The Passive Voice – English, B2
|THE PASSIVE VOICE
- FORM
RULE : SAME TENSE OF ‘TO BE’ + PAST PARTICIPLE
e.g.
- I punished. – I was punished.
- He’ll recognize. – He’ll be recognized.
- We have arrested. – We have been arrested.
- She had bitten. – She had been bitten.
- He’ll have chosen – He’ll have been chosen
Note :
For continuous tenses : just follow the rule (as if ‘to be’ had continuous tenses)
- They are following. – They are being followed.
- He was questioning – He was being questioned.
For a gerund : keep following the rule.
- I hate washing. – I hate being washed.
- It is no use warning. – It is no use being warned.
For an infinitive : Keep following the rule.
- I want to drive. – I want to be driven.
- They hoped to rescue. – The hoped to be rescued.
USE
- Object ® subject (and subject ® agent).
- Tom beats John. – John is beaten by Tom. (‘by Tom’ = agent)
- A stone hit him. – He was hit by a stone.
- Two objects : personal object ® subject.
- They gave Mary a ticket. – Mary was given a ticket.
- They showed us an ugly painting. – We were shown an ugly painting.
- Subject of no importance : no agent.
- People speak English all over the world. – English is spoken all over the world.
- They gave the students a new book. – The students were given a new book.
but : Mozart composed this music. – This music was composed by Mozart.
- Prepositions : do not forget them.
- I hate people laughing at me. – I hate being laughed at.
- the shop out of which they stole a book – the shop a book was stolen out of.
- ‘They say’ (or believe, suppose, think etc.) : use an infinitive construction.
- They say he’s a thief. – He is said to be a thief. (much better.)
- They suppose he is very rich. – He is supposed to be very rich.
- The think he’s the brain of the gang. – He is thought to be the brain of the gang.
Be careful : sometimes a perfect infinitive is necessary.
- They believe he is a spy. – He is believed to be a spy.
- They believe he was a spy in WWII. – He is believed to have been a spy in WWII.
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