5 The Passive: Review

and Expansion

Art Heist and

Edvard Munch’s
Scream
Focus on Grammar 5
Part V, Unit 13
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright @ 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scream
Scream Stolen
Stolen on
on August
August 23,
23, 2004
2004

Two masterpieces by Edvard

Munch were stolen from the
Munch Museum in Oslo
yesterday. The Scream and
Madonna were grabbed by two
masked thieves. A guard was
threatened with a gun. None of the
thieves got caught. Only their car
was later recovered and parts of
picture frames were found.
 Art
Art Heist
Heist
Experts speculated yesterday that the
paintings had been stolen to blackmail
insurance companies. However, neither
painting was insured against theft. It is
generally agreed that it will be impossible to
sell either painting on the open market.
It's the second time in a decade that a
version of The Scream has been stolen.
Another version was stolen in 1994 and
recovered three months later.
 Present
Present and
and Past
Past
Passive sentences are formed with be or get
+
past participle.

It is generally agreed that it is impossible to sell a

stolen painting on the open market.

A guard was threatened.

None of the thieves got caught.

Other
Other Passive
Passive Verb
Verb Forms
Forms
You can form passives with many verb forms, including
present perfect (has been + past participle) and past
perfect (had been + past participle).

It is the second time that a version of

The Scream has been stolen.

The paintings had been stolen to blackmail

insurance companies.
 Use
Use of
of the
the Passive
Passive 11
Use the passive when you don’t know who performed
the action or when it is not important to say who
performed it.

Two masterpieces by Edvard

Munch were stolen from the
Munch Museum.
 Use
Use of
of the
the Passive
Passive 22
Use the passive to avoid mentioning who performed
the action.

Neither painting was insured against theft.

 Use
Use of
of the
the Passive
Passive 33
Use the passive to focus on the receiver or the
result of an action instead of who performed it.

The Scream and Madonna

were grabbed by armed thieves.

A guard was threatened with a

gun.
 Practice 1 Change the sentences
from active to passive.

Example: Masked thieves stole two masterpieces.

Two masterpieces were stolen by masked thieves.

1. The robbers took the two paintings off the gallery walls.
The two paintings were taken off the gallery walls (by the robbers).

2. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the theft.

So far, responsibility for the theft has not been claimed (by anyone).

3. We have not protected our cultural treasures adequately.

Our cultural treasures have not been protected adequately.
The
The Passive
Passive and
and Direct
Direct Objects
Objects
Most commonly, the
direct object of an
active sentence is
the subject of the
corresponding
passive sentence.

Thieves stole two masterpieces

by Edvard Munch.
Direct Object

Subject

Two masterpieces by
Edvard Munch were stolen.
The
The Passive
Passive and
and Indirect
Indirect Objects
Objects

Museum visitors sent many letters

of complaint to the museum.

Indirect Object

Subject
An indirect
object is
The museum was sent many sometimes the
letters of complaint. subject of a
passive
sentence.
 Change the sentences from

Practice 2 active to passive. Use the indirect

objects as subjects of the passive
sentences.

Example: Many people sent letters to the museum.

The museum was sent letters by many people.

1. Someone gave a floor plan of the museum to the thieves.

The thieves were given a floor plan of the museum.

2. Norwegian authorities immediately assigned the crime

investigation to the Oslo Police Department.
The Oslo Police Department was immediately assigned the crime
investigation (by Norwegian authorities).
 The
The Passive
Passive with
with Get
Get
The passive with get is more informal. It is
conversational and used in informal writing.

1. Nobody in the
museum got injured or
killed during the robbery.

2. None of the thieves

got caught.
 Passive
Passive Causatives
Causatives
Use have or get + object + past participle to
form passive causatives.
O
B
J
Did the thief get his hair
Passive dyed before the robbery?
E
C
causatives talk T
about services
that people
arrange for
someone else to O
do. B
J
Did he get his mask E
made or did he make C
T
the mask himself?
 Form active sentences
Practice 3 and passive sentences
with have or get.

Example: I cuthair
cut my hair myself.
I get my hair cut.
get hair cut

. wash car
1.
I wash my car myself.
get
I getcar washed
my car washed.

2.
paint house
I paint my house myself.
have
I have house painted
my house
painted.
 References

Copyright © 2006 Pearson Education and

its licensors. All rights reserved.
Photo Credits:
Edvard Munch: The Scream 1893
tempera on board
Munch Museum, Oslo
Artwork: © Munch Museum/Munch - Ellingsen Group/ARS 2005
Photo: © Munch Museum (Andersen/de Jong)

Photo: © 2005 The Munch Museum/ The Munch-Ellingsen Group/ Artists

Rights Society (ARS), NY
Photo of the Munch Museum: © Munch Museum (Andersen/de Jong)