Passive

Voice
Objectives
 After attending this lecture
students should be able to:
 know sentence structure of
passive voice
 understand when and why to
use passive voice instead of
active voice
 Scope
Out of twelve sentence structures of active voice
only eight structures can be used as passive voice:
Present Indefinite
Past Indefinite
Future Indefinite
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
Future Perfect
 Sentence Structures
S + V + O. (Active without auxiliary verb)

O + be + V (past participle) + by + S.

S + auxiliary verb + V + O. (Active without auxiliary verb)

O + auxiliary verb + be + V (past participle) +by + S

 Verb Summary
As verb “be” and “have” do not refer to any action, they
can never appear in passive form.
To do = to be done
do/does = is/am/are done
Did = was/were done
Will do = will be done
Is/am/are doing = is/am/are being done
Was/were doing = was/were being done
Have/has done = have/has been done
Had done = had been done
Will have done = will have been done
Uses of Passive Voice
Someone has broken the window.
Doer of the action is unknown
The window has been broken.

I shall x-ray your arm.

Doer of the action unimportant

Your arm shall be x-rayed.

Police are conducting operation in Karachi

Action is more important than the doer

Operation is being conducted in Karachi (by police).

 .….Cont
We shall have to increase taxes.
To avoid first person to escape responsibility

Taxes shall have to be increased.

I/We shall receive you at the airport.

For “you” approach
You shall be received at the airport.

I think that ….
To avoid first person to express laws, facts
It is thought….
.….Cont
People spoke Latin in the Roman Empire.
When “people” is the subject
Latin was spoken in the Roman Empire.

One sees such an advertisement everywhere.

When the subject is an indefinite pronoun.
Such an advertisement can be seen everywhere.
 ….Cont
I/We claim that…
To express a common belief
It is claimed that…..

Acknowledge, assume, believe, claim, estimate, feel,

find, know, presume, report, say, think, understand
etc.
 Conclusion
If an active voice structure serves the
purpose, the passive voice structure
should be avoided.
A reason must be thought before using a
passive structure.