PASSIVE VOICEPASSIVE VOICE
MARÍA JOSÉ GUTIÉRREZMARÍA JOSÉ GUTIÉRREZ
ACTIVE VOICE'Voice' refers to the relationship between the subject and the verb in a sentence. A sentence is said to be in the active voice if the subject
performs the action of the verb.
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In English, as in many other languages, the passive voice is the form of a transitive verb whose grammatical subject receives the action of the verb. The English passive voice is formed using a form of the auxiliary verb be
together with the past participle of the main verb.
PASSIVE VOICE
Tense Subject
Auxiliary Past Participle Singular Plural
Present The car/cars is are designed.
Present perfect The car/cars has been have been designed.
Past The car/cars was were designed.
Past perfect The car/cars had been had been designed.
Future The car/cars will be will be designed.
Future perfect The car/cars will have been will have been designed.
Present progressive The car/cars is being are being designed.
Past progressive The car/cars was being were being designed. IES Carmen Laffón
Use passive instead of active:If the agent is unknown:
Denise’s computer was stolen from her office.
If the agent is not the focus:
The new library was finished about a year ago.
If the agent is obvious from the context:
I had an accident yesterday. The other car went through a red light and hit me. My car was completely destroyed.
To focus on the receiver:
Did you hear the news? Matt was injured slightly in the earthquake, but Jeff was O.K.
To make general explanations, statements and announcements, or in scientific and technical writing:
Passengers are asked to refrain from smoking.
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Because we most often use passive verbs to describe situations when the agent is not the primary focus, we usually do not include the agent (by noun phrase) in
passive sentences. However, sometimes it is necessary to include the agent:
• When the agent gives us additional new information
Many important scientific discoveries have been made by women.
•When information about the agent is too important to be omitted
Radioactivity was discovered by Marie Curie in 1903.
•When the agent is surprising or unexpected
This picture was painted by a monkey.
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PASSIVE VOICE EXAMPLES
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PASSIVE VOICE EXAMPLES
PRESENT: IS, ARE
PAST: WAS, WERE
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Active Passive Time Reference
They make Fords in Cologne.
Fords are made in Cologne. Present simple
Susan is cooking dinner. Dinner is being cooked by Susan Present continuous
James Joyce wrote "Dubliners".
"Dubliners" was written by James Joyces.
Past simple
They were painting the house when I arrived.
The house was being painted when I arrived.
Past continuous
They have produced over 20 models in the past two years.
Over 20 models have been produced in the past two years.
Present perfect
They are going to build a new factory in Portland.
A new factory is going to be built in Portland.
Future intention with going to
I will finish it tomorrow. It will be finished tomorrow. Future simple
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The subject of a verb in the passive voice corresponds to the object of the same verb in the active voice.
If you want to change a passive-voice sentence to active voice, find the agent in a "by the..." phrase, or consider
carefully who or what is performing the action expressed in the verb. Make that agent the subject of the sentence, and
change the verb accordingly.
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Special cases: Verbs with no passive forms and other verbs
with no active forms
Some verbs don’t have passive form because they do not take direct objects. This category includes verbs such as:
occur, happen, take place, appear, seem, look, emerge, vanish, disappear, appear, resemble, consist
of, collide, etc.Few changes have occurred at Stonehenge over the years.
The discovery of Nazca Lines happened in the 1930s.
NOT: A ceremonial function was had by these pictures.
NOT: Some animals are resembled by the pictures.
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