THE PASSIVE VOICE

▸ It’s used to show interest in the person or object

receiving an action rather than the person or object
performing the action.

▸ The person or object that receives the action in the

active sentence becomes the subject of the passive
sentence.

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 USES OF THE PASSIVE VOICE
WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHO DID THE ACTION
Examples:

▸ Lab reports were returned.

(Se devolvieron los informes de laboratorio)

▸ The simulation results in ChemCad was reviewed.

(Se revisaron los resultados de la simulación en ChemCad)

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 WHEN THE RECEIVER OF THE ACTION IS
MORE IMPORTANT
▸ The artificial chemical elements were developed
by scientists who dabbled in radioactivity.
(Los elementos químicos artificiales fueron desarrollados por
científicos que incursionaron en la radiactividad)

▸ The fundamental principles of thermodynamics

were developed by the physico-chemists of the
modern age.
(Los principios fundamentales de la termodinámica fueron desarrollados
por los físico-químicos de la era moderna)

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 PRESENT TENSE PASSIVE

▸ Structure:

ACTIVE VOICE
SUBJECT + VERB PRESENT+ OBJECT +COMPLEMENT

PASSIVE VOICE
SUBJECT + TO BE (IS/ARE) + VERB PARTICIPLE + COMPLEMENT

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 ▸ EXAMPLE 1

Active voice:
The chemical engineering students work with calcium,
potassium and antimony.
(Los estudiantes de ingeniería química trabajan con calcio, potasio y antimonio.)

Passive voice:
The calcium, potassium and antimony
are worked in the laboratory.
(El calcio, potasio y antimonio son trabajados por
estudiantes de ingeniería química.)

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 ▸ EXAMPLE 2

Active voice:
The Peruvian population consumes sodium bicarbonate due
to the Covid problem.
(La población peruana consume bicarbonato de sodio debido al problema de Covid.)

Passive voice:
The sodium bicarbonate is consumed by the Peruvian
population due to the Covid problem.
(El bicarbonato de sodio es consumido por la población peruana debido al problema
del Covid.)

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 PAST TENSE PASSIVE

▸ Structure:

ACTIVE VOICE
SUBJECT + VERB PAST+ OBJECT +COMPLEMENT

PASSIVE VOICE
SUBJECT + TO BE (WAS/WERE) + VERB PARTICIPLE + COMPLEMENT

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 ▸ EXAMPLE 1

Active voice:
The investigator mixed nitric acid whit hydroxide base.
(El investigador mezcló ácido nítrico con hidróxido)

Passive voice:
The nitric acid and hydroxide base
were mixed in the laboratory.
(El ácido nítrico y el hidróxido se mezclaron
en el laboratorio)

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 ▸ EXAMPLE 2

Active voice:
The process plant produced aluminum with a degree
of purity of 95%.
(La planta de proceso produjo aluminio con un grado de pureza del 95%)

Passive voice:
Aluminium whit a degree of purity of 95%
was produced the last year.
(Aluminio con un grado de pureza del 95% se produjo
el año pasado)
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 Subject + to be
Present tense (IS/ARE) + verb The faculty of chemistry
is well known at the
passive participle +
university.
complement

PASSIVE
VOICE
Subject + to be
Past tense (WAS/WERE) + verb The lab was cleaned
passive participle + yesterday.
complement

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 GLOSARY

▸ ChemCad: Chemical process simulation tool.

▸ Thermodynamics: Part of physics that studies the mechanical
action of heat and the other forms of energy.
▸ Calcium: It’s the third most abundant metal in the earth's crust.
▸ Antimony: It’s a semimetallic element with a bluish white color,
shiny and brittle.
▸ Nitric acid: It’s a viscous and corrosive liquid that can cause
serious burns to living beings.
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 ▸ Hydroxide: Compound that contains the hydroxyl group in its
molecule.
▸ Thermometer: It’s an instrument used to measure
temperature with a high level of accuracy.
▸ Process plant: place where various industrial operations are
carried out.
▸ Purity: Degree of decontamination of a reagent or product.
▸ Aluminum: It’s a silver metal, very light, good conductor and
resistant to oxidation

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 CONCLUSIONS

▸ The passive voice is used to emphasize the

complement.
(se utiliza para enfatizar el complemento.)

▸ The passive voice is made up of two elements:

The proper form of the verb “to be” + “past participle”
(se compone de dos elementos: forma apropiada del verbo To be + participio)

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 ▸ The subject is the one that receives the action
(El sujeto es el que recibe la acción)

Active: The student reads the book

Passive: The book is read by the student

A: El estudiante lee el libro.

P : El libro es leído por el estudiante.

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