Session- 12

Deciphering the Passive

Basics to advanced -2/3 months
3 years → 3 months

✔ PM ek nyi scheme ko launch ✔ The PM has launched a new

kar chuke hai. scheme.
✔ Ek nyi scheme ko launch kiya ✔ A new scheme has been
ja chuka hai PM ke dwara (by) launched by the PM.

Agenda of this session-

1. How to identify the passive?
2. Why do we need a passive sentence? – Difference b/w
the “Active” and the “Passive”
3. When to use a passive?
4. How to make the passive?
5. Exceptions for the use of the preposition “by”
6. Passive of confusing (ergative) verbs
7. Special cases when “Be family + V3” is not a passive.

1. How to identify passives? - Be family verb + V3

✔ The earthquake broke our
windows.
✔ The terrorists were killed
during a surgical strike.
✔ Shobha has been researching
on this project for 22 days.
✔ The reports have been
submitted.
✔ The order had been placed
before the sample was tested.
✔ Active (Subject is the doer
of the action)
✔ Passive (Subject is the
receiver of the action)
✔ Active (Sub - doer)
✔ Passive (Sub – receiver)
✔ Passive (Sub- receiver)
✔ Your train will have left, by ✔ Active
the time you get there.
✔ By the next year, all the ✔ Passive
money will have been spent.
✔ Not many guests are coming ✔ Active
to the party.
✔ Computers are being used to ✔ Passive
train the chess players.

2. Why do we need the passive?

Difference- Active voice sentence vs Passive voice sentence
- There is no difference in the meaning of the sentence.
- Active subject is the doer of the action while the passive
subject is the receiver of the action.
- Emphasis is on the doer → Active
- Emphasis is on the action → Passive

3. Where to use a passive?

• Active: An earthquake broke the glass of this window.
• Passive: The glass of this window was broken by an
earthquake.
• Passive: Language is learnt from an early age. (by whom?)
• Passive: The results of the exam will be declared by
tomorrow. (by whom?)
• Passive: The police were called to the spot of the accident.
(by whom?)
- Usage-
o Active – Default in any sentence; Usage
preferred in letters, emails
o Passive – Usage preferred for neutral
perspective.
 ▪ Any statement where the actor is not
important
▪ Academic writing
▪ Formal reports
▪ Essay, summary and precis

4. How to make a passive?

Step 1: Change the object of the main verb into the subject.
Step 2: Change the verb in V-3
Step 3: Add an appropriate “Be family Verb” before the main
verb
Step 4: Retain all the helping verbs of the original active
sentence. (except for do/does/did)
Step-5: Connect the original subject of the active sentence
with the new passive sentence with a “by”

Active Passive
✔ I take breakfast at 10 am every
day.
Tense – Present indefinite tense (Active)
✔ Breakfast is taken by me
Subject – I (doer)
at 10 am every day.
Helping verb – NA
Main verb – take (V1)
Object of the main verb – breakfast
✔ The police killed some terrorists
✔ Some terrorists were Killed
in a gun fight.
by the police in a gun fight.
Tense – Past indefinite tense
Tense –
Subject – The police
Subject –
Helping verb – NA
Helping verb –
Main verb – killed (V2)
Main verb –
Object of the main verb – some
Object of the main verb –
terrorists
 Active Passive
✔ A new product will be
✔ Our company will launch a new
launched by our company at the
product at the end of the year.
end of the year.
Tense – Future indefinite tense (Active)
Tense –
Subject – Our company
Subject –
Helping verb – will
Helping verb –
Main verb – launch
Main verb –
Object of the main verb – a new product
Object of the main verb –
✔ Pfizer is developing a new Covid-
19 vaccine. ✔ A new Covid-19 vaccine is
Tense – Present continuous tense being developed by Pfizer.
(Active) Tense –
Subject – Pfizer Subject –
Helping verb – is Helping verb –
Main verb – developing Main verb –
Object of the main verb – a new Covid- Object of the main verb –
19 vaccine (replying what)
✔ We were watching this movie ✔ This movie was being
yesterday. watched by us yesterday.
Tense – Past continuous tense (Active) Tense –
Subject – We Subject –
Helping verb – were Helping verb –
Main verb – watching Main verb –
Object of the main verb – this movie Object of the main verb –
✔ A mistake has been
✔ We have committed a mistake.
committed by us.
Tense – Present perfect
Tense –
Subject – We
Subject –
Helping verb – have
Helping verb –
Main verb – committed
Main verb –
Object of the main verb – a mistake
Object of the main verb –
 Active Passive
✔ She had been called by me
✔ I had called her several times
several times before the phone was
before she finally picked up the phone.
finally picked up by her.
Tense – Past perfect
Tense –
Subject – I
Subject –
Helping verb – had
Helping verb –
Main verb – called
Main verb –
Object of the main verb – her
Object of the main verb –
✔ We will have spent all this money ✔ All this money will have
by tomorrow. been spent by us by tomorrow.
Tense – Future perfect tense Tense –
Subject – Subject –
Helping verb – Helping verb –
Main verb – Main verb –
Object of the main verb – Object of the main verb –
✔ I have been buying the products
of this company since my childhood.
Tense – Present perfect continuous
Subject – I ✔ This sentence can’t be
Helping verb – have been turned into passive.
Main verb – buying
Object of the main verb – the products
of this company
✔ Her project will be being
✔ She will be submitting her project
submitted by her at this exact time
at this exact time tomorrow.
tomorrow.
Tense – Future continuous tense (active)
Tense –
Subject – She
Subject –
Helping verb – will be
Helping verb –
Main verb – submitting
Main verb –
Object of the main verb – her project
Object of the main verb –
 Active Passive
✔ English is taught to you by
✔ I teach you English.
me.
Tense – Present indefinite tense
Subject – I ✔ You are taught English by
Helping verb – NA me.
Main verb – teach Tense –
Object of the main verb – Subject –
Helping verb –
Direct – English (what)
Main verb –
Indirect – You (Whom)
Object of the main verb –
✔ This can’t be made into
✔ The girl is really beautiful. passive.
✔ The child is sleeping now. ✔ This can’t be made into
Tense – Present continuous (action) passive.
Subject – The child Tense –
Helping verb – is Subject –
Main verb – sleeping Helping verb –
Object of the main verb – NA Main verb –
Object of the main verb –
✔ None of the players could break ✔ The record could be broken
the record. by none of the players.
Tense – Could + base form Tense –
Subject – None of the players Subject –
Helping verb – could Helping verb –
Main verb – break Main verb –
Object of the main verb – the record Object of the main verb –
✔ Was a pizza eaten by you
✔ Did you eat a pizza yesterday?
yesterday?
Tense – Interrogative past indefinite
Tense –
Subject –
Subject –
Helping verb –
Helping verb –
Main verb –
Main verb –
Object of the main verb –
Object of the main verb –
 Active Passive
✔ What did you say to me?

Will be discussed in the chapter: Using

interrogative adverbs and pronouns –
What, Who, Which, Why, When, Where

➢ Passive making tip-1: Passive of the following sentences

are not made-
1. Present perfect continuous tense
2. Past perfect continuous tense
3. Future perfect continuous tense
4. Future continuous tense
- Logic - Be being are not natural constructions in English.

➢ Passive making tip-2: Di- transitive verbs can make

passive in two ways-
1. Turn the object-1 (direct object) into the subject.
or
2. Turn the object-2 (indirect object) into the subject

➢ Passive making tip-3: Following categories verbs don’t

make passive
1. In-transitive verbs (verbs without any object)
2. Link verbs (Be family verbs as a main verb in a
sentence)

5. Exceptions with the use of preposition “by” in passive –

1) Known + to
2) Alarmed + at
3) Surprised, Amazed + at
4) Pleased + with
5) Satisfied + with
 6) Listen + to
7) Laugh + at
8) Adhere + to
100….. Notes banate rehna.

• I know Mohan → Mohan is known to me.

• The report did not please the boss → The boss was not pleased with the report
• The results surprised us → We were surprised at the results.
• I listened to the song → A song was listened to by me.
• We must adhere to the rules → The rules must be adhered to by us.

Home-work Task
(Solutions)
Write this paragraph in both the voices – Active and Passive
Modi government ne 2014 me “Make in India” program ko launch kiya. Is
program ne nation ke manufacturing sector ko bada boost diya. Program
India-based manufacturers ko pichhle 5 salo se badi badi subsidies offer
karta a rha hai. Iski launch ke waqt se hi Indian economy ke exports badhte
a rhe hain.
Active-

Passive-