Passive constructions

ENGLESKI JEZIK II
Two types

 Standard passive constructions

 Phil was murdered last night.

 Causative constructions
 They got Phil murdered last night.
Standard passive

 The subject is not the agent, but the recipient of action.

 Active: Bill murdered Phil. – Bill subject/agent
 Passive: Phil was murdered by Bill. – Phil subject/recipient

 Three types of information:

 What happened to the subject: Phil was murdered.
 Who or what did it: Phil was murdered by Bill.
 How it was done: Phil was murdered mercilessly by Bill.
Basic pattern

 With a form of verb be or get

(e.g. has been, is going to be etc.) or (e.g. gets, got, will get)

+
 The past participle of the main verb
(e.g. murdered, fired, written, made etc.)

 If the agent is known (or the instrument of the action), the preposition by follows the
VP (verb phrase).
Phil got shot by Bill/gun.
Using passive constructions:

 To describe processes:
 The beans are picked in late summer and are left to dry in the sun.

 In various formal styles of discourse (introducing evidence, arguments):

 It is sometimes argued that… A distinction can be made…

 To avoid the implication of personal involvement or responsibility:

 The vase got broken, Mum… Phil got murdered, Mum.

 With certain verbs where the agent of action is not important:

 He is alleged to be in sanatorium… It is presumed that Phil didn’t survive the gunshot.
Choosing between get and be as auxiliary
verbs
 It is often suggested that the auxiliary get is used in colloquial speech
 However, sometimes get appears to be more appropriate:
 When the action is unexpected: Phil got murdered whilst crossing the street.
 An achievement based on something that has been built up: She got elected.
 An achievement in the face of difficulty: I finally got admitted to hospital. OR
Despite being a tough bloke, Phil got murdered.
Things to have in mind…

 Verbs which are often followed by a that clause in active constructions (believe,
consider, say, think, understand) are followed by an infinitive when in passive
form
 She is thought to be a genius.
(in active form: People think (that) she is a genius.)

 He was said to have been fiddling the books.

(in active form: People say that he was fiddling.)
Things to have in mind…

 Although by is the most commonly used preposition (denoting the agent of the
action), there are other possibilities regarding the use of prepositions:
 The fruit was cut up on the table.
in the kitchen.
into cubes.

 Common mistakes:
They covered all the furniture by old sheets. Wrong!?
Things to have in mind…

 Many adjectives are derived from past participles (e.g. astonished, bothered,
closed) and should not be confused with passive constructions:
Her childhood was emotionally deprived.
She’s feeling very jaded.
Causative passive constructions

 In standard passive, the recipient of an action is the subject.

 In the causative constructions, the object is the recipient of the action.

(subject) (object)
 He got me sacked.
 Bill had Phil killed.

 Specifying the agent: Can we have Phil murdered by the gangsters.

Using causative

 When we arrange for someone else to do the action for us:

 She goes to hospital and has her blood pressure taken.
 Not wanting to risk prison himself, Bill had Phil murdered by gangsters.

 Unfortunate experiences:
 He got his leg broken playing football.
 Snooping around other people’s business, Phil got himself murdered.
Using have or get

 We had/got the whole house renovated. – not clear sometimes which is “better”.

 In describing unfortunate experiences have is best avoided:

 While playing football, he got his leg injured.

 Leaving out auxiliary verbs (possible in headlines):

 England beaten by Croatia in the semi-final.
Passive voice: simple tenses
Example Form
Present
(a) New computer games are designed daily.
am, is, are + past participle
Simple Past
(b) New computer games were designed daily.
was, were + past participle
Present Progressive
(c) New computer games are being designed daily.
am, is, are + being + past participle
Past Progressive
(d) New computer games were being designed daily.
was, were + being + past participle
Present Perfect
(e) New computer games have been designed daily.
have/has been + past participle

Past Perfect
(f) New computer games had been designed daily.
had + been + past participle
Modal Future
(g) New computer games will be designed daily.
will + be + past participle

Modal Present/Future
(h) New computer games can be designed daily.
can + be + past participle
Interrogative passive

 Is he singing a song? – active

 Is a song being sung by him? – passive

 Did you catch the ball at the game? - active

 Was the ball caught at the game (by you)? - passive

 Have they caught the murderer? - active

 Has the murderer been caught? - passive

 When will the professor grade the tests? - active

 When will the tests be graded? - passive
Bibliography

 DeCapua, A. (2008). Grammar for teachers. New York: College of New Rochelle.

 Eastwood, J. (2010). Oxford Practice Grammar with answers. Intermediate.
Oxford University Press.
 Parrott, M. (2000). Grammar for English language teachers: with exercises and a
key. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.