PASSIVE VOICE

Master Student's Name: Elena Baldea

1st December 1918 University of Alba IuliaLearners' Age & Language Proficiency level: low-intermediate adults Language

Presentation Date: 27 April, 2013

PASSIVE VOICE

Active: S + V + O

Passive: S + Be + PP(V3ed) +

by + O (tense)EX: My father planted this tree

last year.This tree was planted by my father last year.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Simple Present Tense

Active: S + V(s/es) + O

Passive: S + am/is/are + PP + by + O

EX: He reads books every day.Books are read (by him) every day.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Present Continuous TenseActive: S + am/is/are + V-ing + O

Passive: S + am/is/are + being +PP + by + O

EX: He is writing a novel at the moment.

A novel is being written (by him) at the moment.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Present Perfect TenseActive: S + Has/Have + V3

ed + O

Passive: S + has/have + been +PP + by + O

EX: He has just finished a novel.A novel has just been

finished (by him).

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Simple Past TenseActive: S + V2

ed + O

Passive: S + was/were + PP + by + O

EX: He gave Tom a book.A book was given to Tom (by

him).Tom was given a book (by him).

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Past Continuous TenseActive: S + was/were + V-ing + O

Passive: S + was/were + being + PP + by + O

EX: He was writing a letter at 8.00 yesterday.A letter was being written (by him).

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Past Perfect TenseActive: S + had + V3

ed + O

Passive: S + had + been + PP + by + O

EX: He had finished his homework before 8.00 yesterday.

His homework had been finished (by him) before 8.00 yesterday.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Simple Future TenseActive: S + will/shall + V + O

Passive: S + will/shall + be + PP + by + O

EX: He will finish the homework.The homework will be finished.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Future Continuous TenseActive: S + will/shall + be + V-ing + O

Passive: S + will/shall + be + being + PP + by + O

EX: Tom will be cooking lunch at 10.00 tomorrow.

Lunch will be being cooked by Tom at 10.00 tomorrow.

TABLE OF ENGLISH TENSES IN PASSIVE

VOICE The Future Perfect TenseActive: S + will/shall + have + V3

ed + O

Passive: S + will/shall + have + been + PP + by + O

EX: By the end of next week, he will have written 10 letters to her.

By the end of next week, 10 letters will have been written to her.

MODAL VERBS (MV) IN PASSIVE VOICE

Modal Verbs can be used in either the present or past forms.

Active: S + MV (not) + V + O

Passive: S + MV (not) + Be + PP + by + O

EX: We can’t solve this problem.

This problem can’t be solved.

PASSIVE VOICE WITH CAUSATIVE FORM

Active: S + Has/Have + O1 + V (BI)+ O2

S + Get + O1 + V (to-infinitive) + O2

Passive: S + Has/Have/Get + O2 + PP

EX: My father had Tom wash his car.My father had his car washed by

Tom

OTHER INFINITIVE COMBINATIONS IN PASSIVE

VOICEVerbs of liking/loving/wanting/wishing +

Object + infinitive form their passive with the passive infinitive.

Active: S + V + O1 + to-infinitive + O2

Passive: S + V + O + To Be + PPEX: He wants someone to take

photographs.

He wants photographs to be taken.

Such verbs as “have/let/make/hear/see/watch/feel/ observe” are used in the following passive structure:

Active: S + V + O + V (BI)Passive: S + To Be + PP + to-

Infinitive

EX: The gravity makes things drop down.

Things are made to drop down by the gravity.

Note: The verb following “let” does not bear “to” in the passive sentence.

OTHER INFINITIVE COMBINATIONS IN PASSIVE

VOICEWith advise/beg/order/recommend/urge

+ Indirect Object + Infinitive + Object, we have two ways of making the passive voice.

<1>Active: S + V + O1 + to-infinitive + O2

Passive: S + To Be + PP + to-infinitive + O2

EX: He urged the Council to reduce the tax.The Council was urged to reduce the

tax.

OTHER INFINITIVE COMBINATIONS IN PASSIVE

VOICEWith advise/beg/order/recommend/urge

+ Indirect Object + infinitive + Object, we have two ways of making the passive voice.

<2>Active: S + V + O1 + to-infinitive + O2

Passive: S1 + V + that + S2 + should be + PP

EX: He urged the Council to reduce the tax.He urged that the tax should be

reduced.

OTHER INFINITIVE COMBINATIONS AFTER THE

PASSIVE VERB

After acknowledge/assume/believe/claim/

consider /estimate/feel/find/know/report/

say/think /understand …, we use the infinitive construction.

Simple Infinitive: if the time in the infinitive passive is the same as that of the main active verb.

Match the Passive Sentences with Active Match the Passive Sentences with Active SentencesSentences

1. The sun is bought by about 3.7 million people every day.

2. The printing press was invented by Gutenberg in 1447.

3. Thousands of newspaper websites have been created since 1990.

A. Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1447.

B. People have created thousands of newspaper websites since 1990.

C. 3.7 million people buy the Sun every day.

1. The sun is bought by about 3.7 million people every day.

2. The printing press was invented by Gutenberg in 1447.

3. Thousands of newspaper websites have been created since 1990.

4. The first photographs were printed in a newspaper in 1880.

5. The Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded each year since 1901.

6. The Nobel Prize for Literature was given to a Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, in 2006.We use the ACTIVE / PASSIVE when we are more interested in the

ACTION than the person who does it!

STRUCTURE Marie Claire is sold in 25 countries. The UK’s most famous comic, The Beano, was started in 1938. Financial Times has been published since 1888.

We form the Present Simple Passive with …………………… and the Past Participle (V3)

We form the Past Simple Passive with …………………… and the Past Participle (V3)

We form the Present Perfect Passive with …………………… and the Past Participle (V3)

am/is/are

has been/have been

was/were

SUCCESS!SUCCESS!