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Passive Voice

Passive Voice. Grammar Guide. mgr Anna Waligórska – Kotfas PWSZ Konin. Introduction. Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action . It is not important or not known who or what is performing the action. My bike was stolen .

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Passive Voice

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  1. Passive Voice Grammar Guide mgr Anna Waligórska – Kotfas PWSZ Konin

  2. Introduction • Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known who or what is performing the action. My bike was stolen. (= the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.)

  3. Use: Agent not important We often use the passive: • when the agent (the person or thing which causes an action) is not known: She was murdered. (= We don’t know who did it.)

  4. Use: Agent not important We often use the passive: • when the agent is obvious from the context or from general knowledge: She has been sacked. (= obviously by her employer)

  5. Use: Agent not important We often use the passive: • when the agent is not important or relevant: Wars have been fought throughout history. (= Who fought them is not important here.)

  6. Use: Agent not mentioned We often use the passive: • whenwe wish to avoid mentioning the agent (for example, when we don’t want to directly blame any specific person, or we want to avoid personal responsibility): I see the washing-up hasn’t been done. Oh dear, look, the vase has been broken. Don’t blame me. Nothing can be done about it.

  7. Use: Agent not mentioned • By omitting the agent we can describe general feelings, opinions or beliefs rather than those of a particular person or group: São Paulo is said to be the fastest-growing city in South America. Rio de Janeiro has been described as the most beautiful city in the Americas.

  8. Use: Focus on issues The passive is often used in formal English to: • focus on the issues rather than on the people involved (this is very common in academic and scientific English): The research was carried out over a period of six months.

  9. Use: Focus on issues The passive is often used in formal English to: • describe rules and procedures: Answers must be written in ink. Candidates will be interviewed in alphabetical order.

  10. Use: Focus on issues The passive is often used in formal English to: • describe commercial, industrial and scientific processes: Minutes are taken and then submitted to the chair for approval. Components are electronically tagged and transported to the production line.

  11. Use: Focus on issues The passive is often used in formal English to: • describe historical, economic and social processes: Tribal lands were sold over a period of fifty years. The currency has been devalued twice since the war.

  12. Verb Form • Passive is formed with: TO BE + Past Participle (v-ed / 3f) • the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence • the form of the verb is changed (to be + Past Participle) • the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

  13. Present Simple Passive Subject VerbObject • Active: Rita writes a letter. • Passive: A letter is written by Rita. to be + 3f

  14. Present Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: He opens the door. P: • A: They don't help you. P: • A: Does the police officer catch the thief? P:

  15. Present Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: He opens the door. P: The door is opened (by him). • A: They don't help you. P: You aren’t helped (by them). • A: Does the police officer catch the thief? P: Is the thief caught (by the police officer)?

  16. Past Simple Passive Subject Verb Object • Active: Rita wrote a letter. • Passive: A letter was written by Rita. to be + 3f

  17. Past Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Somebody hit me. P: • A: They didn't make their beds. P: • A: Did he send the letter? P:

  18. Past Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Somebody hit me. P: I was hit. • A: They didn't make their beds. P: Their beds weren’t made. • A: Did he send the letter? P: Was the letter sent?

  19. Future Simple Passive Subject VerbObject • Active: Rita will writea letter. • Passive: A letter will be written by Rita. will + v to be + 3f

  20. Future Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Jane will buy a new computer. P: • A: They won't show the new film. P: • A: Will the plumber repair the shower? P:

  21. Future Simple Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Jane will buy a new computer. P: A new computer will be bought. • A: They won't show the new film. P: The new film won’t be shown. • A: Will the plumber repair the shower? P: Will the shower be repaired?

  22. Present Continuous Passive Subject Verb Object • Active: Rita is writing a letter. • Passive: A letter is being written by Rita. to be + v-ing to be + 3f being

  23. Present Continuous Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Sheila is drinking a cup of tea. P: • A: I am not writing a poem. P: • A: Is she watering the flowers? P:

  24. Present Continuous Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Sheila is drinking a cup of tea. P: A cup of tea is being drunk. • A: I am not writing a poem. P: A poem isn’t being written. • A: Is she watering the flowers? P: Are the flowers being watered?

  25. Present Perfect Passive Subject Verb Object • Active: Rita has written a letter. • Passive: A letter has been written by Rita. have + 3f to be + 3f been

  26. Present Perfect Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Kerrie has paid the bill. P: • A: They haven’t read the book. P: • A: Has she phoned them? P:

  27. Present Perfect Passive Practice Change active into passive: • A: Kerrie has paid the bill. P: The bill has been paid. • A: They haven’t read the book. P: The book hasn’t been read. • A: Has she phoned them? P: Have they been phoned?

  28. Sentences with two objects • Rewriting 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. • Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

  29. Sentences with two objects Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2 • A: Rita wrote a letter to me. • P: A letter was written to me by Rita. I was written a letter to by Rita.

  30. Sentences with two objectsPractice Change active into passive: • A: Our neighbour gives me(1)a lift(2). P: P: • A: She told him(1)a lie(2). P: P: • A: They will offer her(1)a seat(2). P: P:

  31. Sentences with two objectsPractice Change active into passive: • A: Our neighbour gives me(1)a lift(2). P: I am given a lift. P: A lift is given to me. • A: She told him(1)a lie(2). P: He was told a lie. P: A lie was told to him. • A: They will offer her(1)a seat(2). P: She will be offered a seat. P: A seat will be offered to her.

  32. Sentences with two objectsPractice Change active into passive: • A: I am sending them(1)a letter(2).P: P: • A: The waiter has brought us(1)the coffee(2).P: P:

  33. Sentences with two objectsPractice Change active into passive: • A: I am sending them(1)a letter(2). P: They are being sent a letter. P: A letter is being sent to them. • A: The waiter has brought us(1)the coffee(2). P: We have been brought the coffee. P: The coffee has been brought to us.

  34. Bibliography • Bourke K.: Verbs and Tenses: Intermediate. Test it, Fix it. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. • Leech G., Cruickshank B., Ivanic R.:An A-Z of English Grammar & Usage. Harlow: Longman, 2004. • Murphy R.: English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. • Swan M.: Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. • Thomas A. J., Martinet A. V.: A practical English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. • Vince M.: Intermediate Language Practice (New Edition) . Oxford: Macmillan Education 2010.

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