English for Academic Purposes

Writing styles

Being Objective….

Emphasis is on the information…

And the arguments……
 English for Academic Purposes
• Using Passive
Saying what is done……

John took the books back to the library

The books were taken back to the library

 English for Academic Purposes
• Considerations:
Is the agent important …?

Is the agent known….?

Is the agent obvious….?

 Passive voice
• We make it by putting the verb 'to be' into whatever
tense we need and then adding the past participle.

tense active passive

present simple I make a cake A cake is made
present cont. I am making a cake A cake is being made
past simple I made a cake A cake was made
past cont. I was making a cake A cake was being made

present perfect I have made a cake A cake has been made

pres. perf. Cont. I have been making a cake A cake has been being made
past perfect I had made a cake A cake had been made
future simple I will make a cake A cake will be made
future perfect I will have made a cake A cake will have been made
 Passive Voice

Richard sold the car

The car was sold by Richard

sold = past simple = to be = was + verb in p.p
(sell =sold)

Isabele Salavessa 2012 5

 Passive Voice

Ana didn’t receive an invitation

An invitation was not received by Ana

Didn’t receive = past simple negative
Past simple negative of to be = was not

Isabele Salavessa 2012 6

 Passive Voice

Did they see the advertisement ?

Was the advertisement seen by them ?

This is a question
Past simple verb to be in question form…. To be comes 1st

Past participle of see = seen

Isabele Salavessa 2012 7
 Idiomatic Passive
• When a verb has more than one object….

John gave Ana a book

Indirect object Direct object

Ana was given a book by John

Isabele Salavessa 2012 8
 English for Academic Purposes

• Reporting information in passive..

Verbs which must have indirect objects…
allow, assure, convince, persuade, tell,

He tells us that global warming is a serious issue.

We are told that global warming is a serious

issue.
 English for Academic Purposes

1. Real subjects….. Use an infinitive clause. For

cohesion…

Robert Jones claims that Labradors are the

most intelligent dogs in the world.

Labradors are said [are claimed]to be the

most intelligent dogs in the world.
 English for Academic Purposes

• 2. Dummy subjects it…

It is used to hide information on the subject.

It is said that Labradors are the most intelligent

dogs in the world.
 English for Academic Purposes
• Present

Active: This graph shows that some dogs are

better at understanding human language than
others.

Passive: Some dogs are shown to be better at

understanding human language than others.
 English for Academic Purposes

Active: Jones states that some dogs will make better

companions than others.

Passive: Some dogs are stated to be going to make better

companions than others.

Active: Jones stipulates that many dogs have been bred

for specific purposes.

Passive: Many dogs are stipulated to have been bred for

specific purposes.
 English for Academic Purposes
Infinitive tenses Passive infinitive tenses
Present Passive Present
To + V To be + Past participle
To sing To be sung
Present continuous Passive Present continuous
To be + Active participle (-ing form of a verb) To be being + Past participle
To be singing To be being sung
Past Passive Past
To have + past participle To have been + Past participle
To have sung To have been sung
Present perfect Passive Present perfect
To have + past participle To have been + Past participle
To have sung To have been sung
Future Passive Future
To be going to + V To be going to be + Past participle
To be going to sing (Note: we cannot use will.) To be going to be sung
 English for academic Purposes

Cohesion

Ensuring that your sentences make sense as a

whole…. The paragraph needs to be themed