PASSIVE VOICE

● In grammar, the VOICE is a characteristic of the subject of the sentence.

● There are two kinds of voice: ACTIVE and PASSIVE.
● In the ACTIVE VOICE, the subject is the performer of the action.
● In the PASSIVE VOICE, the subject is NOT the performer of the action. It simply
receives it.
● In the PASSIVE VOICE, the particle by shows who performs the action.

example:
Cabral discovered Brazil in 1500.
Cabral is the subject of the sentence,
and Cabral did the action (he
discovered Brazil), so the subject of the
sentence is ACTIVE.
Brazil was discovered by Cabral in 1500.
agent
Brazil is the subject of the sentence. But here
the subject did not do the action. It received
the action instead, so the subject is PASSIVE.
The verbs in the PASSIVE VOICE are:
BE + past participle
Buildings are designed by architects.
Many plays were written by Shakespeare.
● Intransitive verbs do not accept the PASSIVE VOICE.
● Intransitive verbs are verbs that do not have an object:
examples: Everybody dies.
It rains.
● In general, when the subject in the ACTIVE VOICE is someone or people, the
use of by is not necessary in its PASSIVE VOICE form.
Someone assassinated John Kennedy. → John Kennedy was assassinated.
People eat pizza all over the world. → Pizza is eaten all over the world.
The PASSIVE VOICE is generally preferred when:
● the agent of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
My cellphone has been stolen. Who did it? I don’t know.
Mr. Jones was murdered yesterday, and the police are investigating who
killed him.
● the agent is implied or obvious.
Jack has been operated (by a surgeon, obviously).
The culprit was taken to prison last week (by the police, naturally).
● you want to emphasize the action or situation more than who did it.
Bob wasn’t killed in the pandemic, but in an accident.
Is the Amazon being destroyed by criminal fires and deforestation?
Some verbs are DITRANSITIVE, so they have two objects: direct and indirect.
● Examples of ditransitive verbs: send, give, tell, show.
● In English, it is possible to form the passive voice with both the direct and the
indirect objects.

Active voice Passive voice

Mike sent an email to John. ● An email was sent by Mike to John.
● John was sent an email by Mike.*
direct object indirect object

Jane gives me a lot of information. ● A lot of information is given to me by Jane.

indirect object direct object ● I am given a lot of information by Jane.*

Somebody told me a secret. ● A secret was told to me.

indirect object direct object ● I was told a secret.*

* It’s very common to start a passive with the indirect object in English.