3. • Active voice is used when we say what the subject does.
My grandfather built this house in 1935.
• Passive voice is used when we say what happens to the subject.
This house was built in 1935.
• Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not
important or not known, however, who or what is performing the
action.
My bike was stolen.
• Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice.
A mistake was made. (You made a mistake)
4. FORM:
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the
passive sentence
We wrote a letter
A letter was written by us.
The finite form of the verb is changed
Finite form of to be + Past Participle
We wrote a letter
A letter was written by us.
5. Step 1: VERB TO BE reflects the verbal tense (Present Simple, Future…)
Step 2: Add the PAST PARTICIPLE FORM of the main verb.
TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE
PRESENT SIMPLE Ben Affleck directs that film. IS / ARE + PAST PPLE
That film is directed by Ben Affleck
PRESENT CONTINUOUS Ben Affleck is directing that film. IS / ARE + BEING + PAST PPLE
That film is being directed by Ben Affleck
PAST SIMPLE Ben Affleck directed that film. WAS / WERE + PAST PPLE
That film was directed by Ben Affleck
PAST CONTINUOUS Ben Affleck was directing that film. WAS / WERE + BEING + PAST PPLE
That film was being directed by Ben Affleck
PRESENT PERFECT Ben Affleck has directed that film. HAS / HAVE + BEEN + PAST PPLE
That film has been directed by Ben Affleck
PAST PERFECT Ben Affleck had directed that film. HAD + BEEN + PAST PPLE
That film had been directed by Ben Affleck
WILL Ben Affleck will direct that film. WILL + BE + PAST PPLE
That film will be directed by Ben Affleck
BE GOING TO Ben Affleck is going to direct that film. IS / ARE + GOING TO + BE + PAST PPLE
That film is going to be directed by Ben Affleck
MODALS Ben Affleck should direct that film. SHOULD + BE + PAST PPLE
That film should be directed by Ben Affleck
6. The subject of the active sentence either becomes the agent of
the passive sentence (with preposition by)…
We wrote a letter - A letter was written by us.
REMEMBER TO CHANGE PRONOUNS (SUBJECT – AGENT COMPLEMENT)
PERSONAL PRONOUNS OBJECT PRONOUNS
I
YOU
HE
SHE
IT
WE
YOU
THEY
prep.+
ME
YOU
HIM
HER
IT
US
YOU
THEM
Elena is my teacher = She is my teacher.
This novel was written by David Lodge.
=
This novel was written by him.
7. … or it is dropped.
Somebody sends me a lot of flowers. - A lot of flowers are sent to me
The by+agent is omitted when…
• the agent is unknown: My pen has been stolen. (I don’t know who stole it)
• it’s obvious or not important: In England, Christmas was banned in 1647. (The
agent – the Government – is obvious)
• we don’t want to name it: The window was broken while we were playing tennis.
(We don’t want to say who broke it)
8.
9. THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND…
As in Active voice, Passive Object questions are made with an
auxiliary-subject inversion . This doesn’t happen with Subject
questions:
Where did they purchase the product? (Active Object Question)
AUX SUBJ VERB
Where was the product purchased? (Passive Object Question)
AUX SUBJ VERB
Who produces that product in this factory? (Active Subject Question)
SUBJ VERB
What is produced in this factory? (Passive Subject Question)
SUBJ AUX VERB
10. Those verbs which have two objects (direct & indirect) can have
two possible Passive voice sentences:
Somebody gave the police the information
INDIR OBJ DIR OBJ
The police were given the information.
The information was given to the police
They offered me the job.
INDIR OBJ DIR OBJ
I was offered the job.
The job was offered to me.
11. We sometimes use get instead of be in the passive when something
happens or changes.
The goods got stolen.
There was a fight at the party but nobody got hurt.
The following get-expressions aren’t passive in meaning:
get married / get divorced / get dressed / get changed / get lost
14. It’s used to say that we arrange for somebody else to do something for
us.
15. It’s also used when something happens to somebody or their belongings
and it isn’t nice.
Gary had his nose broken in a fight.
Paul had all his money stolen while he was on holiday.
16. FORM:
Have sth done = Get sth done
* Get is a bit more informal and more common in spoken language
