THE PASSIVE VOICE

UNIT 6B
INTRODUCTION
If you want to express yourself normally and not draw special
attention to any part of the clause, you followthe sequence
Subject + Verb + Object + (Complement) + (Adjunct)
(The subject, which is what you are going to talk about, comes first).
However, there are other ways of putting the elements of clause
structure in a different sequence, in order to give special
emphasis or meaning to the clause or part of it.
One wayof varying the sequences of elements in the clause is to use
the PASSIVE VOICE.
The passive voice allows you to talk about an event fromthe point
of viewof the thing or person affected, and even to avoid mentioning
who or what was responsible for the action.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
TELL ME
In which sentence are we more
interested in the person / the building?
a) The White Tower was built by William
the Conqueror. (Passive)
b) William the Conqueror built the White
Tower. (Active)
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TELL ME
More interested in the person:

the second (b) (the one in the active voice)

More interested in the building:

the first (a) (the one in the passive voice)

J uan J os Lpez Moro
LET IT BE KNOWN THAT
VOICE is a grammatical category which
makes it possible to view the action of a
sentence in two ways without change in
the facts reported.
THE PASSIVE VOICE is the grammatical
device that gives the object of a transitive
verb prominence by making it the
subject.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
ACTIVE VOICE
In English the person or thing you want to
talk about is usually put first as the
subject of the clause.
So, when you want to talk about someone
or something that is the performer of an
action (the agent), you make them the
subject of the verb and you use an active
form of the verb. The other person or
thing is made the object of the verb.
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ACTIVE VOICE
In sentences written in active voice, the subject
performs the action expressed in the verb; the
subject acts.
The dog bit the boy.
Scientists have discovered traces of ice on the surface of Mars.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
PASSIVE VOICE
However, you may want to focus on
the person or thing affected by an
action, which would be the object of
an active form of the verb. In that
case, you make that person or thing
the subject of a passive form of the
verb.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
PASSIVE VOICE
In sentences written in passive voice, the subject receives
the action expressed in the verb. The agent performing the
actionmay appear in a "by-phraseor maybe omitted.
The boy was bitten by the dog.
Research will be presented by Quirk at the conference.
Your bicycle has been damaged. by? (agent omitted)
J uan J os Lpez Moro
FORMATION OF PASSIVE TENSES
Passive forms consist of an appropriate
tense of be followed by the past
participle of the verb. For example, the
passive form of the present simple of
eat is the simple present of be
(am/is/are) followed by eaten:
I t is eaten.
V- ed
To be + Past Participle
V3
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SPELLING RULES
REMEMBER THE SPELLING RULES
Stay > stayed
Like > liked (add -d if verb finishes in -e)
Study > studied ( y > i after a consonant)
Stop > stopped (if verb finishes in c-v-c,
double the final consonant )
J uan J os Lpez Moro
PRONONCIATION OF THE -ED ENDING.
-ed is pronounced /t/ when the infinitive ends
in an unvoiced sound ( / k,p,f,s, ,t , / )
(except /t/ itself): booked.
-ed is pronounced /d/ when the infinitive ends
in any voiced sound (vowels or the rest of
consonant sounds, except /d/ itself): argued,
sunbathed.
-ed is pronounced /d/ when verbs finish in a
/ t/ or / d/ sound: rented, decided.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
THE PASSIVE VOICE:
BE (GET) + PAST PARTICIPLE
Present Passive

Risotto is made with rice.
The office is cleaned every
day.
It isnt made with pasta.
It isnt cleaned on
Sundays.
Is it made with meat?
Is it cleaned on
Sundays?
Past Passive
Guernica was painted by
Picasso.
It wasnt painted by Dal. When was it painted?
J uan J os Lpez Moro
CHANGING ACTIVE TO PASSIVE
Changes: results
The active subject, if retained,
becomes the passive AGENT.
The active object becomes the
passive subject.
The preposition BY is inserted
before the agent.
The passive of an active tense is
formed by putting the verb TO BE
into the same tense as the active
verb and adding the past
participle of the active verb.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
FORMATION
Archaeoligists discovered the tomb of Herod last year.[ACTIVE]
S. D.O.
The tomb of Herod was discovered by archaeologists last year. [PAS.]
S. of the Passive Agent /Doer
Juan Jos Lpez Moro
CHANGING ACTIVE TO PASSIVE
ACTIVE

PASSIVE

Scientists have discovered

traces of ice on the surface of
Mars.
Traces of ice have been discovered
on the surface of Mars.
(by scientists)
J uan J os Lpez Moro
CHANGING PASSIVE TO ACTIVE
PASSIVE

ACTIVE

The book is being read by

most of the class.
Most of the class
is reading the book.
J uan J os Lpez Moro
USE OF THE PASSIVE
VOICE
To emphasize the action more than the person / doer:
Rice is grown in Japan.
When we dont know who does or did the action or it
isnt important :
My bike was stolen last night.
In scientific or technical writing to describe processes:
The biscuits are packed into containers.
It is often used when we use an impersonal verb:
In Britain, films for cameras are sold in chemists.
Use by if you want to say who does or did the action:
Sherlock Holmes was created by A.C. Doyle.
Use with to talk about something that is used to
perform the action:
He was killed with a knife.
J uan J os Lpez Moro