PASSIVE VOICE THEORY 1

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SENTENCE IN ACTIVE OR IN PASSIVE

VOICE?

ACTIVE VOICE: There is 1) a subject: The secretary sends a letter

2) a verb: The secretary sends a letter
3) an object: The secretary sends a letter

In the active sentence the subject is very important.

PASSIVE VOICE: The subject is not important or we don’t know the subject
There is a change in the position of the parts of the sentence and also
in the verb structure
 HOW DO YOU MAKE A CHANGE FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE?

1. THE OBJECT BECOMES THE SUBJECT OF THE PASSIVE SENTENCE

2. THE VERB CHANGES : TO BE (same tense as the active) + PAST PARTICIPLE (-ed/3rd column)
3. THE SUBJECT TENDS TO DISAPPEAR

ACTIVE: The secretary sends a letter (PRESENT SIMPLE)

PASSIVE: A letter is sent (by the secretary)

*PRESENT SIMPLE PASSIVE : IS/ARE+ PARTICIPLE*

The secretary sends some letters Some letters are sent (by the secretary)
*Some letters is plural, so the passive verb goes in plural too*
1. PRESENT SIMPLE

VERB IN PRESENT (3rd sing. person) -S/-ES IS/ARE + PARTICIPLE (-ed/3rd

column)

Australian people speak English English is spoken by Australian people

A. The company produces design clothes

Design clothes are produced (by the company)

B. Farmers grow vegetables

Vegetables are grown (by farmers)

C. Peter writes an essay

An essay is written (by Peter)

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The secretary is sending a letter A letter is being sent

ACTIVE : IS +V-ING IS +BEING+ PARTICIPLE (PASSIVE)

The secretary is sending some letters Some letters are being sent
*Some letters is plural so the passive verb goes in plural*

A. The workers are building a new house

A new house is being built (by the workers)
B. The workers are building some new houses
Some new houses are being built (by the workers)

Remember: build-built-built (past participle)

 3. PAST SIMPLE

VERB IN PAST (-ed/2nd column) WAS/WERE + PARTICIPLE (-ed/3rd column)

The secretary sent a letter A letter was sent (by the secretary)

The secretary sent some letters Some letters were sent (by the secretary)
*Some letters is plural so the passive verb goes in plural*

A. The company produced design clothes

Design clothes were produced (by the company)

B. Farmers grew vegetables

Vegetables were grown (by farmers)

C. Peter wrote an essay

An essay was written (by Peter)

 ORDER OF THE ELEMENTS

When we change an active sentence into a passive one we have to maintain an specific order

The secretary sends a letter to the company politely every week

SUBJ V THING OBJ. PERSON OBJ. MANNER ADVERB TIME PARTICLE

A letter is sent to the company politely every week (by the secretary)

Peter cleaned the office windows properly in the factory last week
PLACE
The office windows were cleaned properly in the factory last week (by Peter)
 TO BE
PRESENT SIMPLE: IS/ARE + PARTICIPLE
PAST SIMPLE: WAS/WERE + PARTICIPLE

PRESENT CONTINUOUS: IS/ARE + BEING + PARTICIPLE

PAST CONTINUOUS: WAS/WERE + BEING + PARTICIPLE

PRESENT PERFECT: HAVE/HAS + BEEN + PARTICIPLE

PAST PERFECT: HAD + BEEN + PARTICIPLE

BE GOING TO: IS/ARE + GOING TO + BE + PARTICIPLE

FUTURE SIMPLE: WILL/WON’T + BE + PARTICIPLE

CAN/COULD: CAN/COULD + BE + PARTICIPLE

MUST/ SHOULD/MIGHT/ MAY: MUST/ SHOULD/MIGHT/ MAY + BE +
PARTICIPLE
 NEGATIVES & QUESTIONS IN PASSIVE (TO BE IN PAST)

The secretary doesn’t send the letter the letter IS NOT SENT (isn’t)
The secretary didn’t send the letter The letter WAS NOT SENT (wasn’t)

Does the secretary send the letter? Is the letter sent?

Did the secretay send the letter? Was the letter sent?

Ex.1. Workers are going to build the house (going to)

Negative: The house is not going to be built (by the workers)

Question: Is the house going to be built (by the workers)?

Ex.2. The scientists have discovered a new vaccine (present perfect)

Negative: A new vaccine hasn’t been discovered by the scientists

Question: Has a new vaccine been discovered by the scientists?
 DOUBLE OBJECT

Mary gives her mother flowers

A) Flowers are given to her mother (by Mary)

B) Her mother is given flowers (by Mary)

The teacher asked John a question

A) John was asked a question
B) A question was asked to John

Michael has not sent the boss the file.

C) The file hasn’t been sent to the boss by Michael
D) The boss hasn’t been sent the file by Michael
 SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS

Peter sends her a mail

OBJ

SHE is sent a mail by Peter // A mail is sent to her by Peter

SUBJ

Ex: The teacher told us a joke

We were told a joke by the teacher
A joke was told to us

The waiter brought him a big steak.

He was brought a big steak (by the waiter)
A big steak was brought to him (by the waiter)
 PRONOUNS

SUBJECT OBJECT
I me
you you
he him
she her
it it
we us
you you
they them
 OMISSION OF THE SUBJECT

1) When we don’t know who or what the subject is:

Ex: Someone has stolen my bicycle My bicycle has been stolen

2) Whe the subject is a personal pronoun is better not to us it.

Ex: He sent Mary the present Mary was sent a present
A present was sent to Mary

*We can keep the subject when it’s important:

Skakespeare wrote Hamlet Hamlet was written by Shakespeare
Bell invented the telephone The telephone was invented by Bell
Benz developed the first petrol-powered car The first petrol-
powered car was developed by Benz