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Passive Voice
Passive Voice
Passive Voice
Agent Receiv
Doer er
Active • Someone built this house in 1961
object
• the subject of the active voice sentence becomes the agent of the
passive sentence. It is placed after the past participle and it is preceded
by the preposition by.
I drink two cups of coffee.
When do we use the passive voice?
1. We do not know who the agent is:
•I don’t know who did it, but my pet rabbit has been let out.
•I had the feeling that I was being followed.
Direct object: it is an object or pronoun that receives the action of the verb in the
sentence directly
Indirect object: it is an object or pronoun to whom or for whom the action is
done.
It receives the action through the direct object and not directly.
•Ricky threw pebbles in the pond.
•Has he passed the salt to Nicky?
•I received a letter.
•The teacher game me the book.
Verbs with two objects
• Some verbs that have two objects can make two different active sentences,
and so two different passive sentences too.
• Some of these verbs are: bring, buy, cost, get, give, leave, lend, make,
offer, owe, pass, pay, play, promise, read, refuse, send, show, sing, take,
teach, tell, wish, write
ACTIVE
• My father gave me a present
• My father gave a present to me
PASSIVE
• I was given a present by my father
• A present was given to me by my father.
Verbs with two objects
• Active:
• Somebody gave the police the information
• Passive:
• The police were given the information.
• The information was given to the police.
Practice
• They haven’t offered me the job.
• We will give you plenty of time
• The boss showed me the office.
• They pay him a lot of money
• Have they bought the medicine to the baby?
• Could she send me the report?
Personal and Impersonal
Passive
Impersonal Passive
• It is used when one doesn't want to, or is unable to, site legitimate
sources for what you are saying. It is, essentially, a way of claiming
any position without justifying it.
• We use impersonal passive with: say/ agree / allege / announce /
assume / believe / calculate / claim / consider / declare /
discover / estimate / expect / find / known / mention / propose /
recommend / rumour / show / suppose / suggest / understand
Impersonal Passive