
ACTIVE
They
They have given the Oscars since 1929.
have
given
the Oscars since 1929.
have been
given
PASSIVE
Why
haven’t
Why
haven’t
the
theybeen
mademade
the
beds
beds
yet?
yet?
His
Doctors
wounds
haven’t
haven’t
been
treated
treatedbyhis
the
wounds
doctors yet.
The
The
tap has
plumber
been
fixed by
has fixed
the
theplumber.
tap.
 Future
Simple
ACTIVE
They
They will hold the 83rd Oscar ceremony
in February, 2011.
will hold
the 83rd Oscar in February,
ceremony
2011.
will be
held
 Going
to
ACTIVE
They
PASSIVE
They are going to choose the candidates
next week.
are going to
choose
are going to
be chosen
the
candidates
next week.
PASSIVE
The cat
will be
Max
will look
looked
after the cat.
after by
Max.
A new
They arehall
concert
going to build
going
to
ais
new
concert
hall
next
year.
be
built
next year.
The book will be
She will translate the
translated
into
book into Spanish.
Spanish.
The meeting
They are going to
is going to be
hold the meeting
held
on
on
Friday.
Friday.
 Modals
- should
ACTIVE
You should drink a lot of water if you
want to lose weight.
should
drink
you
a lot of
water
should be
drunk
 Modals
- must
ACTIVE
The
academy
If you want to
lose weight.
PASSIVE
The Academy must announce the
candidates before January.
must
announce
must be
announced
the
candidates
before
PASSIVE
January.
by the
academy
The
dishes should
be washed.
1. Someone
should
wash the
dishes.
2. Someone must water the plants every
The plants must be watered every week.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
week.
I canreach
be reached
at 555-8967.
555-8967.
People can
me at
If the grassdoesn’t
isn’t mown,
thethe
flowers
could
If someone
mow
grass,
it be
could
destroyed.
destroy the flowers.
has to
be fixed.
SomeoneThe
hasdoorbell
to fix the
doorbell.
Our
collect
mail.
Theneighbour
mail can’t becan’t
collected
by ourthe
neighbour.
Someone
may
call
George
in
case
of
an
George may be called in case of an emergency.
emergency.
TENSE
ACTIVE
PASSIVE
PRESENT SIMPLE
They restore buildings.
Buildings are restored.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
They are restoring the
building.
The building is being restored.
PAST SIMPLE
They restored the building.
The building was restored.
PAST CONTINUOUS
They were restoring the
building.
The building was being restored.
FUTURE SIMPLE
They will restore the building.
The building will be restored.
PRESENT PREFECT
They have restored the
building.
The building has been restored.
MODALS
(should/must/have
to/can/could/might)
They should restore the
building.
The building should be restored.