The Passive Voice

Active / Passive

How are these sentences different in meaning?

a) Tommy ate the last piece of cake.

b) The last piece of cake was eaten.

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Tom

WHO DID THIS???

What is the passive voice?

The passive voice is the structure we use when we DO NOT SAY WHO or WHAT performs an action.

He was robbed. “Normal” sentences

are called active.

Someone robbed him.

When do we use the passive?

1) When we do not know who does something.

2) When it is not important who does something.

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When do we use the passive?

4) When we want to hide who does something (not to show blame).

3) When it is obvious who does something.HE

OBVIOUSLY

DID IT!

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The verb in the passive

BASIC STRUCTURE:

Same tense of BE + p.p verb

English IS SPOKEN here.

The cake WAS EATEN.

The house HAS BEEN BUILT.

What happens to “be”?

The verb “be” follows the main rule of the tense.

For example: Present Perfect = have + ppI have eaten an apple.In the passive: Have been+ pp of main verb

An apple has been eaten by me. http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/stk75761cor.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=8A33AE939F2E01FF8E493DD4566DFFEEEAD9D0A89A4AF6EFF99C79F089913332E30A760B0D811297

How do we form the passive?

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

Susan painted a picture.

A picture was painted

by Susan.

Find the object in these sentences

1) I read books. 2) We serve dinner

at three o’clock. 3) Did you feed the

cat already? 4) The students were

writing a test. 5) He had taken all

the money.

1) BOOKS2) DINNER

3) THE CAT

4) A TEST

5) ALL THE MONEY

Present tenses in the passive

Tense Active Passive

Present Simple

I write letters. Letters are written by me.

Present Continuous

I am writing letters.

Letters are being written by me.

Present Perfect

I have written letters.

Letters have been written by me.

Past tenses in the passive

Tense Active Passive

Past Simple I wrote letters. Letters were written by me.

Past Continuous

I was writing letters.

Letters were being written by me.

Past Perfect I had written letters.

Letters had been written by me.

Future and modalsTense Active Passive

Future Simple

I will write letters.

Letters will be written by me.

be going to - future

I am going to write letters.

Letters are going to be written by me.

Modals (can, should, must, etc.)

I must write letters.

Letters must be written by me.

Choose the correct option

The letter ……….. yet.

a) wasn’t sended

b) weren’t sent

c) wasn’t sent

Sorry!

Try again

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Correct! Do the next one

I can’t fix this dress.

The passive is:

a) This dress I can’t fix.

b) This dress can’t be fixed.

c) This dress can’t fix.

Sorry!

Try again.

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Correct! Do the next one.

She has done her homework.

The passive is:

a) Her homework is been done.

b) Her homework has been doing.

c) Her homework has been done.

Sorry!

Try again.

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Correct!

Well done!

See if you can do:

Exercise (changing from active to passive)

20

• A policeman helped him.• She finished her work by nine o'clock.• Nobody can repair this broken chair.• They carried him into the hospital.• Are they typing the letters • Peter bought this house.• Mary will make the coffee.• My friends are repairing the car.• Most students speak English in this class• Did anyone answer your question?• They showed me the cathedral.• They told the children to leave the room.• They allowed her to go to the dining room.• They didn't tell me the truth.• Someone will give you a new notebook • Someone is teaching him English.• They had offered me a job.• Someone has read her the letter.

THANK YOU

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