| PASSIVE
VOICE |
| 1)
A passive verb form is a form of BE + past participle. |
2)
When the subject is the person or thing doing the action (the agent) we use an
active verb. When the subject is not the agent, then the verb is passive: |
Columbus
discovered America - America was discovered by Columbus |
3)
In a passive sentence, when we want to say who or what did the action, we use
BY: |
They
were questioned by the police |
4)
We do not mention the agent when: |
-
the agent does not add any new information - the agent is not important -
it is difficult to say who the agent is
|
5)
We can use empty subjects (you, they, people, someone) instead of the passive,
especially in conversation: |
A
new theatre is being opened - They are opening a new theatre |
6)
We use the passive both in speech and writing, but it is more common in writing.
We use it to describe activities in industry, science and technology (processes),
official rules and news reports. |
7)
We sometimes use GET in the passive rather than BE, mainly in informal English,
to emphazise change. We often use it for something happening by accident, unexpectedly
or in an unplanned way: |
Our
car got damaged on our way home. |
We
also use GET in idiomatic expressions like get dressed/married... |
|
Special
Passive Patterns |
1) In an active sentence
a verb of giving can have two different patterns after it: |
She
gave us a present / She gave a present to us. |
Both
"us" (but using the subject pronoun) and "a present" can be
the subject of a passive sentence. It is quite normal in English for the person
receiving something to be the subject in a passive sentence. Verbs in this pattern
are: give, send, pay, lend, hand, sell, promise, show, offer, teach, owe, award,
grant, allow, leave (in a will) and feed. |
2)
We can use a special pattern with verbs of reporting when we do not need to know
who is doing the reporting: |
People
say taxes will increase - It is said that taxes will increase |
We
often use this pattern with IT + BE + SAID (THAT) ... in news reports. Verbs in
this pattern are: say, report, mention, announce, think, believe, understand,
agree, decide, know, find, expect, hope, regret, fear, intend and arrange. |
3)
We can also use a pattern with an infinitive: |
People
said he would win a prize - He was said to win a prize People said he won a
prize - He was said to have won a prize People said he was planning a new scheme
- He was said to be planning a new scheme |
| In
this pattern we can use: say, report, think, believe, understand, know, find,
expect and intend. |