THE PASSIVE VOICE: AN OVERVIEW

 The passive voice is frequently used in many forms of academic writing,

particularly in forms that require an objective, scientific tone.

 Writing a sentence in the active or passive form does not change the
meaning.

 The use of each form can change the focus of information in the sentence.
 Active verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence performs the
action.

 Passive verbs indicate that the subject of the sentence receives the
action.
a) Active: The Researcher collected the data.

Subject Verb Object

(the focus is on the researcher)

b) Passive: The data was collected by the researcher.

Subject Verb Agent

(the focus is on the data)

 In the passive, the object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive
verb: the data in (a) becomes the subject of the passive verb in (b).

 the subject of an active verb follows by in a passive sentence.

 The noun that follows by is called the agent, in (b) the researcher is the agent
 To form the passive, use the appropriate tense of the verb be plus the past
participle.

 Be careful! Only transitive verbs (verbs that can be followed by an object) are
used in the passive.

The passive structure can not be formed with intransitive verbs.

Examples of Intransitive verbs:

(Sneeze, happen, come, sleep, smile, occur, left, cry,

cough…)

 She sneezes a lot after exposure to pollen.

 The advise came too late.

 Amino acids exist as L- and D- isomers.

 Example of how to convert an active voice sentence to a passive voice
sentence.

Active Passive
Verb tenses (The subject performs the action) (The subject receives the action)
be + past participle
Simple present She writes research proposals. Research proposals are written (by her).

Simple past She wrote research proposals. Research proposals were written.

Present perfect She has written research proposals. Research proposals have been written.

Present progressive She is writing research proposals. Research proposals are being written.

Future She will write research proposals. Research proposals will be written.

Past progressive She was writing research proposals. Research proposals were being written.
 THE PASSIVE FORM OF MODALS

1. In English the modal verbs are can, could,, may, might, ought (to), shall,
should, will, would.

2. They are used with the main verbs to add a meaning or to change the tone
of a sentence.
 THE PASSIVE FORM OF MODALS
Active
Verb (The subject performs the action)
tenses
Modals: She can write research proposals.
She could write research proposals.
She should write research proposals.
She could have written research
proposals.
She should have written research
proposals.
Passive
(The subject receives the action)
be + past participle
Research proposals can be written.
Research proposals could be written.
Research proposals should be written.
Research proposals could have been
written.
Research proposals should have been
written.
 PASSIVE VOICE SENTENCES WITH TO GET

It is possible to write the passive voice sentences using to get as the auxiliary
verb in place of to be in informal English, or when suggesting that the
information transmitted is surprising or unpleasant.

1. My research grant was rejected.

2. My research grant got rejected.
To add a sense of unexpectedness or unpleasantness, got has been used
instead of was as auxiliary verb in the passive voice sentence 2.
The reader may understand that the writer was expecting the grant to be
approved and is surprised or annoyed by the rejection.
Passive voice sentences with no stated agent are also called agentless
passives. They are used when the agent is unknown or considered to be
unimportant.

 It has been argued that developing countries must pay more attention to
climate changes.

 Exam solutions will be posted at www. bac.onec.dz

 The references are cited in the table note.

 BE IN THE PASSIVE VOICE

Sometimes the verb be is suggested but not written in the passive

sentence:

(which was)
The coronavirus screening test, ˄conducted in January 2020,

had confirmed high rate of infection.