A.

The Nature of Sentence

Alice and Hogue (1983: 121) state that a sentence is a group of words that we use to
communicate ideas in writing or in speech. It has complete, independent unit of thought, and
consists of two main parts: a subject and a predicate.
Example: (+)Mary
S

helps
v

the boy.
o

Mary as subject, helps as verb or predicate and the boy as an object.

(-) Mary does not help the boy
(?)Does Mary help the boy.
B.The Nature of active Sentences
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action of the verb (Alice and Hogue,
1983: 188).
Example: The dog ate all the biscuits.
In this example, The dog is the subject of the sentence. The dog is the subject of the verb
to eat. The dog is performing the action of the verb; i.e., it is the thing doing the eating, and the
biscuits as an object.
C. The Nature of Passive Sentences
A passive verb form, is made by verb past participle, the subject of a passive verb is
usually the person or thing that is affected by the action the verb (Swan: 1996). Furthermore, in
passive sentences the subject receives the action of verb. The direct object of active sentence
becomes the subject of the passive

sentence. Because every sentence in English must have a subject, passive sentences can be
formed only from transitive verbs, which can take direct object (Alice and Hogue, 1983: 189).
Azar (1989:120) concludes that : In the passive, the subject of an active verb becomes the
subject of the passive verb.
1. Forming the passive

The form of passive: Be + past participle. Be in simple present : is/am/are.

Example:
a. ACTIVE : Mary helps the boy.
S
v
o

b. PASSIVE: The boy is

S
be V3

The boy in
(a) becomes the
subject of the passive verb in
(b).

helped by Mary.
by phrase

2. Transitive and intransitive in changing sentences with active into

passive sentence
Azar (1989:120) concludes that : Only transitive verbs (verbs that are followed by
an object) are used in the passive.
Example : a. ACTIVE
: I write a letter.
b. PASSIVE
: A letter is written by me.
So, verbs (written) that are followed by an object(me).
While an intransitive verb is a verb that is not followed by an object (Azar
1989:120). The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb.
Therefore, sentences which do not have an object cannot be changed into the passive. The
following sentences, for instance, cannot be changed into the passive because they do not
have objects.
The old man sat in a corner.
The child sleeps.
The wind blows.
The dog barks.
The fire burns.
He laughed aloud.
3. Using the Passive
Azar (1989: 123) says that using the passive as follows:

1. Usually the passive is used without a by phrase. The passive is most frequently
used when it is not known or not important to know exactly who performs an action.
Example : Rice is grown in India.
In the example above Rice is grown in India by people/farmer/someone. In
this sentence, it is not known or important to know exactly who grows rice in India.
This example is the most common use of the passive without by phrase.
2. The by phrase is included only if it is important to know who performs an action.
Example: Life on the Mississipi is written by Mark.
Based on example above by Mark is important information.
3. The passive may be used with the by phrase instead of the active when the
speaker/writer wants to focus attention on the subject of a sentence.
Example: The rug was made by my aunt.. (in this example, the focus of attention is
on rug).
4. Stative Passive
Azar (1989:135) concludes that when the passive form express an existing state
rather than action, it is called the stative passive. And the form of stative passive :
BE + Adjective.
Examples: a. the door is old
b. the door is green
c.the door is locked
in (a) and (b): old and green are adjectives. They describe the door. In (c): locked
is a past participle . It is used as an adjective . it describes the door. Often stative passive
verbs are followed by a preposition other than by.
Example: I am interested in Chinese art.
5. Kind of changing active into passive sentences:
In this research uses tenses (simple present tense), the form of simple present : S
+ V1 + e/es + O. And it focuses on two elements of passive sentence. They are statement
and question.
a. In forms of statements (simple present tense):
Azar (1989:2) concludes that the simple present expresses events or situations that
exist always, usually, habitually; they exist now, have existed in the past, and probably
will exist in the future.
simple Present tense
An Active sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Subject + first form of the verb + object

A passive sentence in the simple present tense has the following structure:
Object of the active sentence + is/am/are + past participle form of the verb + by +
subject of the active sentence
Changing an assertive sentence into the passive
Active: I write a letter.
Passive: A letter is written by me.
Active: I help you.
Passive: You are helped by me.
Active: I love my parents.
Passive: My parents are loved by me.
Active: We love our country.
Passive: Our country is loved by us.
Changing a negative sentence into the passive
Active: I do not write a letter.
Passive: A letter is not written by me.
Active: I do not abuse my servants.
Passive: My servants are not abused by me.
Active: I do not write novels.
Passive: Novels are not written by me.
Active: He does not tease her.
Passive: She is not teased by him.
b. In forms of questions (simple present tense):
Changing an interrogative sentence into the passive
Structure: Is/are/am + object of the active verb + past participle form of the verb + by +
subject of the passive verb
Active: Do you write a letter?
Passive: Is a letter written by you?
Active: Do you write stories?

Passive: Are stories written by you?

Active: Does she make candles?
Passive: Are candles made by her?
Active: Who does not obey you?
Passive: By whom are you not obeyed?
Active: Which newspaper do you read?
Passive: Which newspaper is read by you?
In addition, not only simple present tense, but also present progressive tenses, present
perfect tense , simple past tense , past progressive tense, past perfect tense, and simple future
tense are kind of changing active into passive sentences.
a. present progressive tenses
Azar (1989:3) concludes that the present progressive expresses an activity that is
in progress at the moment of speaking. It began in the recent past, is continuing at present, and
will probably end at some point in the future.
An Active sentence in the present progressive tense has the following structure: S + Be
(is, am , are)+V1+ Ing(present participle) +O
A passive sentence in the present progressive tense has the following structure: Object
of the active sentence + is/am/are +Being+ past participle form of the verb + by + subject
of the active sentence
Examples:
Active: Mary is helping John.
Passive: John is being helped by Mary.
b.

present perfect tense

Azar (1989:29) concludes that the present perfect expresses the idea that something
happened (or never happened) before now, at an unspecified time in the past. The exact time it
happened is not important.
An Active sentence in the present perfect tense has the following structure:
S + has/have+ past participle +O

A passive sentence in the present perfect tense has the following structure: Object of the
active sentence + has/have +Been+ past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the

c.

active sentence
Examples:
Active: Mary has helped John.
Passive: John has been helped by Mary.
Simple past tense
Azar (1989:29) concludes that the Simple past indicates that an

activity or

situation began and ended at a particular time in the past.

An Active sentence in the Simple past tense has the following structure: S + V2 +O
A passive sentence in the Simple past tense has the following structure: Object of the
active sentence +was/were + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active
sentence
Examples:
Active: Mary helped John.
Passive: John was helped by Mary.
d.

Past progressive tense

Azar (1989:32) concludes that the past progressive expresses an activity that was in
progress (was occurring, was happening) at a point of time in the past.
An Active sentence in the past progressive tense has the following structure: S +
Be(was/were)+V1+ Ing(present participle) +O
A passive sentence in the past progressive tense has the following structure: Object of
the active sentence +was/were+ being + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of
the active sentence
Examples:
Active: Mary was helping John.
Passive: John was being helped by Mary.

e.

Past perfect tense

Azar (1989:32) concludes that the past perfect expresses an activity that was completed
before activity or time in the past.
An Active sentence in the past perfect tense has the following structure: S + had+ past
participle +O.

A passive sentence in the past perfect tense has the following structure: Object of the
active sentence + had + been + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the
active sentence.
Examples:
Active: Mary had helping John.
Passive: John had been helped by Mary.
f.

Simple future
Azar (1989:32) concludes that when the speaker is expressing a prior plan (something the
speaker intends to do in the future because in the past s/he has made a plan or decision to do
it).
An Active sentence in the simple future has the following structure: S + will/ be going
to+ V1 + O.
A passive sentence in the simple future tense has the following structure: Object of the
active sentence + will+ be + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of the active
sentence.
Examples:
Active: Mary will help John.
Passive: John will be helped by Mary.