Grammar

B2+
passive voice

Recommended for:
Gold Experience
Focus
High Note

2019 1
 How and why do we use the passive
voice in comparison to the active?
Let’s look at:
1. Common reasons why we use the passive voice.
2. The passive voice and cohesion/coherence.
3. The passive voice in different forms.

Common uses of the

passive voice...

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 Function: common uses of the passive
Tim’s house was I know, but didn’t
broken into last you hear? The police
week and no one said the door
has been arrested hadn’t been
yet. locked!

Look at girl 1 Do you think girl 2

and the sections knows who didn’t
in bold. Do we lock the door?
know who
broke into the Who usually
house? Look at girl 2. Who
arrests people for Does girl 1 ever do you think was
crimes? mention who responsible for not
broke in or the locking the door?
police? Yes.
No. The
police.
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No. Tim.
 Function: common uses of the passive
We don’t know who broke in.

Use 1: When the agent is unknown, obvious or is unimportant.

It’s obvious we are talking

Tim’s house was broken into last week and no one has been arrested yet. about the police.

The speaker doesn’t want

to point blame at the
person (Tim) who left the
Use 2: To avoid talking of responsibility or blame.
door unlocked, so avoids
mentioning him.

I know, but didn’t you hear? The police said the door hadn’t been locked! Notice how the passive voice
can be in all tenses and
structures. More on this later...
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 Function: cohesion and coherence
The passive voice can help a text be more cohesive and coherent. Look at these examples.
Maria has fallen over
Don’t worry! I’ve read
and broken her leg! She
about the doctors there.
has been taken to the
They were all trained at
hospital where she will
the best universities.
be operated on.

To be coherent, we often
start a clause with previously
Look at what
given information. E.g. the
the boy says.
object of the previous clause
The subject is
becomes the subject of the
the same in all Which of the next. We can use the passive
of the clauses. clauses are voice to do this.
Who is the passive?
subject?
Do you think using Look at what the girl says
1. She has the same subject and find an example of this.
been makes the text more
taken… or less consistent?
Maria I’ve read about
2. she will be
operated the doctors.
on... More They were all
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 Function: cohesion and coherence

Use 3: To make texts more consistent by starting clauses with the same subject.

The same subject.

Maria has fallen over and broken her leg. She has been taken to the hospital
where she will be operated on.
The passive voice helps us do
this.

Use 4: To make texts more coherent by always starting a sentence with given information.

The object of clause 1

becomes the subject of clause
2.
Don’t worry! I’ve read about the doctors there. They were all trained at
the best universities.

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 Form: How do we make the passive?
Complete the table with the correct boxes.

Tim’s house was broken into.

Which part of the
No one has been arrested. structure changes
The door hadn’t been locked. depending on the
tense?
She will be operated on.
They were trained.

Verb to be
Auxiliary verb to be
Subject
Past participle

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 Form: How do we make the passive?

subject auxiliary verb to be past participle

Notice how the verb to be
Tim’s house was broken into. changes depending on the
tense.
No one has been arrested.
The door hadn’t been locked. by a friend.
The main verb is always in
She will be operated on. the past participle.
They were trained.

In the passive voice, the

subject is not the agent (i.e.
the person/thing doing the
action). In order to mention
the agent we can add by…
future simple past perfect past simple present perfect after the past participle.

Time to practise...
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 Practice activities
Change these sentences from the active to the passive voice. You don’t need to mention the agent.

1. The ambulance took her to the hospital last night.

She was taken to the hospital last night.
2. The headmaster has spoken to Ariana about her behaviour.
Ariana has been spoken to about her behaviour.
3. Everyone at the party had eaten all the cake before Jude arrived.
All the cake had been eaten before Jude arrived.
Read the text and try to make it more coherent by starting sentences with given information.

School leavers face a number of difficult challenges. However, they can overcome many of these challenges by simply
talking to a school counsellor. Courses train the school counsellors to listen to students and give advice. Students might
accept this advice or not, but the most important thing is the process of discussing future options.

School leavers face a number of difficult challenges. However, many of these challenges can be overcome by simply
talking to a school counsellor. School counsellors are trained to listen to students and give advice.This advice might be
accepted or not, but the most important thing is the process of discussing future options.

Copyright © 2019 by Pearson Education      Gold Experience | Focus | High Note