UNIT 9: HIGH

TECH WORLD
GRAMMAR: PASSIVE
VOICE
INTRODUCTION

In this lesson, you are going to learn about Passive Voice in English.
1) You can see what it is
2) How to form it
3) When to use it
INTRODUCTION
ACTIVE PASSIVE
Let’s start with basics
WHAT IS PASSIVE VOICE?
In general we tend to use the active voice. That is when a
subject does an action to an object.
For example:
Somebody stole my laptop.
(subject = Somebody / action(verb) = stole / object = my laptop)
In active voice , you start with a subject, then you add a verb which
often has an object.
 INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PASSIVE VOICE?
Passive voice is opposite of Active voice.
The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the action
(the verb) and the object of a sentence rather than subject. This
means that the subject is less important than the action itself or
that we don’t know who or what the subject is.
Somebody stole my laptop – Active voice
1.My laptop was stolen. (The object – now the subject = My
laptop / action= was stolen) Passive voice
WHAT IS PASSIVE VOICE?

More examples:
Everybody loves chocolate ( Active voice)
Chocolate is loved by everybody ( Passive voice )

The lifeguard saved a man ( Active voice )

A man was saved by the lifeguard ( Passive voice )
HOW TO FORM PASSIVE VOICE?
The grammatical structure:
Passive: BE + past participle
BE :
am/is/are - present Past participle- verb#3
was/were – past #1 Infinitive- eat
been – prefect tenses #2 Simple past - ate
Being – continuous tenses #3 Past participle- eaten
HOW TO FORM PASSIVE VOICE?

Chocolate is loved by everybody ( Passive voice )

A man was saved by the lifeguard ( Passive voice )
My house is being painted by decorators ( Passive voice)
The three sentences from earlier they all have BE ( is, was, is being )
and that past participle ( loved, saved, painted)
 WHEN TO USE IT?
1. When the action is more important or interesting than the person who
does the action.
For example: Rm 1,000,000 were donated to the children’s hospital.
IT IS NOT IMPORTANT FOR ACTIVE VOICE:

WHO DONATED THE

The prime minister donated Rm1,000,000
MONEY?
to the children’s hospital

.
 I DON’T KNOW OR
WHEN TO USE IT? IT IS NOT
IMPORTANT.
WHO BUILT
THE BRIDGE?

2. When the person who does the action is not

known
This beautiful bridge was built in 1732.
 WHEN TO USE IT?
3.The person doing the action is obvious ( In other words, when it is easy to
figure out who is doing the action)
WHO
For example: Bill was arrested last night ! ARRESTED
BILL?
It’s obvious. The police arrested Bill . Only police
can arrest someone .
 WHEN TO USE IT?

4. When the object cannot do the action itself

For example: 100 cakes were sold on Sunday
Can a cake sell itself?
Of course , not.
If you want to say who does the action, you
can use the AGENT.
 WHEN TO USE IT?

WHEN YOU WANT SAY WHO DOES THE ACTION,

YOU CAN USE AN AGENT.
BY + PERSON ------- OPTIONAL (NECESSARY)
RM 1,000,000 were donated to the Children’s hospital by the Prime
Minister.
WHEN TO USE IT?
 WHEN TO USE IT?

INTRANSITIVE VERB- cannot be made into passive

WHAT IS INTRANSITIVE VERB? An intransitive verb does not have an
object.
I bought a coffee = buy is a Transitive verb, it needs an object.
A coffee was bought (Passive voice)
I arrived late =Intransitive verb = arrive is instransitive verb
Changing this sentence to passive is impossible
 VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS
Some verbs in English ( give, offer, hand, lend pay, pass, sell, send, show)
usually take two objects in the active voice, the direct ( thing ) and the
indirect ( person )
They offered Tracy ( indirect ) some flowers ( direct ). Active voice
Passive voice can be formed in two ways.
Indirect object as subject + verb BE + past participle +direct object
Tracy were offered some flowers.
 VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS

Passive voice can be formed in two ways.

They offered Tracy ( indirect ) some flowers ( direct ). ACTIVE VOICE
Direct object as subject + verb BE + past participle+ TO +indirect object
Some flowers were offered to Tracy ---- Passive voice
2.Coca Cola has sponsored this programme.
This programme has been sponsored by Coca cola
3. The manager has locked the door.

4. After they had shut the doors nobody could get in.
• 5. The organizers of the event welcomed the president.

• 6. They are inviting hundreds of guests to the opening of the new

theatre.

• 7. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic Games.

• 8.The farmer milks the cows twice a day.
• The cows are milked by the farmers twice a day
• 9. Everyone went to bed after they had switched off the lights.

• 10.Stephen Spielberg is directing a major action film at the moment.

2.Coca Cola has sponsored this programme.
This programme has been sponsored by Coca cola
3. The manager has locked the door.
The door has been locked by the manager
4. After they had shut the doors nobody could get in.
After the doors had been shut , nobody could get in.
• 5. The organizers of the event welcomed the president.
• The president was welcomed by the organizers of the event.
• 6. They are inviting hundreds of guests to the opening of the new
theatre.
• Hundreds of guests are being invited to the opening of the new
theatre.
• 7. Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic Games.
• The 2028 Olympic games will be hosted by Los Angeles.
• 8.The farmer milks the cows twice a day.
• The cows are milked by the farmers twice a day
• 9. Everyone went to bed after they had switched off the lights.

• 10.Stephen Spielberg is directing a major action film at the moment.

Passive voice:Gerunds , infinitive & modals

What is gerund?
When you add –ing to the verb.
Examples:
Walking
Talking
Eating
Passive voice:Gerunds , infinitive & modals

Infinitive: base form of the verb

Examples:
Walk
Run
See
Decide
Passive voice:Gerunds , infinitive & modals

Modal verbs: Must , May, Might, Can, Could

Tense Active Passive

Modal Can take Can be taken

Gerund taking Being taken

Bare infinitive Take Be taken

Full infinitive To take To be taken

Passive voice:Gerunds , infinitive & modals

Example: Surveillance camera should (modal verb) be installed

here to prevent crimes.
He avoided being recognised by wearing dark sunglasses