English Class NotesPASSIVE VOICE
Form: verb to be + past participle of the active verb (regular o irregular)
When we change an active sentence into a passive, we have to observe the rules:
the direct complement of the active sentence is now the subject of the passive sentence.
This way the information we think is more important comes at the beginning of the sentence:
Active: Pupils do the final exams in the Assembly Hall.
(Here the subject of the sentence, pupils, is important)
Passive: The final exams are done in the Assembly Hall.
(In this case, it is the complement, the final exams, what is important)
The tense of the main verb(1) in the active sentence informs us of the tense we must use in the passive with the verb ‘to be’(2) before the past participle.
You must also pay a lot of attention to the concordance between the verb tense and the subject, either in the active or in the passive sentence.
(1) (present simple or past simple)
(2) (am, is, are or was, were)
Present Simple: am played is played are played
am written is written are written
Past Simple: was played were played
was written were written
Examples:
Present simple: Active: Astronomers find new planets in our solar system every day.
Passive: New planets are found in our solar system every day.
Active: Channel 9 transmits the football match.
Passive: The football match is transmitted by Channel 9.
Active: The pupils don’t study German in this school.
Passive: German isn’t studied in this school.
Active: The teacher doesn’t correct the exams without names.
Passive: The exams without names aren’t corrected.
Active: Do they speak Italian in Switzerland
Passive: Is Italian spoken in Switzerland
Active: Does the teacher explain the Grammar rules in class? Yes, he does.
Passive: Are the Grammar rules explained in class? Yes, they are.
Past simple: Active: Some of the pupils wrote the play for the school party.
Passive: The play for the school party was written by some of the pupils.
Active: The teacher revised all the exams.
Passive: All the exams were revised by the teacher.
Active: They didn’t buy the computer in the new shop.
Passive: The computer wasn’t bought in the new shop.
Active: The new doctor didn’t operate the injured people.
Passive: The injured people weren’t operated by the new doctor.
Active: Did you send the invitations last Sunday? Yes, we did.
Passive: Were the invitations sent last Sunday? Yes, they were.
Active: Did they bring the candidate on time for the interview? Yes, they did.
Passive: Was the candidate brought on time for the interview? Yes, he was.
PASSIVE VOICE. THE AGENT: It is the person or thing that performs the action.
The agent with by Active: R. L. Stevenson wrote Treasure Island .
Passive: Treasure Island was written by R. L. Stevenson.
(In this sentence the agent is R.L.Stevenson)
The agent with with Active: We used a magnetic card to open the room door.
Passive: A magnetic card was used to open the room door.
But…
Passive: The room door was opened with a magcetic card.
(In this sentence the instrument of the action is a magnetic card)
The agent is unknown All my jewells were stolen last night! (We don’t know who did it)
The agent isn’t important The castle of the Alhambra
Romeo and Juliet was written / published in 1595.
(In these examples, only the date is important)
The agent is understood A great amount of money was stolen in the bank yesterday.
An ancient tomb was discovered in Egypt
(You can see it is not necessary to express the agent because you know that banks are usually robbed by thieves, and that Egyptian tombs are usually discovered by archeologists)
but… The money was stolen by robbers wearing masks.
or... The tomb was discovered by British archaeologists.
(In these examples, it is important to know who did the action)
Impersonal agent The rock concert was cancelled.
All the roads were closed yesterday in the north of the country.
(We don’t know or we don’t mention who did the action)
Grammar: TURN INTO THE PASSIVE FORM (use BY or WITH only if it is really necessary)
Two French brothers invented the cinema. Does the new waiter serve the food?
The workers built the new hotel in just a few months. Do you play games in Physical Education?
They sell expensive cars at low prices in this shop. Did the two policemen help Paul?
Camela sings the pretty song Ay, por Dios! Does Jane pay the flat rental weekly?
The young writer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Did the same player score the six goals?
They don’t speak English in this restaurant. Did they finally sell their country house?
Spielberg didn’t direct the film Troy
The teacher doesn’t write the sentences on the board. Why did they throw the books to the litter?
A thief stole some jewels in the corner shop. Why do they close the shops on Sundays?
Some scientists compare the brain to a computer. Where did the team play their last match?
The teacher gives the pupils the exam results after the test.* Somebody recommended me another dentist.*
Microsoft sent the customers an e-mail last week.* They gave the little girl a small cat.*
They offered Jenny a bigger salary last week.* Carol teaches Geography to small children.*
His parents promised Adam a new computer.* Someone wrote Susan a lovely poem.*
Does the new waiter serve the food to the customers?* Somebody sent an anonymous letter to Susan.*
