20 Nov Active and passive voice
Active and passive voice
ACTIVE VOICE Tells what a person or thing does. · The subject performs the action and typically comes before the action (verb). · The object is who or what receives the action and typically comes after the action (verb).
PASSIVE VOICE Tells what is done to someone or something. · The subject performs the action and typically comes after the action (verb). · The object is who or what receives the action and typically comes before the action (verb).
The Passive voice is made up this way
Subject/to be/past participle of main verb
| active | passive | |
| The hunter killed the lion. | >> | The lion was killed by the hunter. |
| Someone has cleaned the windows | >> | The windows have been cleaned |
The passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:
| be | past participle | ||
| English | is | spoken | all over the world |
| The windows | have been | cleaned | |
| Lunch | was being | served | |
| The work | will be | finished | soon |
| They | might have been | invited | to the party |
We sometimes use the verb get to form the passive:
Be careful with the glass. It might get broken.
Peter got hurt in a crash.
If we want to show the person or thing doing the action we use by:
She was attacked by a dangerous dog.
The money was stolen by her husband.
We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:
| active | passive | |
| I gave him a book for his birthday | >> | He was given a book for his birthday. |
| Someone sent her a cheque for a thousand euros | >> | She was sent a cheque for a thousand euros. |
We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:
| active | passive | |
| They called off the meeting. | >> | The meeting was called off. |
| His grandmother looked after him. | >> | He was looked after by his grandmother. |
| They will send him away to school. | >> | He will be sent away to school. |
Some verbs very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-infinitive:
| be supposed to | be expected to | be asked to |
| be scheduled to | be allowed to | be told to |
John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.
You are supposed to wear a uniform.
The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.
