The Passive Voice

Yussuf wrote a wonderful essay.
Subject Verb Object
A wonderful essay was written by Yussuf.
Subject Verb Agent
Differences The Passive Voice
Sentence 1 Sentence 2
What is the difference between these two sentences:
► Do they have the same meaning?
Yes, but
► What happens to the Object of Sentence 1?
The Object of Sentence 1 becomes the New Subject of Sentence 2.
► What happens to the Verb?
The Verb changes (details shortly).
► What happens to the Subject of Sentence 1?
The Subject of Sentence 1 becomes the Agent of Sentence 2.
the focus in Sentence 2 is on the Object of Sentence 1 rather on the original Subject.

Every English sentence contains a Subject (S) and a Verb (V). The verb may or may not be followed
by a Complement (C) or an Object (O).
(Intransitive) No
(Intransitive) No
(Linking) No
(Linking) No
(Stative) No
(Transitive) YES
(Transitive) YES
(Transitive) YES
► Note: ONLY Transitive Verbs with Objects can be converted into the Passive Voice.
Intransitive, Stative, and Linking Verbs NEVER change into the Passive Voice.
Such as: be, seem, understand, like, taste, die, arrive, become, etc.
Only Transitive The Passive Voice
Birds fly.
Students study at schools.
Books are good companions.
There are books on the table.
Flowers smell nice.
Man flies airplanes.
Students study lessons.
He smelled something bad.
--
--
--
--
--
Airplanes are flown by man.
Lessons are studied by students.
Something bad was smelled by him.
Active Voice Passive Voice

The Passive Voice is usually used for certain purposes.
Uses The Passive Voice
2.When you need to Conceal the Subject of the verb for any reason.
You took my pen.
(You do not want to embarrass that person in front of others)
My pen was taken (by you).
1.When the Subject of the verb is Not Important, Unknown, or Obvious.
The matron locked the classroom door.
Someone had locked the door.
The police caught the thief.
(It is obvious that the police caught the thief and nobody else)
The classroom door was locked (by the matron).
The door had been locked (by someone).
The thief was caught (by the police).
3.When Emphasizing the Object of the verb while the Subject, at the same time, is equally Important.
Dr. Morsi gave an important speech. An important speech was given by Dr. Morsi.
4.When giving Instructions, Processes, Formal Statements, etc.
We/You should add sugar to the paste.
The school will announce the results.
Sugar should be added to the paste (by us/you).
The results will be announced (by the school).

(O)bject
Verb to be in the same tense + Past Participle of the main verb
(S)ubject
by AgentNew (S)ubject
Transformation The Passive Voice
(S)ubject
The Object becomes the Subject + Verb transformed + The Subject becomes the Agent.
► Note:
• You have to pay attention to Subject-Verb Agreement during the conversion.
• The Agent is only mentioned when the Subject of the original sentence is Important.
• Some Pronouns change after conversion.
(V)erb (O)bject
Soccer is played by them.
They play soccer.
123

Transformation of Tenses: The rule applies to all the tenses
► Verb to be in the same tense + Past Participle of the main verb ◄
Transformation 1 The Passive Voice
Pronouns:
Into Passive:
Subject Pronouns Object Pronouns
Me
You
Him
Her
It
Us
You
Them
I
You
He
She
It
We
You
They
He gave me the book.
I was given the book by him.
They gave us the books.
We were given the books by them.
Into Active:
I was given some chocolate by him.
He gave me some chocolate.
We were asked to finish the exercise by them.
They asked us to finish the exercise.

Present Tenses:
Present Simple: Ahmad studies the lessons.
The lessons are studied (by Ahmad).
Present Progressive: Abdullah is studying the lessons.
The lessons are being studied (by Abdullah).
Present Perfect Simple: Anas has studied the lessons.
The lessons have been studied (by Anas).
Present Perfect Progressive: Hazem has been studying the lessons.
(Rarely Used) The lessons have been being studied (by Hazem).

Past Tenses:
Past Simple: Islam studied the lessons.
The lessons were studied (by Islam).
Past Progressive: Sherif was studying the lessons.
The lessons were being studied (by Sherif).
Past Perfect Simple: ShehabuDeen had studied the lessons.
The lessons had been studied (by ShehabuDeen).
Past Perfect Progressive: Hamza had been studying the lessons.
(Rarely Used) The lessons had been being studied (by Hamza).

Future Tenses:
Future Simple (Will): AbduRahman will study the lessons.
The lessons will be studied (by AbduRahman).
Future Simple (Going To): Ziad is going to study the lessons.
The lessons are going to be studied (by Ziad).
Future Perfect Simple: Samy will have studied the lessons.
The lessons will have been studied (by Samy).
Future Progressive: Ali will be studying the lessons.
(Rarely Used) The lessons will be being studied (by Ali).

Modal Verbs:
▶ Fareed can study the lessons.
The lessons can be studied (by Fareed).
What are Modal Verbs?
Modal Verbs are followed by the Bare
Infinitive, except ‘Need’ which is
followed by either the Bare Infinitive or
the Full Infinitive, and it should mean
Necessity.
The Bare Infinitive: run (the base form)
The Full Infinitive: to run
The most common Modal Verbs are:
can will shall may
could would should might
must have to had to need▶ Mohammad could study the lessons.
The lessons could be studied (by Mohammad).
▶ Kareem should have studied the lessons.
The lessons should have been studied (by Kareem).
▶ EzzeDeen needs to study the lessons.
The lessons need to be studied (by EzzeDeen).
▶ Mahmoud has to study the lessons.
The lessons have to be studied (by Mahmoud).
▶ EzzeDeen needs to study the lessons.
The lessons need to be studied (by EzzeDeen).
Compare
▶ EzzeDeen needs water.
Water is needed (by EzzeDeen).
‘Need’ here is a Modal Verb, and
it means necessity.
You may replace it with Should.
‘Need’ here is an Action Verb.
It means “to require sth because it
is essential or very important”.
You cannot replace it with Should.
EzzeDeen should study the lessons.
The Lessons should be studied (…)

Transitive Verbs with more than One Object:
Some Transitive Verbs have more than
One Object.
Objects are of TWO types:
▶Direct Object: First affected by Verb
▶Indirect Object: Next affected by Verb
Yasseen gave the door a push.
Yasseen gave a push to the door.
Note that the Indirect Object becomes a
Prepositional Phrase when the Direct
Object comes between it and the Verb.
Direct Object
Hesham gave a toy to the man.
► A toy was given to the man (by Hesham).
You don’t start with the Indirect Object if it is a Prep. Ph.
Prep. Phrase
Direct Object
Mahmoud gave the man a toy.
❶ A toy was given to the man (by Mahmoud).
❷ The man was given a toy (by Mahmoud).
Ind. Object
Direct Object
Abdullah gave the man a toy for his son.
❶ A toy was given to the man for his son (by Abdullah).
❷ The man was given a toy for his son (by Abdullah).
Ind. Object Prep. Phrase
When the sentence is converted into the
Passive Voice, and the Direct Object
becomes the Subject, the Indirect Object
turns into a Prepositional Phrase.

Special Structure 3:
The preposition ‘with’:
A tree branch hit me.
I was hit by a tree branch.
Someone hit me with a tree branch.
I was hit with a tree branch.
A tree branch hit me or fell on me.
The Agent is the ‘tree branch’.
The prepositions ‘of’ and ‘from’:
Cheese manufacturers make all cheese from milk.
All cheese are made from milk (by cheese manufacturers).
Those cardigans are made of wool (by the factory).
(by someone)
The Agent, ‘Someone’, used the
‘tree branch’ to hit me.
used to state a main
component that has
changed its form.
fixed expression used to
state the basic material
or quality.
Compare:

Verb ‘to let’: Hesham does not let us study the lessons.
We are not allowed to study the lessons (by Hesham).
Hesham let us study the lessons.
We were allowed to study the lessons (by Hesham).
The Verb ‘to let’ follows
only One Structure when
converted into the Passive
Voice: be allowed to.
It has to mean ‘to allow or
to give permission’, and it
has to have an Object.
Ahmad let the air into the room.
The air was allowed into the room (by Ahmad).
You have to let the cat out of the room.
The cat has to be let out of the room (by you).
Compare: Don't let Samy upset you.
Let's finish this lesson.
I don't think we'll make it, but let's try anyway.

-ing Form: Omar hates people staring at him.
Omar hates being stared at (by people).
Compare: Yasseen hates doing the HW.
Yasseen hates the HW being done (by him).
The Main Verb needs a Noun Object,
doer of the second Verb. In the
second sentence, the meaning is
awkward.
Yahia hates people doing the HW.
Yahia hates the HW being done (by people).
Imperative: (Please) study the lessons.
The lessons must / should be studied (by you).
Don’t open your books.
Your books mustn’t / shouldn’t be opened (by you).
In the case of the Imperative,
the Agent is not mentioned.
Because originally it is not
mentioned; it is understood,
and it is always you.

Any HW was not done (by Yussuf).
Indefinite Pronouns in the Negative Form:
not … any no
Yussuf did not do any HW. No HW was done (by Yussuf).
not … any of none of
Hazem did not do any of the assignments. None of the assignments were done (by Hazem).
not … anyone / anybody no one / nobody
Ziad had not beaten anyone. No one had been beaten (by Ziad).
not … anything nothing
Yasseen did not do anything. Nothing was done (by Yasseen).

Verb + Bare Infinitive: make, hear, help, see, etc.
make + Bare Infinitive make + Full Infinitive
Samy made Mostafa cry. Mostafa was made to cry.
hear + Bare Infinitive hear + Full Infinitive
Mostafa heard Omar make threats to us. Omar was heard to make threats to us.
help + Bare Infinitive help + Full Infinitive
Anas helped the team play well. The team was helped to play well.
see + Bare Infinitive see + Full Infinitive
Kareem saw Saif break the glass. Saif was seen to break the glass.
Special Structure 5: ▶The Bare Infinitive: run (the base form) ▶The Full Infinitive: to run
In all the given examples
notice that the Main Verb
always has an Object, doer
of a Second verb.

Phrasal Verbs:
▶ The police brought the criminal in.
The criminal was brought in (by the police).
What are Phrasal Verbs?
The above Ph. Verbs are separable; their
Object can be placed between the Verb
and its Particle with no change in
meaning.
The firefighter put out the fire.
The firefighter put the fire out.
Some common Phrasal Verbs:
turn on turn off run over
put off put out put on
let out let in pull down▶ Would you please switch the air-conditioner on.
The air-conditioner should be switched on.
When such Phrasal Verbs are converted into the
Passive Voice, the Particle should come directly after
the Verb.

Questions 1:
Yes / No Question: Let’s answer the question first. Shall we.
Has Yahia studied the lessons?
Have the lessons been studied (by Yahia)?
Doesn’t Mohammad study the lessons?
Aren’t the lessons studied (by Mohammad)?
Is AbduRahman studying the lessons?
Are the lessons being studied (by AbduRahman)?
Did Kamal study the lessons?
Were the lessons studied (by Kamal)?
Yahia has studied the lessons.
The lessons have been studied (by Yahia).
Mohammad doesn’t study the lessons.
The lessons aren’t studied (by Mohammad).
AbduRahman is studying the lessons.
The lessons are being studied (by AbduRahman).
Kamal studied the lessons.
The lessons were studied (by Kamal).

Questions 2:
WH Question:
How has Omar studied the lessons?
How have the lessons been studied (by Omar)?
Which lessons did Islam study?
Which lessons were studied (by Islam)?
Omar has studied the lessons well.
The lessons have been studied well (by Omar).
Islam studied the English lessons.
The English lessons were studied (by Islam).
how what which when where why who whom
By whom had the lessons been studied? (formal)
Where had Fareed study the lessons?
Where had the lessons been studied (by Fareed)?
Fareed had studied the lessons at home.
The lessons had been studied at home (by Fareed).
Who had studied the lessons? Ali had studied the lessons.
The lessons had been studied (by Ali).Who had the lessons been studied by? (informal)
Let’s answer the question first. Shall we.
In the case of Who and Whom, the Agent
or the ‘By Phrase’ cannot be omitted.

Sometimes when you are reporting what people say or believe, you don´t say who exactly
those ‘people’ are. So you use impersonal structure.
► Note: Reporting verbs that can be used in this way are:
calculate, claim, consider, discover, estimate, expect, feel, hope, know, prove, report, say,
think, hear, believe, say, show, think, understand, suppose, etc.
The Impersonal Passive
►Everybody believes (that) Feras cheats in the exams.
It is widely used in Formal Statements.
The same idea can be expressed using the passive in two different ways:
❷ It + Passive Verb + That Clause
❶ Subject + Passive Verb + Full Infinitive (To + Infinitive)
to cheat in the exams.Feras is believed
that Feras cheats in the exams.It is believed
(a sentence that starts with ‘That’)
‘That’ can be omitted in Informal Language.

❶ Subject + Passive Verb + Full Infinitive
►Tenses expressing Present and Future
Present Simple
Teachers think that Hazem studies hard. ►Hazem is thought to study hard.
►It is thought that Hazem studies hard.
Students claim that Saif studies hard. ►Saif is claimed to study hard.
►It is claimed that Saif studies hard.
Future Simple
Kareem expects that Sherif will study well. ►Sherif is expected to study well.
►It is expected that Sherif will study well.

►Tenses expressing Past
Present Perfect Simple
Newspapers report that Yussuf has studied hard. ►Yussuf is reported to have studied hard.
►It is reported that Yussuf has studied hard.
Past Simple
People believe that Hesham arrived a week ago. ►Hesham is believed to have arrived a week ago.
►It is believed that Hesham arrived a week ago.
Past Perfect Simple
Websites said that Mostafa had left the country. ►Mostafa was said to have left the country.
►It was said that Mostafa had left the country.

►Progressive Tenses 1
Present Progressive
People believe that ShehabuDeen is improving. ►ShehabuDeen is believed to be improving.
►It is believed that ShehabuDeen is improving.
Past Progressive
Everyone thought that AbduRahman was crying. ►AbduRahman was thought to be crying.
►It was thought that AbduRahman was crying.
Everybody understood that Hamza was playing. ►Hamza was understood to be playing.
►It was understood that Hamza was playing.

►Progressive Tenses 2
Present Perfect Continuous
They believe that EzzeDeen has been hiding. ►EzzeDeen is believed to have been hiding.
►It is believed that EzzeDeen has been hiding.
Past Perfect Continuous
No one knew that Omar had been studying. ►Omar was not known to have been studying.
►It was not known that Omar had been studying.

1. All sorts of things ______________________ in buses.
a. Leave b. are leaving c. are left d. have left
2. When I returned, I found that my car ______________________ away because I had parked it under a No-
Parking sign.
a. had towed b. towed c. was towed d. had been towed
3. Dogs guard the warehouse. The other day a thief ______________________ to get in and a dog chased him
out.
a. was tried b. is tried c. tries d. tried
4. The man who, ______________________ by a snake, was given a serum.
a. bites b. bit c. had bitten d. had been bitten
5. There was an accident, but nobody ______________________.
a. was hurt b. is hurt c. hurt d. are hurt
Please note that not all the sentences require
a passive verb.
Some sentences require an active verb.
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER:Let’s Practice

CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER:
6. Right now a patient ______________________ in the other room.
a. is treating b. is treated c. treats d. is being treated
7. There was an explosion yesterday, but everyone ______________________.
a. was survived b. had survived c. survived d. survives
8. We have been suffering from this problem for a long time. An action must ______________________.
a. take b. have taken c. be taken d. be taking
9. Those dishes should ______________________ right after the meal.
a. washed b. be washing c. wash d. be washed
10. My TV set ______________________ twice since I bought it.
a. has been fixing b. have fixed c. has fixed d. has been fixed
Let’s Practice

Let’s Practice CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER:
11. A man died after he had been run over ______________________ a car.
a. from b. by c. with d. under
12. American Express credit cards are not accepted ______________________ this store.
a. with b. at c. in d. by
13. This shark must have been caught ______________________ a special fishing net. It is so huge for a normal
net.
a. by b. with c. from d. in
14. The letter was written ______________________ a fountain pen.
a. in b. of c. with d. by
15. The tool box was placed ______________________ the table.
a. under b. by c. with d. in

Include the "Agent" only if required
Not all sentences can be
changed into the
Passive
CHANGE INTO PASSIVE IF POSSIBLE:
1. They make those artificial flowers from silk.
Those artificial flowers are made from silk.
2. Somebody had slashed the picture with a knife.
The picture had been slashed with a knife.
3. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
4. We use this room only on special occasions.
This room is only used on special occasions.
5. Sometimes people make mistakes.
Sometimes mistakes are made.
Let’s Practice

changed into the
Passive
6. A jellyfish stung him.
He was stung by a jellyfish.
7. Did the idea interest you?
Were you interested by the idea?
8. There was a sudden thunderstorm while they were on their way to the tent.
---------
9. The police did not escort the referee from the football field.
The referee was not escorted from the football field.
10. They have proved this scientific theory to be false.
This scientific theory has been proved to be false.
Let’s Practice

changed into the
Passive
11. They owe much money to the bank.
Much money is owed to the bank.
12. Aerosol sprays are damaging the ozone layer.
The ozone layer is being damaged by aerosol sprays.
13. They constantly remind us that the world has become smaller.
We are constantly reminded that the world has become smaller.
14. Did they say anything of importance?
Was anything of importance said?
15. Dell does not manufacture this type of computer anymore.
This type of computer is not manufactured by Dell anymore.
Let’s Practice

Provide a subject when required
All sentences can be
changed into the
Active
Bonus CHANGE INTO ACTIVE IF POSSIBLE:
1. Money is given generously by her.
She gives money generously.
2. The complaints should be sent to the head office.
People should send the complaints to the head office.
3. Has a letter been written to your brother yet?
Have you written a letter to your brother yet?
4. The rich are needed by the poor.
The poor need the rich.
5. A decision has to be taken in the next meeting.
They have to take a decision in the next meeting.

The Passive Voice

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The Passive Voice