Voice Presentation

VOICE
Voice
Voice: presenting a situation from different
perspectives.
Active: The police arrested him.

Passive: He was arrested (by the police).
Voice
Passive tenses are normally used in the same way
as active tenses.
• A snake bit John’s dog.

▫ John’s dog was bitten.
• The police have arrested Alex.
▫ Alex has been arrested.
• The secretary is preparing the papers now.
▫ The papers are being prepared now.
Voice
• Passives are normally formed from
transitive verbs (e.g. bite, arrest,
prepare).
• The transitive active corresponds to
situations where two participants (most
commonly agent/theme) interact.
Voice
• an agent: the participant that deliberately
instigates an action
• a theme: the participant that is affected
by an action
The police have arrested Alex.

agent theme
Voice
• The most typical passive constructions are
based on agent-theme activity verbs.
The police have arrested Alex.

agent theme
Alex has been arrested.

theme
Voice
• Verbs with two objects
give, lend, sell, send, tell
• Three participants: agent, recipient,
theme.
• Two types of passive constructions.
Voice
They gave Sarah a prize.
agent recipient theme
Sarah was given a prize.

recipient
A prize was given to Sarah.

theme
Voice
• The function of the passive: defocusing
the agent.
Voice
• Alex has been arrested.
• The papers are being prepared now.
• Sarah was given a prize.

• A prize was given to Sarah.
Voice
• The passive is an important feature of
certain styles (journalism and academic
prose) used to express relationships and
events in an impersonal way.
Voice
• Croatian verbs commonly used in the
passive:
reći
otvoriti
objaviti
izabrati
osnovati
proglasiti
Voice
Croatian verbs commonly used in the passive
rečeno – na sastanku je rečeno
otvoren – izložba
objavljen – jučer je objavljeno da…
izabran – za ravnatelja
osnovan – tvrtka
proglašen – najboljim sportašem
Voice
• Passives are normally formed from action
verbs.
Voice
They have a nice house.
*A nice house is had by them.
That dress fits her perfectly.

*She is fitted by that dress perfectly.
• have, fit: stative verbs

Voice
A good time was had by all.
I’m being fitted for a new suit tomorrow.

Voice
• Stative verbs are not used in the passive:
they don’t describe situations where two
participants interact.
*A nice house is had by them.

*She is fitted by that dress perfectly.
Voice
• If a situation is construed as dynamic,
passivization is possible.
A good time was had by all.

I’m being fitted for a new suit tomorrow.
The get-passive
The get-passive
• I got fired for being late.
• Your bike will get stolen if you don’t lock
it up.
The be-passive vs. the get-passive
The vase was broken.
The vase got broken.
• Event or state?
The be-passive vs. the get-passive
• The be-passive can be used to describe
events and states.
The vase was broken.

▫ An event in which someone broke the vase.
▫ A state in which the vase is.
Get-passive
Biber et al. (1999: 481)
• The get-passive describes the process of
getting into a state.
▫ The vase got broken.
▫ My head got stuck up there.

Get-passive
Biber et al. (1999: 481)
• The get passive is generally rare and
restricted primarily to conversation.
• Only a few verbs are common with the get
passive, even in conversation.
▫ get married
▫ get + involved, left, stuck
The middle voice
The middle voice
She washed the sweater.
The sweater was washed.
This sweater washes well.

The middle voice
She washed the sweater.
▫ active
The sweater was washed.
▫ passive
This sweater washes well.

▫ the middle voice (Croatian: medijal)
The middle voice
• The middle construction blends properties
of the active and passive voice.
This book sells well.
• The theme is promoted to the subject

position.
• Its verb is in the active voice.
• It is passive-like in meaning, but formally
expressed as an active sentence.
The middle voice
Passive: The door was opened.
The passive designates the entire agent-
theme interaction.
Middle: The door opened easily.

• The middle voice profiles only what
happens to the theme and reference to the
agent is suppressed altogether.
The middle voice
The door was opened.
• The agent is implied in the event and can be
made specific.
The door was opened by the butler.
His novel sells well.

*His novel sells well by the bookseller.
The middle voice in Croatian
Belaj and Tanacković Faletar (2017: 285)
Gradi se kuća na kraju ulice.

‘A house is being built at the end of the street.’
Posjetitelji se mole za tišinu.

‘Visitors are asked to be quiet.’
The middle voice in Spanish
Maldonado (1988)
José rompió el vaso.
‘José broke the glass.’
El vaso se rompió.
‘The glass broke.’
• The Spanish middle provides an

agentless alternative for an otherwise
transitive verb.
Maldonado (2010: 836-837)
La puerta fue adierta (por el cerrajero).

‘The door was opened (by the locksmith).’
• The Agent is strongly implied in the event

and can be made specific.
Maldonado (2010: 836-837)
La puerta se abrió (*por el cerrajero).

‘The door opened/got opened (*by the locksmith).’
• no reference to the force or agent that

induces it
I can’t believe it!
• Form sentences using the correct passive
form of the verb in brackets and read it
out. Then decide if the sentences are true
or false.
1 Meteorites (cool) when they enter the
Earth’s atmosphere.
1 Meteorites are cooled when they enter
the Earth’s atmosphere.
True – they are cool inside, and the outer

layer burns off.
1 The world (not affect) by climate change
until some time in the distant future.
1 The world will not be affected by
climate change until some time in the
distant future.
• False – climate change is already

occurring now.
1 Before Christopher Columbus travelled to
America, it (already think) that the Earth
was round.
1 Before Christopher Columbus travelled to
America, it was already thought that the
Earth was round.
• True – people knew the Earth was round,

but miscalculated the distance to India.
2 Bats (born) blind.
2 Bats are born blind.
False – they actually have good eyesight,

they just use their hearing more.
2 The same place (never strike) by lightning
twice.
2 The same place has never been struck
/ is never struck by lightning twice.
False – The Empire State Building is struck

by lightning around 100 times a year.
2 Sleepwalkers are not harmed by (wake
up).
2 Sleepwalkers are not harmed by being
woken up.
True – conversely, sleepwalkers can injure

themselves by hitting furniture.
3 Body temperature (lower) by alcohol.
3 Body temperature is lowered by alcohol.
True – alcohol causes blood vessels to move

to the skin which makes you feel warm, but
actually makes you colder.
3 The car (invent) by Henry Ford.
3 The car was invented by Henry Ford.
False – though he was one of the first to

mass-produce them.
3 The red juice that (often find) in uncooked
red meat is blood.
3 The red juice that is often found in
uncooked red meat is blood.
False – it’s actually meat ‘juice’ – this is why

you don’t see blood in white meat.
4 The universe (create) in an explosion.
4 The universe was created in an
explosion.
False – it was a sudden expansion, but not

an explosion.
4 The Sun is white, but (see) as yellow
through the atmosphere.
4 The Sun is white, but is seen as yellow
through the atmosphere.
True
4 Different tastes can (detect) on all parts of
the tongue – not only on certain parts.
4 Different tastes can be detected on all
parts of the tongue – not only on certain
parts.
True.
5 Alcohol remains in food when it (cook).
5 Alcohol remains in food when it is
cooked.
True – not all of it evaporates.

5 No scientist (ever kill) because of their
scientific opinions.
5 No scientist has ever been killed
because of their scientific opinions.
True – as far as scientific historians know.

5 Coffee (make) from beans.
5 Coffee is made from beans.
False – cofee ‘beans’ are actually seeds.

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VOICE

Active: The police arrested him.

• A snake bit John’s dog.

The police have arrested Alex.

The police have arrested Alex.

Alex has been arrested.

Sarah was given a prize.

A prize was given to Sarah.

• The papers are being prepared now.

• Sarah was given a prize.

That dress fits her perfectly.

• have, fit: stative verbs

I’m being fitted for a new suit tomorrow.

*A nice house is had by them.

A good time was had by all.

The vase was broken.

▫ The vase got broken.

▫ My head got stuck up there.

This sweater washes well.

This sweater washes well.

• The theme is promoted to the subject

Middle: The door opened easily.

His novel sells well.

Gradi se kuća na kraju ulice.

Posjetitelji se mole za tišinu.

• The Spanish middle provides an

La puerta fue adierta (por el cerrajero).

• The Agent is strongly implied in the event

La puerta se abrió (*por el cerrajero).

• no reference to the force or agent that

True – they are cool inside, and the outer

• False – climate change is already

• True – people knew the Earth was round,

False – they actually have good eyesight,

False – The Empire State Building is struck

True – conversely, sleepwalkers can injure

True – alcohol causes blood vessels to move

False – though he was one of the first to

False – it’s actually meat ‘juice’ – this is why

False – it was a sudden expansion, but not

True – not all of it evaporates.

True – as far as scientific historians know.

False – cofee ‘beans’ are actually seeds.

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