THE PASSIVE VOICE PASSIVE, FUNCTION The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action, e.g. The passive is used ...: We are interested in the passive, not who uses it. The house was built in 1654: We are interested in the house, not the builder. The road is being repaired: We are interested in the road, not the people repairing it. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence. Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't know or cannot express who or what performed the action: I noticed that a window had been left open Every year people are killed on our roads. If we want to say who or what performs the action, we use the preposition by: "A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles ET was directed by Spielberg The passive voice is often used in formal or scientific texts: A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words. Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases. Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways. THE PASSIVE VOICE PASSIVE, FORM The passive voice in English is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + the past participle of the verb in question: Subject verb 'to be' past participle The house was built ... Example: to clean Subject verb 'to be' past participle Simple present: The house is cleaned every day. Present continuous: is being The house cleaned at the moment. Simple past: was cleaned yesterday. The house Past continuous: was being cleaned last week. The house Present perfect: has been cleaned since you left. The house Past perfect: had been cleaned before their arrival. The house Future: will be cleaned next week. The house Future continuous: will be being cleaned tomorrow. The house Present conditional: would be cleaned if they had visitors. The house Past conditional: would have been cleaned if it had been dirty. The house NOTE: 'to be born' is a passive form and is most commonly used in the past tense: I was born in 1976. When were you born? BUT: Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week. Infinitive form: infinitive of 'to be' + past participle: (to) be cleaned This form is used after modal verbs and other verbs normally followed by an infinitive, e.g. You have to be tested on your English grammar John might be promoted next year. She wants to be invited to the party. Gerund or -ing form: being + past participle: being cleaned This form is used after prepositions and verbs normally followed by a gerund Examples: a. Most film stars hate being interviewed. b. I remember being taught to drive. c. The children are excited about being taken to the zoo. NOTE: Sometimes the passive is formed using the verb to get instead of the verb to be: a. He got arrested for dangerous driving. b. They're getting married later this year. c. I'm not sure how the window got broken. THE PASSIVE VOICE GET / HAVE SOMETHING DONE This construction is passive in meaning. It may describe situations where we want someone else to do something for us. Examples: a. I must get / have my hair cut. b. When are you going to get that window mended? c. We're having the house painted. If the verb refers to something negative or unwanted, it has the same meaning as a passive sentence: d. Jim had his car stolen last night. (= Jim's car was stolen) e. They had their roof blown off in the storm. (= Their roof was blown off in the storm) The construction can refer to the completion of an activity, especially if a time expression is used: f. We'll get the work done as soon as possible. g. I'll get those letters typed before lunchtime. In all these sentences, we are more interested in the result of the activity than in the person or object that performs the activity. 'X' NEEDS DOING In the same way, this construction has a passive meaning. The important thing in our minds is the person or thing that will experience the action, e.g. a. The ceiling needs painting (= the ceiling needs to be painted) b. My hair needs cutting (= my hair needs to be cut) THE PASSIVE VOICE PASSIVE TENSES AND ACTIVE EQUIVALENTS Notice that the tense of the verb to be in the passive voice is the same as the tense of the main verb in the active voice. Example: to keep TENSE / VERB FORM ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE keeps is kept Simple present is keeping is being kept Present continuous kept was kept Simple past was keeping was being kept Past continuous have kept have been kept Present perfect had kept had been kept Past perfect will keep will be kept future would keep would be kept Conditional present would have kept would have been kept Conditional past to keep to be kept present infinitive to have kept to have been kept perfect infinitive keeping being kept present participle/gerund having kept having been kept perfect participle Example sentences: Active: I keep the butter in the fridge. Passive: The butter is kept in the fridge. Active: They stole the painting. Passive: The painting was stolen. Active: They are repairing the road. Passive: The road is being repaired. Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. Active: A dog bit him. Passive: He was bitten by a dog.
