The Passive Voice

Masoud Ahrabi

The passive
CONTENTS
1
2
3
4
5
6

Active sentences and passive sentences

Form of the passive
Transitive and intransitive verbs
Using the by-phrase
Passive modal auxiliaries
Participial adjectives: -ed vs. -ing

1 ACTIVE SENTENCES AND PASSIVE SENTENCES

The chair is being made

by the carpenter.

1 ACTIVE SENTENCES AND PASSIVE SENTENCES

(a) ACTIVE: The carpenter sanded the wood.

same
meaning
(b) PASSIVE: The wood was sanded by the
carpenter.
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1 ACTIVE SENTENCES AND PASSIVE SENTENCES

ACTIVE:

S
O
(c) Carol sold the house.

PASSIVE:

by + O
S
(d) The house was sold by Carol.
object of active
subject of active

subject of passive
object of by
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2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

Cars are driven by people.

2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

BE + PAST
PARTICIPLE

(a) Cars

are

(b) The award was

driven

by people.

given

by the boss.

(c) The book will be published by Pearson.

Passive structure in all tenses:
a be form instead of the verb + PP of main verb
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2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

Forms of be:

Present:
Past:
Continuous:
PP:
Simple:

am- is - are
was- were
being
been
be
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2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

SIMPLE PRESENT

People drive cars.

Cars are driven by people.
SIMPLE PAST

The new job thrilled Tim.

Tim was thrilled by the new job.

2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

The boys are eating the cookies.

The cookies are being eaten by the boys.
PAST PROGRESSIVE

Jamal was washing the dishes.

The dishes were being washed by Jamal.

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2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

PRESENT PERFECT

Al has printed the photo.

The photo has been printed by Al.
FUTURE

Talya will make the announcement.

The announcement will be made by Talya.

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2 FORM OF THE PASSIVE

Name

Construction

Example

(simple) future

will be + pp

You'll be told soon enough.

future perfect

will have been + pp

Everything will have been done

by Tuesday

simple present

am/are/is + pp

English is spoken here.

present progressive

am/are/is being + pp

Excuse the mess; the house is

being painted.

present perfect

have/has been + pp

I have been informed about it.

simple past

was/were + pp

I wasn't invited, but I went.

past progressive

was/were being + pp

I felt as if I was being watched.

past perfect

had been + pp

I knew why I had been chosen.

Future progressive passives (will be being + pp) and perfect

progressive passives (has been being + pp) are unusual.

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LETS PRACTICE

Whats the difference?

a. People were shot on the streets.
b. The police shot the demonstrators on the streets.

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE

The squirrel gathered the nuts.

PASSIVE

The nuts were gathered by the squirrel.

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE

Matthew painted the wall.

PASSIVE

The wall was painted by

Matthew.

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE

The voters will determine

the election results.
PASSIVE

The election results will be determined by

the voters.

Talk: p.233
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3 TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

Erica sneezed.

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3 TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

(a -c) TRANSITIVE
S

Janet
They

earned
saw

the promotion.
the accident.

(d-f) INTRANSITIVE
S

A problem occurred.
They
arrived late.
TRANSITIVE

verb + object

INTRANSITIVE

verb + object
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3 TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS

TRANSITIVE VERBS
(g)
(h)

Janet earned the promotion.

PASSIVE: The promotion was earned by Janet.

ACTIVE:

INTRANSITIVE VERBS
(i)
(j)

Birds fly.
PASSIVE: (Not possible)
ACTIVE:

(k) INCORRECT: Birds are fly.

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LETS PRACTICE

transitive
intransitive

It rained yesterday.

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LETS PRACTICE

transitive
intransitive

Eva won a medal.

A medal was won by Eva.
PASSIVE: _______________________

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LETS PRACTICE

transitive
intransitive

Tim Berners-Lee invented the

World Wide Web.
PASSIVE: _______________________
The World Wide Web was

invented
by Tim Berners-Lee.
_______________________
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10-4 USING THE BY- PHRASE

This painting
was done by
my mother.

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10-4 USING THE BY- PHRASE

(a) This desk was made by Manuel.

by phrase

important information

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10-4 USING THE BY- PHRASE

(b) This desk was made in Taiwan.

(c) Corn is eaten in many places.
(d) That apartment was built in 2007.
(e) Spanish is spoken in many countries.
usually NO by-phrase

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10-4 LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
PASSIVE
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
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10-4 LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE
Many students use computers.

PASSIVE
Computers are used by many students.

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10-4 LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE
Tina taught me how to knit.

PASSIVE
I was taught to knit by Tina.

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10-5 PASSIVE MODAL AUXILIARIES

Lin will e-mail you.

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4 PASSIVE MODAL AUXILIARIES

ACTIVE MODAL
AUXILIARIES

PASSIVE MODAL
AUXILIARIES

Lin will send it.

Lin can send it.
Lin must send it.
Lin may send it.

It will be sent by Lin.

It can be sent by Lin.
It must be sent by Lin.
It may be sent by Lin.

FORM: modal + be + past participle

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE MODALS

Someone must mow the grass today.

PASSIVE MODALS

must be mowed today

This grass __________________.

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE MODALS

You should not feed candy to babies.

PASSIVE MODALS

should not be fed candy

Babies _____________________.

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LETS PRACTICE

ACTIVE MODALS

People cannot control hurricanes.

PASSIVE MODALS

Hurricanes cannot be controlled.

__________________________

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6 PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES: -ED VS. -ING

Emma makes pottery.

I am interested in making pottery.

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6 PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES: -ED VS. -ING

(a) I am interested in pottery.

INCORRECT: I am interesting in pottery.

(b) Pottery is interesting.

INCORRECT: Pottery is interested.

past participle
present participle

feelings
cause of feeling
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6 PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES: -ED VS. -ING

Ben was thrilled with the promotion.

(c) Ben was thrilled.
(d) The promotion was thrilling.
past participle
present participle

passive meaning
cause of feeling

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6 PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES: -ED VS. -ING

(e) I heard some disappointing news.

(f) Jill read the shortened version of
the book.
participial
adjectives + nouns

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LETS PRACTICE

surprised
surprising
Kobra

Sakineh

surprising
Sakinehs news must be __________.
Kobra looks very surprised
__________.
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LETS PRACTICE

amazed
amazing

amazing
The Great Wall is ________.
Most people are truly ________
amazed when
they first see it.
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Thanks for your attention

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