Colegio Madre M Rosa Molas

Unit 6 Energy (3 ESO)

THE PASSIVE
A CMO CAMBIAR DE ACTIVA A PASIVA?
1) El objeto directo ( indirecto) de la oracin activa se convierte en sujeto de la oracin pasiva.

Or. Activa

Picasso
S

painted
V

that picture.
OD

Or. Pasiva

That picture
S paciente

_______

_________

2) El verbo en voz activa cambia verbo en voz pasiva. La voz pasiva se hace con el verbo to be en el

mismo tiempo verbal que estaba el verbo de la oracin activa y el participio de dicho verbo.
Or. Activa
Picasso
painted
that picture.
S
V
OD
Or. Pasiva

That picture
S paciente

Present simple
Past simple
Present perfect
Future simple
Present continuous
Past continuous
Modals

was painted
V pasivo

_________

Voz activa
He delivers letters.
He eats an apple.
He delivered letters.
He ate an apple.
He has delivered letters.
He has eaten an apple.
He will deliver letters.
He will eat an apple.
He is delivering letters.
He is eating an apple.
He was delivering letters.
He was eating an apple.
He may deliver letters.
He may eat an apple.
He must deliver letters.
He must eat an apple.

Voz pasiva
Letters are delivered.
An apple is eaten.
Letters were delivered.
An apple was eaten.
Letters have been delivered.
An apple has been eaten.
Letters will be delivered.
An apple will be eaten.
Letters are being delivered.
An apple is being eaten.
Letters were being delivered.
An apple was being eaten.
Letters may be delivered.
An apple may be eaten.
Letters must be delivered.
An apple must be eaten.

3) El sujeto de la oracin activa pasa a ser complemento agente de la oracin pasiva. El complemento

agente se introduce con la preposicin by o bien desaparece.

Or. Activa
Picasso
painted
that picture.
S
V
OD
Or. Pasiva

That picture
S paciente

was painted
V pasiva

by Picasso.
C agente

NOTAS:
1) Cuando en la oracin activa hay OD y OI, normalmente pasa a ser sujeto paciente el que se refiera a una
persona.
I sent her some roses.

Colegio Madre M Rosa Molas

Unit 6 Energy (3 ESO)

She was sent some roses. (Ms usual)

Some roses were sent to her. (Menos usual)

2) Slo aparece el complemento agente si ste aade informacin. Si el agente es desconocido, no es

relevante o es obvio se omite. Complementos agentes tales como people (en general), I, you, he, she, it, we,
they, somebody, someone... son omitidos.
Bell invented the telephone.
The telephone was invented by Bell.
Somebody murdered him.

He was murdered.

B USO DE LA PASIVA
1) Cuando el agente es desconocido, no relevante u obvio por el contexto.

Jane was shot. (No sabemos por quin)

This church was built in 1915. (No es relevante quin la construy)
He has been arrested. (Obviamente por la polica)
2) Para hacer oraciones ms formales o educadas.

The car hasn't been cleaned. (ms educado)

You haven't cleaned the car. (menos educado)
3) Cuando la accin es ms importante que el agente, como ocurre en procesos, instrucciones,

acontecimientos, informes, titulares, nuevos temas y anuncios.

Thirty people were killed in the earthquake.
4) Para ponen nfasis en el agente.

The new library will be opened by the Queen.

1. Turn from Active in Passive
1. The gardener has planted some trees. Some trees have been planted by the gardener.
2. Doctor Brown will give you some advice. _____________________________________________________
3. A famous designer will redecorate the hotel. __________________________________________________
4. Steven Spielberg directed E.T. ___________________________________________________________
2. Turn from Active into Passive. Omit the agent where it can be omitted.
1. Someone has broken the crystal vase. The crystalvase has ben broken.
2. His parents have brought him up to be polite. _________________________________________________
3. Fleming discovered penicillin. _____________________________________________________________
4. They will advetise the product on television. __________________________________________________
5. Someone is remaking that film. ____________________________________________________________
3. Turn from Active into Passive.
1.You must leave the bathroom tidy. The bathroom must be left tidy
2. You should water this plant daily. _________________________________________________________
3. Our neighbour ought to paint the garage. ___________________________________________________
4. I have to return these books to the library. __________________________________________________

Colegio Madre M Rosa Molas

Unit 6 Energy (3 ESO)

4. Turn from Active into Passive.

1. He gave me a present. I was given a present (more usual).
A present was given to me (less usual)
2. The waiter will bring us the bill. ___________________________
_______________________________
3. The Queen presented him with a medal. ________________________
________________________
4. Her mother bought Mary some sweets. ________________________
________________________
5. Bob has sold Ted a second-hand car. _________________________
________________________
6. Larry is going to send a letter to Tom. ________________________
________________________
5. Turn from Active into Passive.
1. Someone is helping her with the housework. She is being helped with the housework.
2. A pickpocket robbed me. _______________________________________________
3. You must extinguish you cigarettes. ______________________________________
4. The mail-order company sent Mrs Green a parcel. __________________________________________
5. You must dry-clean this shirt. ______________________________________________________
6. Someone will pay you within the next few days. ______________________________________
7. You can improve your health with more exercises. ____________________________________________
8. A dog is chasing the child. ______________________________________________________
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Turn from Active into Passive.

My friend sent me an invitation. I was sent an invitation.
The cleaner is going to mop the kitchen floor. ___________________________________________
The farmer is building a new barn. _____________________________________________________
The secretary has given Mrs Jones some letters. ________________________________________
The traffic warden had already given him a ticket for illegal parking. __________________________
People must obey the law. ________________________________________________________
Someone had broken our door down. ______________________________________________
They chose him as the best actor of the year. ___________________________________________