THE PASSIVE VOICE

Passive voice Form:

The passive voice is made with the different tenses of the verb to be + past participle. Most
verbs with an object (transitive verbs) can be made passive; Verbs with no object (intransitive), as
happen leave lie listen panic smile
talk work…. cannot be passive.

In the active sentence, the focus is more on the person.

Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings.
In the passive sentence the focus is more on the film.
The Lord of the Rings was directed by Peter Jackson.

La pasiva se forma con el verbo TO BE + el PARTICIPIO del verbo principal.

Para pasar una oración de activa a pasiva:

Paso 1: tomamos el COMPLEMENTO DIRECTO o COMPLEMENTO INDIRECTO de la oración

activa y lo situamos como SUJETO de la oración pasiva. Por lo general utilizaremos el
complemento que aparezca primero después del verbo, sea este directo o indirecto, aunque
puede utilizarse el otro si se quiere enfatizar algo o a alguien.

Si el complemento directo fuera un pronombre objeto (me, you, him…), se convertirá en un

pronombre sujeto (I, you, he…)

Nota: esto solo puede hacerse en inglés, en castellano el sujeto de la oración pasiva
siempre será el complemento directo de la oración activa.
My parents gave me two tickets = I was given two tickets by my parents
My parents gave me two tickets = Two tickets were given to me by my parents

Paso 2: Ponemos el verbo TO BE en el mismo tiempo verbal en que se encontraba el verbo

principal de la oración activa.
My parents gave me two tickets = I was…
My parents gave me two tickets = Two tickets were…

Paso 3: añadimos el PARTICIPIO del verbo principal

My parents gave me two tickets = I was given
THE PASSIVE VOICE

My parents gave me two tickets = Two tickets were given

Paso 4: si la oración tenía doble complemento (directo e indirecto), añadimos el que no hayamos
utilizado como sujeto.
My parents gave me two tickets = I was given two tickets
My parents gave me two tickets = Two tickets were given to me

Paso 5: añadimos BY seguido del SUJETO de la oración activa que ahora será COMPLEMENTO
AGENTE.
Si el sujeto de la oración principal era un pronombre sujeto (I, you, he…) lo sustituimos por su
correspondiente pronombre objeto (me, you, him…).

Si el sujeto de la oración activa fuera irrelevante o sobreentendido, lo omitimos (by somebody…)

My parents gave me two tickets = I was given two tickets by my parents
My parents gave me two tickets = Two tickets were given to me by my parents

It is said that they won't be invited to the wedding (Se dice que ...)
THE PASSIVE VOICE