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THE PASSIVE
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known,
however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
Example: A mistake was made.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however,
who did it.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:
active
passive
The hunter killed the lion.
The lion was killed by the hunter.
active
passive
Someone has cleaned the windows
>> The windows have been cleaned
The passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:
ACTIVE VOICE:
Leonardo da Vinci painted the Gioconda
Subject
PASSIVE VOICE:
Direct Object
The Gioconda was painted by Leonardo
Subject
Agent
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:


the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence
The basic structure of a passive clause is very simple:
auxiliary verb + main verb
+ by +
be
past participle
Agent
(Optional)
Examples of Passive
Tense
Subject
Verb
Simple Active:
Rita
Present
Passive: A letter
writes
Simple Active:
Rita
Past
Passive: A letter
Present Active:
Rita
Perfect
Passive: A letter
Future I Active:
Rita
Passive: A letter
Object
a letter.
is written
by Rita.
wrote
a letter.
was written
by Rita.
has written
a letter.
has been
written
by Rita.
will write
a letter.
will be written
by Rita.
Modal
verbs
Active:
Rita
can write
Passive: A letter can be written
a letter.
by Rita.
Rita
is writing
a letter.
A
letter
Rita
is being written
by Rita.
was writing
a letter.
A
letter
Rita
was being written
by Rita.
had written
a letter.
A
letter
Rita
had been written
by Rita.
will have written
a letter.
Passive:
A
letter
will have been
written
by Rita.
Conditional Active:
I
Passive:
Rita
would write
a letter.
would be written
by Rita.
Present
Active:
Progressive
Passive:
Past
Active:
Progressive
Passive:
Past
Perfect
Active:
Future II
Active:
Passive:
A
Conditional Active:
II
Passive:
letter
Rita would have written
A
letter
would have been
written
a letter.
by Rita.
PASSIVE SENTENCES WITH TWO OBJECTS
Many verbs , such as give,send,show ,lend,pay,promise,tell,offer,teach,write,sell can be
followed by two objects, a direct and an indirect object
Subject
Verb
Direct object
Active:
Peter
gave
a car
Passive 1
A car
was given
to her sister
Passive 2
Her sister
was given
a car
Indirect object
to her
sister
EXERCISES
Rewrite the given sentences in Passive voice. Sometimes
there are two possible answers (two objects in the active
sentence).
by Peter
by Peter
Do not use contracted/short forms.
1) They don't speak English in this shop.
2) Kevin asked Dennis a question.
3) Somebody built the house last year.
4) She gives him a box.
5) Max will look after him.
6) The waiter brought Fred a big steak.
7) Somebody broke into our bungalow last Friday.
8) The teacher told us a joke.
9) They will meet Doris at the station.
10) Michael has not sent me a text message.
PASSIVE OF REPORTING VERBS / IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
Verbs that refer to saying or thinking ( think, believe, say, report, know,expect
) are often followed by a to-infinitive form in the passive.
Active voice.
They say that women live longer than men.
Passive voice 1. It is said that women live longer than men.
Passive voice 2. Women are said to live longer than men.
Active voice
The police think he is in Argentina.
Passive voice 1. It is thought that he is in Argentina
Passive voice 2. He is thought to be in Argentina
IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS TYPE OF PASSIVE SENTENCE, WE
1 Take the subject of the second sentence: He
2 Passive verb of the Reporting verb in the same tense as in the active: is
thought
3 The verb of the second sentence in the Infinitive form: to be
WHICH FORM OF THE INFINITIVE DO WE USE?
t Perfect, Present
to have written.
to be writing or to have been writing
SOME MORE EXAMPLES:
ACTIVE PASSIVE
They say she works hard. She is said to work hard.
They say she played well. She is said to have played well.
They said she has done well. She was said to have done well.
They believe he is having an affair. He is believed to be having an affair.
They believe he has been having an affair. He is believed to have been having an
affair.
She believes the repairs have been finished. The repairs are believed to have been
finished.
EXERCISES
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
1. People believe that English is the most widely spoken language
2. Police have reported that it was Peter who caused the accident.
nt.
3. A journalist reports that they are leaving Las Vegas tomorrow night.
They _____________________________________________________________
4. Their parents thought that the teenagers were dancing at the disco.
5. Everybody thinks that she sings beautifully
6. The children reported that their friends were swimming when they disappeared.
______________________________________________
7. People believed that they had killed the animals during the night.
__________________________________________________________________
8. My friends think that my parents are the best parents in the world.
____________________
9. They believed that the horse was a present.
10.People think that drugs are very dangerous.
_________________________________________________________________
11. People consider that the team will be classified for the final.
12. Citizens presume that the government is responsible for the accident.
_______________________
13. The newspapers are reporting that the most outstanding athletes represent their
country.
________________________________________________________________
14. They say that the meeting will be held here
GET / HAVE SOMETHING DONE (Passive Voice)
This construction is passive in meaning. It may describe situations where we want someone
else to
do something for us.
Examples
aving the house painted.
If the verb refers to something negative or unwanted, it has the same meaning as a passive
sentence:
n off in the storm)
The construction can refer to the completion of an activity, especially if a time expression is
used:
In all these sentences, we are more interested in the result of the activity than in the
person or object that performs the activity.
'X' NEEDS DOING
In the same way, this construction has a passive meaning. The important thing in our minds is
the
person or thing that will experience the action, e.g.
SOME VERBS HAVE SPECIAL PASSIVE FORMS:
They are followed by a bare infinitive in the active, but take a to-infinitive in the
passive
Active: Her two sisters made him clean the house
Passive: He was made to clean the house by her two sisters.
In the passive, let is replaced by allowed and is followed by a to-infinitive.
Active: The teacher let us leave early
Passive: We were allowed to leave early (by the teacher)
Some verbs of the senses can be followed by either a to-infinitive or a gerund
form in the passive.
Active: They heard the baby cry / crying.
Passive: The baby was heard to cry / crying.2