The passive voice begins with a "passive subject", which is really the complement of the verb, that is to say, a noun which receives the action of the verb:
They ate the apples (active voice).
The
apples were eaten (passive voice).
As we can see, the apples is the part of the sentence which receives the action of the verb to eat.
After the passive subject we insert the verb to be as an auxiliary. The auxiliary to be is in the same tense as the equivalent sentence in the active voice:
Present simple.
They eat
the apples (active).
The apples are eaten (passive).
Present
perfect.
They have eaten the apples (active).
The
apples have been eaten (passive).
Present continuous.
They
are eating the apples (active).
The apples are being eaten (passive).
Past
perfect.
They had eaten the apples (active).
The
apples had been eaten (passive).
See here for a more complete list of the possible verb aspect and tense structures in the passive...
After the auxiliary to be, we put the past participle of the verb from the active sentence - in this case, eaten:
They were eating the apples (active).
The
apples were being eaten (passive).
It is then possible to add what we call the "agent", which is the subject of the active voice phrase usually accompanied by the preposition by. As this is now the "passive complement", personal pronouns, for example, will be in the complement form:
They were going to eat the apples
(active).
The apples were going to be eaten by them (passive).
See here for another example of converting an active voice phrase into a passive voice phrase...
Question forms of the passive are simple inversions between the auxiliary to be (or the first auxiliary of a compound verb) and the passive subject:
The car was driven.
Was the car driven?
The
house has been sold.
Has the house been sold?
We follow the rules for negative structures with any verb to be phrase or other auxiliaries in the case of compound verbs, ie. by using not:
The work is done.
The work isn't done.
He had been
hit by a car.
He hadn't been hit by a car.
1) We use the passive when we are not sure who or what does the action:
My watch has been stolen!
My car window has been smashed.
My
email account was hacked yesterday.
2) We also use the passive when the important information is what happens and not who or what does it:
A new bridge is being built over the river.
The park is closed
at eight o'clock every evening.
The palace guards are changed
twice every day.
3) When we know who or what does the action so we do not need to mention it:
The murderer has been arrested at last.
I was given a
full medical examination at the hospital.
Her grandmother is
going to be taken to an old people's home.
4) For formal public notices:
You are requested not to walk on the grass (public notice
in a park).
Passengers are reminded to stay with their luggage
at all times (public announcement at an airport).
You are advised
to take warm clothing for the cruise (text in a holiday brochure).
Some verbs can take two complements or objects: a direct object
and an indirect object:
They gave the writer a prize.
She sold her car to that
man.
We bought him a clock.
It is more common to see the indirect object (the person in these examples) as the passive subject. Though both forms are possible. It can depend on context:
The writer was given a prize (we are probably talking about the
writer).
A prize was given to the writer (we are probably talking
about the prizes).
To talk about a thing that was used to complete an action, we usually use the preposition with:
The car window was smashed with a hammer.
This photograph
was taken with a professional camera.
When we comment on opinions, things said, thought, etc. we often use a passive style so we do not need to mention "who". "Who" being, the general public, for example.
It is said that we are better off today than a hundred years
ago.
It used to be believed that the Earth was the centre
of the Universe.
It is well known who the guilty ones are.
Exercises on the passive voice...
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