THE PASSIVE VOICE corrected

I. KEY-TERMS:
1. *The agentive BY-object - the object with the preposition “by” that denotes a doer of an action:
 It is highly restricted: less frequently in colloquial speech and imaginative prose;
 The agent may be animate or inanimate;
 It can be expanded to an extent that is hardly possible in the subject group:
The agent can be expressed by the Noun, the Pronoun (rarely), a gerundial phrase, a complex clause, a
subordinate. // I was just awoken by knocking (by Helen, by her, by Helen who tried to open the door).
2. An agent of the action – doer of the action.
3. A receiver of an action – a patient.
4. A Passive Construction – a sentence containing a passive verb form.
5. Transitive verbs - verbs denoting an action passing over to some person or non-person which is presented
grammatically by an object.
6. Monotransitive verbs - transitive verbs followed by one direct object (to help sb.).
7. Ditransitive verbs – transitive verbs followed by both a Direct and Indirect Objects (to give sb. sth.)
II. Formation.
It is usually formed by means of 3 auxiliary verbs smts treated as link verbs “to be, to have, to get” and Participle II of the
main verb.
To Be To Have To Get
 It is used almost in all  They are more often used in informal style to speak about accidents, incidents // He
tense forms; has his arm broken. A got lost in the forest.
 It is used in both
formal and informal
styles;
 It is a neutral variant,
less emphatic;
 It is more widespread.
 “To cause sth. to happen or be done for  “To cause sth. to happen or be
you by sb. else”// I must have my hair cut done” (“link verb”) // I must get my
(smb. else will do it for me). hair cut. You can get mugged /
married / dressed.
 To suffer the effects of what sb. else does  It emphasises the meaning of the
to you // She had her bag stolen (the main verb // She got her bag stolen
effect: she has no money because of that). (not lost)
 To tell or arrange for sb. to do sth. for
you («зробити так, що…»)// He had the
bouncers throw them out of the club.
Other meanings: (Informal) // I`ll have you
know (=I`m telling you) I am a black belt in
your judo.
// She`s always having the builders IN to do
something or other.
Formation.

Present Past Future F.-in-the-Past

Indefinite Passive It is written It was written It will be written It would be written

Continuous Passive It is BEING written It was BEING ---------------------- ----------------------

written
Perfect Passive It has BEEN written It had BEEN written It will have been It would have been written
written

III. USAGE NOTES:

І. The Direct Passive Constructions with monotransitive ІІ. The Direct and Indirect Passive Constructions
verbs (DPC) with ditransitive verbs (IPC)

1. Verb (in AV) + direct object 1. Verb (in AV) + Indirect Object + DO
// to give smb. a prize
AV: They will meet you at the station.
DPC: You’ ll be met at the station (by them). AV: They gave her a prize.
IPC: She was given a prize.
1.a. Phrasal transitive verb + DO The DO is emphasized
 AV: They blew up the building. DPC: A prize was given to her.
DPC: The building was blown up. The IO is emphasized
NB. Some intransitive verbs + DO (to live)
// The distance has never been run in 5 minutes.
2. Verb (in AV) + DO + objective predicative 2. Verb (in AV) + IO + DO (+ “BY” in PC)*
AV: They called the woman Brome. AV: They gave her a prize.
DPC: The woman was called Brome. IPC: She was given a prize by them.
DPC: A prize was given to her by them.
3. Prepositional verb (in AV) + O 3. Verb (in AV) + IO + infinitive object
AV: They talked about her. // to tell smb. to do smth.
PC: She was talked about. AV: They asked him to wait.
NB. The list of the most important prepositional
monotransitive verbs. DPC: He was asked to wait.
[Грамматика английского языка: Морфология. Синтаксис: NB. The list of ditransitive verbs used in the Passive
Учебное пособие / Н. А. Кобрина.- СПб.: Издательство» Constructions:
Союз», 2006.- с.72-73].
4.In sentences containing infinitive constructions:
Subject + to be said (believed, known, reported, thought, To allow, to give, to grant, to lend, to offer, to pay, to
felt, expected) + The Infinitive. promise, to teach, to tell, to ask, to answer, to envy, to
DPC: He was seen to enter the room. forgive, to refuse.
Ukr.: Бачили, ЩО він увійшов до кімнати.
5. With the verbs of speech, mental activity and perception in
complex sentences with the formal subject “IT”:

IT is (was) + settled (suggested, reported, said,

known, believed), that…
DPC: It is reported that he has already arrived.
Ukr.: Повідомляється, ЩО він щойно приїхав.
6. With the Participle 1 constructions:
Subject + to be said (seen, believed…) + The Participle 1.
DPC: He was seen entering the room.
Ukr.: Бачили ЯК він заходив до кімнати.
IV. RESTRICTIONS
1. DPC only: if the IO implies “FOR” (to order, to reserve).
// AV: They bought me a book. = They bought a book FOR me. DPC only: A book was bought (for me).
2. DPC only: with the verbs followed by obligatory “TO” (to explain smth. to smb.)
// AV: They explained it to them. DPC: It was explained to them.
3. Non-prepositional IPC only: if the verb is followed by both non-prepositional and prepositional objects.
// AV: They told me about our victory.
// IPC: I was told about our victory. Our victory was told about to me (WRONG).
V. NO CONVERTING ACTIVE INTO PASSIVE
1. With the verbs denoting states: to have, to lack, to become, to fit, to suit, to resemble.
NB. “TO HOLD” used in the meaning of “to organize” // It was held twice a week.
2. If the object is a “that-clause”, the Infinitive or the Gerund.
// I said, that everything was OK. He liked seeing that town.
3. The Infinitive can not be used as the subject of a PC with the ditransitive verb.
// They asked me to refuse.

Read, translate and memorize the list of prepositional monotransitive verbs:

1. To account for, to agree on, to appeal to, to call on, to comment on, to deal with, to decide on, to depend on, to
dispose of, to dwell upon, to hear of, to insist on, to interfere with, to laugh at, to listen to, to look at (for, into), to
object to, to pay for, to provide for, to put up with, to read to, to refer to, to rely on, to send for, to speak of (to),
to talk of, to think of, to touch upon, to wait for, to wonder at // Your absence must be accounted for = explained.
2. = phraseological units. To catch (lose)sight of, to put up with – to reconcile oneself to; to find fault with- to grumble
at, to criticize; to make fun of – to laugh at, to mock; to make a fuss of, to make use of, to pay attention to, to put
an end to – to stop; to set fire to, to take notice of, to take advantage of, to take care of – to look after, to tend; //
The notice was taken of the boy first.
3. = intransitive verbs. To arrive at, to come to, to live in, to sleep in, to sit in (on) // No conclusion was arrived yet.
His bed hasn`t been slept in, Such a dress can`t be sat down in.
4. Ditransitive verbs: to allow, to give, to grant, to lend, to offer, to pay, to promise, to teach, to tell, to ask, to answer,
to envy, to forgive, to refuse.