The passive voice

In English, like in other languages, there are always different sides to a story…

BUT

- When the focus is on the action and not the person performing it

OR- If it’s obvious who’s performing the

action- If you don’t know who’s performing

it- Or you don’t want to mention the

person…

In English, we use the passive voice.

Form of passive

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following structure:

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE

PRESENT SIMPLE THIS SINGER WRITES MANY SONGS. MANY SONGS ARE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

PAST SIMPLE THIS SINGER WROTE MANY SONGS. MANY SONGS WERE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

FUTURE SIMPLE THIS SINGER WILL WRITE MANY SONGS.MANY SONGS WILL BE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS THIS SINGER IS WRITING MANY SONGS.

MANY SONGS ARE BEING WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

PAST CONTINUOUS THIS SINGER WAS WRITING MANY SONGS.MANY SONGS WERE BEING WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE THIS SINGER HAS WRITTEN MANY SONGS.

MANY SONGS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

PAST PERFECT SIMPLETHIS SINGER HAD WRITTEN MANY SONGS.MANY SONGS HAD BEEN WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

MODALSTHIS SINGER SHOULD WRITE MANY SONGS.

MANY SONGS SHOULD BE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

MODAL PERFECTSTHIS SINGER MUST HAVE WRITTEN MANY SONGS.

MANY SONGS MUST HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

HAVE TO THIS SINGER HAS TO WRITE MANY SONGS.MANY SONGS HAVE TO BE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

BE GOING TOTHIS SINGER IS GOING TO WRITE MANY SONGS.

MANY SONGS ARE GOING TO BE WRITTEN BY THIS SINGER.

FormsAffirmative sentences (to be + past participle main verb) e.g. The job was finished.Negative sentences (add not) e.g. The job was not finished.Questions (questions start with to be, subject is placed

between auxiliary verb and participle) e.g. Was the job finished?

More types of questions…If the active question contains a modal verb or

an auxiliary verb, the passive question will start with those verbs, just like in the active voice.

e.g. Will the job be finished?

If the question contains an interrogative word, word order of the subject and auxiliary is changed EXCEPT when the interrogative word is the subject.

e.g. Where will the video clip be filmed? e.g. Who was hit by a car?

How ?

Step 1:Find out the tense of the active

sentence’s main verb.

Step 2:Put the verb ‘to be’ in the same

tense

Step 3: Take the first object (direct or

indirect) that follows the verb in the active sentence and use it as a subject.

Step 4: Take the active sentence’s

subject and place it at the end of the sentence preceded by ‘BY’.

SPECIAL CASESVerbs like say, think, believe, know,

report, etc. can take two passive structures:

1. It is said that subject + verb. (Which in spanish would be se dice que…) e.g. It is said that Eric Clapton is ...

2. Subject + passive verb + infinitive. (spanish: Se/ todo el mundo/ la gente) e.g. Eric Clapton is considered to be a …

SPECIAL CASES (2)THE CAUSATIVE

When we arrange sth. to be done for us:

Subject + have/get + noun + participle.

e.g. I’m having my hair cut. He’s getting his car repaired.

(get:more informal)

Let’s have a try!

EXERCISE 1 : CHANGE INTO PASSIVE SENTENCES

1. When have they stolen my watch? 2. A piece of string could not hold up

his trousers.3. People play football in most

countries of the world.4. Will the neighbours water our plants

while we are away?5. He broke his leg in a skiing accident.

EXERCISE 2: Reuters News Agency

Martin Webb _______________(work) for the Reuters News Agency for ten years.He describes the company. “Reuters is one of the world’s biggest news agencies.It________________(supply) news and stock market prices to media and financialinstitutions all over the world. It_______________(start) by Paul Reuter in 1849 - with pigeons!

Reuter ________(be) born in 1816 in Germany. During the 1840’s he ________ _______________ (employ) as a bank clerk in Berlin. German bankers ______________________(need) to know the price on the Paris stock exchange, but theFrench telegraph system only went as far as Belgium. From there theinformation _______________(send) to Germany by train. The journey_______________(take) nine hours. The same information _______________(carry)by Paul Reuter’s pigeons in only two hours!”

“Reuters _______________(change) a lot since those days. Over the past fiftyyears, we _______________(open) offices in many different countries and we_______________ still _______________(expand). Now, news and stock market prices_______________(send) all over the world within seconds.”

EXERCISE 3. Rewrite each sentence using two passive structures. (p61, nº5)

1. They haven’t shown me my room yet.2. The guide could have given us better advice.3. A woman had just sold him the ring.4. People think that the exhibition is

interesting.5. Everyone knows that rock singers make a lot

of money.6. People believe that the French are the best

cooks.

EXERCISE 4: Use the correct causative form (p61, nº6)

1. Those are beautiful invitations. Where did you …….. them ……….?

2. Our TV isn’t working. We’ll ……..it………. tomorrow.

3. They’re not making the food themselves. They’re ……it……..by a professional chef.

4. My washing machine wasn’t working. I…………….my clothes……………..by the laundry service.

5. Your hair always looks good. How often do you ………..it……….?

6. Maybe you should go to the dentist. ………………you ………………your teeth …………………this year?

Exercise 5: Write a short text about the fallas (some 100 words) using passive structures. Some useful vocabulary:

1) It is generally believed that…2) It was taken for granted that...3) It is well known that….4) It was widely assumed that…5) It is hoped that…6) It has been discovered that…7) It has been decided that…8) As has been pointed out…9) It is expected that…10) It is said that…

EXERCISE 6: Which of the following sentences is wrong? Correct if necessary.

1. My father has been give the sack.2. It’s expect Peter to pass his exams.3. Nothing has been done to solve the problem by anybody.4. Will the project be tackled as soon as possible? 5. She was thought to award the Oscar.6. Susan is made help at home on Saturdays.7. Was Tom allow to go to the concert?8. The party had be organized by the Mayor.9. A meeting is hold by them every year.10. Candidates are believed to been honest.

EXERCISE 7: COMPLETE THE SENTENCES (p 60 nº1)

1. Dessert …………… (served) on the terrace now.

2. That type of guitar …………. (not used) since the 1970s.

3. In the future, ………….. Teenagers………………. (should /put) in jail for shoplifting?

4. Some athletes were expelled from the games after they …………. (test) for drugs.

5. That was a dangerous thing to do. You ……………. (could/kill).

6. How much money ……………… (spend) on advertising at the company last year?

7. Daisy walked in while her behaviour ……………. (discuss).

8. Taxes ……………… (have to/ pay) by everybody.

EXERCISE 8: Use the correct active or passive form. (p60, nº2)

1. The programme ………………..(broadcast) on Channel 4 later tonight.

2. Kevin ……….. (must/move) the boxes last night.3. The defendant waited outside while his case

……………. (discuss).4. We………… (already/pack) most of our things.5. ………… computer games …………...(sell) in this

shop?6. The book was written after all the research ……..

(finish).7. This painting ……….. (might/paint) by Leonardo da

Vinci.8. ……..you ……………(throw away) all your old

notebooks yesterday?9. At the moment, the candidates …………… (interview)

by the manager.