PA S S I V

E VOICE
A PRACTICAL GUIDE
T O PA S S I V E V O I C E .
 We call “an active voice” when
someone or something has done
an action.
FIRST
THINGS
Example: Madonna wrote La
FIRST. Isla Bonita. One of her most
WHAT IS AN famous hits!
ACTIVE
VOICE? See? Who did the action in this
sentence?
 It’s when the object of the
sentence, the who that
suffered the action, becomes
What is the the focus of the sentence!
passive
voice?
Example: The song is called
“La isla bonita”
Can you get the logic?
• When we want to mention who
did the action, we use the
ACTIVE VOICE.
• Now, we want to focus on what
happened or what was invented,
done or created, we use the
PASSIVE VOICE!
THE FORMULA
• THE SONG IS CALLED LA ISLA BONITA.

• THE SONG (PASSIVE SUBJECT)

• IS CALLED ( TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE)
• LA ISLA BONITA (COMPLEMENT OF THE SUBJECT)
In what situations the passive voice can be
used?
• When we don’t want to mention the agent.
Harry Potter was written in 1998.
• When the agent is obvious.
La Isla Bonita is played all around the world
La isla bonita was written by Madonna
Written And Directed By Quentin Tarantino.
• When the agent is clear from the action.
Super Bowl is being widely watched. (Everybody is watching it!)
• When the agent is general
The reports can be found on page 10!
The homework is on page 11.
Let’s check more examples?
• Were cellphones invented in 1979?
• Have you ever been hit by a bicycle?
• Harry Potter was written in 1998.
• She’s being treated in Hospital.
• Problems were solved last week.
• The petition can be found in the link below!
• I was mentioned in her monograph!
• Many calls were made last night.
 Transform the following sentences into
passive voice.
Ms. Rodriguez dropped some pens on the floor.
Paula donated some books to a public school.
Microsoft invented Windows.
They will ask a lot of questions at the interview
Jonathan wrote a love letter to his significant other.
They play “Better now” in all the dance clubs
Chicago Bulls won the championship in 1998.
The police arrested a group of teenagers yesterday afternoon