Active n Passive Voice A

7/25/2019 Active n Passive Voice A

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Passive Sentences

Passive voice verbsare used in writing much more often than in speech, and they

are used in some types of writing much more often than in others. Passives are used

more in journalism (newspapers, magazines) than in fiction (novels, stories), but

most journalists and fiction writers use far more active than passive sentences.

However, passives are very common in all types of scientific and technical writing.

Scientific articles often contain more passive than active sentences. ou should not

use passive voice verbs unless you have a good reason.

A. Relationship between active and passive:

1.!he objectof the active verb is the subjectof the passive verb ("#nglish$ in the

e%ample sentences below). !herefore, verbs which cannot be followed by objects

(intransitive verbs) cannot be used in passive voice.

!hese are some common intransitive verbs& appear, arrive, come, cry, die, go,

happen, occur, rain, sleep, stay, walk. !hese verbs cannot be used in passive

voice.

. !he passive verb always contains a form of the au%iliary verb be. !he form of be

in the passive verb phrase corresponds to the form of the main verbin the activeverb phrase (see the underlined words in the e%ample sentences below). !hat is, if

the active main verb is simple present tense, then a simple present tense form of be

is used in the passive verb phrase' if the active main verb is !"#$, then the !"#$

form of beis used in the passive verb phrase' and so on.

%. !he main verb in a passive predicate verb phrase is always the participleform of

the verb.

&. Some e'amplesof active and passive sentences&

!*+#& !hey speak#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish is spoken.

!*+#& !hey spoke#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish was spoken.

!*+#& !hey will speak#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish will be spoken.

!*+#& !hey are going to speak#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish is going to be spoken.


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!*+#& !hey are speaking#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish is being spoken.

!*+#& !hey were speaking#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish was being spoken.

!*+#& !hey have spoken#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish has been spoken.

!*+#& !hey had spoken#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish had been spoken.

!*+#& !hey will have spoken#nglish.

PSS*+#& #nglish will have been spoken.

(. Per)ect progressiveverb forms are generally used in active voice only. !hat is,

these are good *nglish sentences&

!*+#& !hey have been speaking#nglish.

!*+#& !hey had been speaking#nglish.

!*+#& !hey will have been speaking#nglish.

ut sentences li-e these are rarely used&

PSS*+#& #nglish has been being spoken.PSS*+#& #nglish had been being spoken.

PSS*+#& #nglish will have been being spoken.

+. ost passive sentences do not contain an agent- all active sentences

contain an agent.

1.n agentis the subject of the active verb. *n the e%ample sentences above, the

agent is "they$ in all the active sentences' the passive sentences do not contain anagent.

. hen a passive sentence contains an agent, it is in a prepositional phrase

following the verb. /or e%ample&

#nglish is spo-en by them.

*n the following sentences, the noun teachers/ is the agent in both sentences.

"!eachers$ is also the subject of the activeverb, but "e%ams$ is the subject of the

passiveverb.


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!*+#& 0eachersprepare e%ams.

PSS*+#& #%ams are prepared by teachers.

. 2ou should not use passive voice unless you have a good reason.

Here are some good reasons for using passive voice&

1. Passive voice is often used when the agent(the doer of an action' the subject of

an active verb) is obvious, unknown, or unnecessary&

0ranges are grownin alifornia.

!oyotas are madein 1apan.

Her purse was stolen.

. Passive voice is often used when the agentis -nown, but the spea-er2writer

doesn3twant to mention it&

She was givenbad advice.

mista-e has beenmade.

%. Passive voice is often used when the agentis very general such as peopleor

somebody.

#nglish is spokenhere.

!he door should be locked.

&. Passive voice is often used when the spea-er2writer wants to emphasi4e a result&

Several thousand people were killedby the earth3ua-e.

(. Passive voice is often used when the spea-er2writer wants to -eep the same

subjectfor two or more verbs but this would not be possible if both verbs were thesame voice (active or passive).

/or e%ample, in a conversation about 4eorge, a spea-er would probably use

sentence abelow rather than sentence b(both sentences are correct).

a. 4eorge hadseveral interviews before he was hiredby a software company.

b. 4eorge hadseveral interviews before a software company hiredhim.


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Passive Sentences

Avoid Passive Sentences when possible.

Active sentences:

ob bro-e the window.

will brea-, brea-s, has bro-en5on made mista-es.

Active and personal

6any tense2 time6focus on actor 7 action

Passive sentences:

!he window was bro-en by ob.

will be bro-en, is bro-en, has been bro-en

8ista-es were made (by 5on, by someone).

5))icial6 impersonal

6any tense2 time

6focus on the thing

"s passive always bad7No. Often it's useful.

!he test will be completed by me.

77 8hy not write " completed the test/77

5r 8hy not write 90he test was completed.9 0his is passive but thatsok i) you dont care who completed the test.

0n the line, the bolts are adjusted to the correct tightness.

8ho cares who tightens the bolts97 ;oes it matter7 #o.

So passive is ok here.

ars will be made from plastic in the future.


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Passive Verb Formation

!he passive forms of a verb are created by combining a form of the :to be verb: with

the past participle of the main verb. 0ther helping verbs are also sometimes present&

:!he measure could have been -illed in committee.: !he passive can be used, also,

in various tenses. ;et


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*n this case, * focus on the fact that a mista-e was made, but * do not blame anyone

(e.g. ou have made a mista-e.).

>orm o) Passive

Subject 7 finite form of to be7 Past Participle (9rd column of irregular verbs)

#%ample& letter was written.

8hen rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the )ollowing:

the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence

the finite form of the verb is changed (to be7 past participle)

the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence

(or is dropped)

*'amples o) Passive

!ense Subject +erb 0bject

Simple

Present

Active: 5itawrites a letter.

Passive

:

letter is written by 5ita.

Simple Past Active: 5ita wrote a letter.

Passive

:

letter was written by 5ita.

Present

Per)ect

Active: 5ita has written a letter.

Passive

:

letter has been written by 5ita.

>uture " Active: 5ita will write a letter.

Passive

:

letter will be written by 5ita.


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!ense Subject +erb 0bject

Present

Progressive

Active: 5itais writing a letter.

Passive

:

letter is being written by 5ita.

Past

Progressive

Active: 5ita was writing a letter.

Passive

:

letter was being written by 5ita.

Past Per)ect Active: 5ita had written a letter.

Passive

:

letter had been written by 5ita.

>uture "" Active: 5ita will have written a letter.

Passive

:

letter will have been written by 5ita.

onditional " Active: 5ita would write a letter.

Passive

:

letter would be written by 5ita.

onditional "" Active: 5ita would have written a letter.

Passive

:

letter would have been

written

by 5ita.

Passive Sentences with 0wo 5bjects

5ewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of

the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. hich object

to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Subject +erb 0bject = 0bject >

Active: 5itawrote a letter to me.

Passive: letter was written to me by 5ita.


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Passive: * was written a letter by 5ita.

.

s you can see in the e%amples, adding by Ritadoes not sound very elegant. !hat?s

why it is usually dropped

Active n Passive Voice A

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