Unit 4– the passive voice

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
To move the focus in the sentence when the agent is unknown.

The house was broken into.

To move the focus in the sentence when the agent is assumed/common knowledge.

He was fined $100 for driving with no licence.

To move the focus in the sentence when the agent is unimportant.

The concert location has been changed.

When the agent is needed to complete the sentence.

The park was designed by a famous Spanish artist.

With a complex agent.
She was robbed by a man wearing a black sweatshirt.

With a dummy it with reporting or thing verbs when we want to be tentative and avoid saying something is a
fact.

It is thought that the fire started in the science classroom.

With a dummy it with reporting or thing verbs when we don’t want to pass blame so avoid mentioning the
agent.
It was decided that no one would get a bonus this year.
Function: cohesion and coherence
Use 3: to make texts more consistent by starting clauses with the same subject.

Maria has fallen over and broken

her leg! She has been taken to the
Same subject...
hospital where she will be
operated on.

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

The object of
Don’t worry! I’ve read about the clause 1
doctors there. They were all trained becomes the
at the best universities. subject of clause
2...

Alternative form…
Form: How do we make the passive?
future simple past perfect past simple present perfect

Subject Auxiliary verb to be Past Participle

Tim’s house was broken into.

No one has been arrested.

The door hadn’t been locked. by a friend.

She will be operated on.

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… after the past participle.

Time to practise...
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.