PASSIVE VOICE

Usamos la voz activa cuando queremos enfocarnos en el sujeto, en quién realiza la

acción. Pero cuando queremos dar más importancia a la acción y NO a quién la ha
realizado, usamos la voz pasiva.

He ate all the cookies.

Who ate the cookies?

All the cookies were eaten (by him)

What happened to the cookies?

La voz pasiva se forma:

TO BE PARTICIPIO PASADO DEL VERBO (tercera columna)

Tener en cuenta:

 El objeto de la oración activa pasa a ser el sujeto de la oración pasiva.

 El verbo principal se cambia por el TO BE en su mismo tiempo, junto al verbo
principal en participio (tercera columna).
 El sujeto de la oración activa pasa a ser “complemento agente” de la oración
pasiva precedido por “by”.

 Mark Twain wrote the book.

The book was written by Mark Twain.

 The lady will clean the room.

The room will be cleaned by the lady.

 They had built the house.

The house had been built (by them)
En este caso no es necesario poner por quién fue realizada la acción.

1. Change these sentences from active to passive (mixed tenses):

1. People speak Portuguese in Brazil.

2. The Government is planning a new road near my house.

3. My grandfather built this house in 1943.

4. Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.

5. The cleaner has cleaned the office.

6. He had written three books before 1867.

7. John will tell you later.

8. By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.

9. Somebody should do the work.

10. The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.

11. Everybody loves Mr Brown.

12. They are building a new stadium near the station.

13. The wolf ate the princess.

14. At six o’clock someone was telling a story.

15. Somebody has drunk all the milk!

16. I had cleaned all the windows before the storm.

17. A workman will repair the computer tomorrow.

18. By next year the students will have studied the passive.

19. James might cook dinner.

20. Somebody must have taken my wallet.

2. Make the passive (subordinate clauses):

1. I want someone to love me.

2. It seems that someone cleaned the office on Tuesday.

3. Amy thinks that someone is reading to her son.

4. I don’t like people seeing me in my pyjamas.

5. My little niece loves people chasing her.

6. I understand that someone hit Greg.

7. Is it the case that someone sent the report on time?

8. We avoided people seeing us.

9. I think that someone built the house in 1814.

10. I understand that someone fired John.

11. I like someone looking after me when I’m ill.

12. She hates people laughing at her.

13. It seems that someone lost the papers.

14. He thinks that someone is teasing Lucy.

15. I hope someone will examine me soon.

16. John would like someone to promote him.

17. The cat enjoys someone tickling him.

18. They claim that someone stole the money.

19. We imagined that the storm damaged the car.

20. I believe that someone is preparing food.

3. Write the correct forms or words next to each sentence.

The site was blocked | had been blocked as it had provided pirate copies.

They escaped. They were warned | had been warned by somebody.

The cat was sleepy after it was fed | had been fed with chicken breast.

Jill didn't know what to do. She was confused | had been confused.

I refused the idea which I was presented | had been presented before.

The doctor put my leg in plaster. It was broken | had been broken.

We liked the solution and so it was accepted | had been accepted.

Before we arrived at the party all the food was eaten | had been eaten.

The cake was cut | had been cut into pieces and disappeared.

The conference wasn't over even if everything was said | had been said.

Sue was happy again after her dog was found | had been found.

The ancient tomb was discovered | had been discovered a long time ago.