THE PASSIVE VOICE

4.1. The passive

➢ We form the passive voice with Be + Past Participle in all tenses.

4.1. Practice. Write the following sentences in the passive voice.

1. By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.

2. Somebody should do the work as soon as possible.

3. Are they building a new stadium near the station?

4. Had peter cleaned all the windows before the storm?

5. A workman is repairing the computer right now.

6. James might cook dinner.

7. Somebody must have taken my wallet.

8. Did they catch the burglars?

9. I gave my brother the present yesterday night.

10. Peter has lent me the car for a day.

4.2. The passive modals

➢ We can use the passive with modal verbs in the present and in the past
perfect tenses.

4.3. Causative Forms.

Use:
➢ We use the Causative form when somebody else does something for us or
we arrange something to be done: “to cut your hair” “to repair your car”.
“To have/get something done”
➢ There is no difference between using have or get, the only difference is that
“get” is more used in spoken English.

Form Have/get+ Object+Past participle in all tenses.

f.ex. She gets her nails done every two weeks.

Object P.P.

f.ex. I am going to have my hair cut next week.

PRACTICE: Write the following sentences with a causative structure.

1. I have paid someone to wash my car.

2. Peter will employ someone to type the documents.

3. They are paying a professional to fix the washing machine.

4. I paid my neighbour to paint my house.

5. Had you paid someone to make the necklace?

6. I am going to employ someone to build the shed.

7. My grandmother pays someone to water her garden.

8. I may ask my sister to do my exercises.

4.4. Impersonal reporting.

Examples

Present Simple
People know he is mad ------------------- he is known to be mad.

Present Continuous
People suspect he is eating flies now-------- he is suspected to be eating flies now
Simple Past
They believe he slept in the bath last night-------------------- he is believed to have slept in
the bath last night
Past Continuous
It is said he was walking naked in Zara- ------------------- He is said to have been walking
naked in ….
The Future
People think he’s going to do ------------------------ he is thought to be going to
do something extraordinary. Something extraordinary