LIN – 1103 A

PASSIVE VOICE

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado V.

In this video you will learn:

 the difference between Active voice and Passive voice

 to structure passive voice sentences

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

1. Active Voice
The Active voice describes a sentence that focus on the DOER of the action.
The sentences in English can have different structures.
The most common are:
a) V
 The SUBJECT is the person or thing that performs the action. (DOER)
 The Verb is the word that SHOWS the action and has a tense.

EXAMPLES Ann works. It is raining.

V V
Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

b) V O
 The SUBJECT is the person or thing that performs the action. (DOER)
 The Verb is the word that SHOWS the action and has a tense.
 The Object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb.

EXAMPLE

Gustave Eiffel designed the old Train Station of La Paz.

V O
N.B. From these two structures, only the second (S+V+O) can be used to build sentences in the Passive voice.

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

All the tenses we have studied in LIN 1101 and LIN 1102 are in the active voice.

a) Simple Tenses
 Lucas solves the problem. (Present Simple)
 Carmen read a magazine. (Past Simple)
b) Continuous Tenses +
 The students the reports. (Present Continuous)
 We the Passive Voice. (Past Continuous)
c) Perfect Tenses +
 The experts the problem. (Present Perfect)
 The engineer the design. (Past Perfect)
d) Modal verbs +
 The scientist the samples. (Modal Verb)
 The students the experiment. (Modal Verb)

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

2. Passive Voice
The Passive voice is used when we focus on the ACTION.

It is not important or not known who or what performs the action.

The passive voice is mostly used in academic text because it expresses an

impersonal point of view.

EXAMPLE

A vaccine for COVID-19 was developed in the University of Oxford.

(The person or people who developed the vaccine are not important or might be unknown.)

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

The Passive Voice has the following structure for the verb:
+
 In its different forms.  the –ED form of regular verbs.
 The 3rd column of irregular verbs.

When changing active sentences in Passive Voice, note the following:

S V

developed a cure for cancer in the USA.

O
SUBJECT VERB
A cure for cancer in the USA .

 The Object of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the passive sentence.
 The form of the verb changes ( + ), keeps the tense of the Active sentence.
In this case the PAST SIMPLE.
 The Subject of the active sentence becomes the Agent of the passive sentence, introduced by .)
Sometimes the Agent is omitted (unimportant or unknown.)

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

Based on the rules, we can change sentences from the active voice to the passive voice.

V O SUBJECT +

a) Simple Tenses

writes

solves

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

 V O SUBJECT +

a) Simple Tenses

The pictures

A magazine

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

V O SUBJECT +

b) Continuous Tenses +
+

The reports

The plan

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

 V O SUBJECT +

a) Continuous Tenses +
+

The Passive Voice

The suspects

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

V O SUBJECT +

c) Perfect Tenses +
+

The money

The problems

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

 V O SUBJECT +

c) Perfect Tenses + +

The Sistine Chapel

The designs

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

V O SUBJECT +

d) Modal Verbs +
+

The samples

The experiment

Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

3. Sentences with two objects
Sometimes we work with verbs that have to objects:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Nelson Mandela the Nobel Prize in 1993.

V D. O

was awarded to in 1993

El premio Nobel fue otorgado a Nelson Mandela in 1993.

was awarded in 1993
Nelson Mandela fue galardonado con el premio Nobel in 1993.
Lic. Ma. Eugenia Maldonado Vallejos.

Thank you!!!