PASSIVE VOICE

Use of the passive voice:

1. Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not
known, however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: "A letter was written."
The focus, here, is on the fact that a letter was written. We don't know,
however, who wrote it.
2. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the
following example shows:
Example: A vase was broken.
Focus, here, is on the fact that a vase was broken, but we don't blame anyone.
Compare this to: "You broke the vase."

Form of the passive voice:

Subject + the appropriate form of to be + Past Participle

NOTE: The appropriate form of to be = To be is put in the the tense of the active voice
main verb.

Example:

Nancy makes tea

Active
subject verb object
Tea is made (by Nancy)
Passive
object becoming subject verb subject becoming object or is dropped

Examples of the passive voice:

Tense Subject Verb Object
Simple Present Active: Nancy makes tea.

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 Passive: Tea is made by Nancy.
Present Active: Nancy is making tea.
Progressive Passive: Tea is being made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy made tea.
Simple Past
Passive: Tea was made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy was making tea.
Past Progressive
Passive: Tea was being made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy has made Tea.
Present Perfect
Passive: Tea has been made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy had made tea.
Past Perfect
Passive: Tea had been made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy will make tea.
Future simple Passive: Tea will be made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy will have made tea.
Future perfect
Passive: Tea will have been made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy would make tea.
Conditional
Passive: Tea would be made by Nancy.
Active: Nancy can make tea.
Modals
Passive: Tea can be made by Nancy.

Passive voice sentences with two Objects:

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the
two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to
transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Active/Passive Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2

Active: Nancy offered a flower to me.
Passive: A flower was offered to me by Nancy.
Passive: I was offered a flower by Nancy.

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Impersonal Passive:

Study these examples:

 They say that the planet is in danger.

 It is said that the planet is in danger.

This type of passive is called impersonal because we use the impersonal form "it is..."
This is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know ...)

Examples:    

 It is said that...
 It is thought that...
 It is believed that...
 It is known that...                      

It is also common that we start the passive form of these sentences with the subject of
the that-clause:

Examples:

 They say that the planet is in danger.= The planet is said to be in danger.
 They think that women live longer than men. = Women are thought to live longer.

EXERCISES

Create a passive sentence with the words in bold character.

1. They recommended us a wonderful Colombian restaurant very near our

place.

2. We feel that some species of sea animals are in danger of extinction.

3. They believe that whales communicate with each other under the sea.

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4. You should always wear gloves at ski resorts.

5. Several skilled workers are flattening (=allanando) the ground in order to

build the new park.

6.Do they clean the tables thoroughly after the classes finish ?

7. The Senate will stop the proceedings against President Clinton.

8. They say that garlic (=ajo) keeps your blood and liver in perfect working
condition     

Put the following sentences into PASSIVE VOICE

a) People know that she is a good swimmer.

b) They say that Francis is in hospital

c) People believe that the robber has worked in the bank.

d) People believe that nuclear power stations are dangerous

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 e) His collegues thought that he was on holiday

f) People know that cars pollute the environment

g) They suppose that the new product will come out soon

h) They found that the mission was impossible

i) They believe that she will win a gold medal

Complete the following story with the most appropriate tense of the verb
(Active or Passive)

The Fellowship of the Ring (be)   the first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the

Rings trilogy, which (set)   in a fictive world, Middle Earth. It (tell)   the
story of Frodo, a hobbit, and a magic ring.

As the story (begin)  , Frodo (give)   a magic ring. The wizard

Gandalf then (tell)   him of the Rings of Power and of Sauron, the Dark Lord,

who (make)   the Master Ring to rule all other Rings.

Gandalf (advise)   Frodo to leave home and keep the ring out of Sauron's hands

who already (send)   his Black Riders in search for it. Frodo's

ring (give)   Sauron the power to enslave Middle Earth.

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Write passive sentences (use the indications between brackets)

1. the picture / draw (Simple Present) 

 
2. the door / close (Simple Past) 

3. the house / steal (Present Continuous) 

4. the bike / repair (Past Continuous) 

5. the room/ clean (Present Perfect) 

6. the homework / do (Past perfect) 

7. the window / break (Simple future) 

8. the essay / write (Should + Verb)