The passive voice
Form the passive in different tenses and know when to focus on the action instead of the doer.
Explanation
The passive voice is a grammatical construction used in English to change the focus of a sentence from the subject performing the action to the object receiving the action. It is formed by rearranging the word order of a sentence and using a form of the verb "to be" (e.g., is, was, has been) along with the past participle of the main verb. Here's a detailed grammar explanation of the passive voice:
Structure: Subject + verb to be + past participle + rest of sentence
The passive voice consists of the following elements:
- Subject (receiver of the action)
- Appropriate form of "to be" (e.g., is, was, has been)
- Past participle of the main verb
- Optional agent (the "by" phrase), which indicates who or what is performing the action (if needed)
Example: "The cake (subject) was (form of "to be") baked (past participle) by Mary (agent)."
Active vs. passive voice
In active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action, and the structure is straightforward:
- Example (Active Voice): "Mary (subject) baked (verb) a cake (object)."
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action, and the structure is rearranged:
- Example (Passive Voice): "The cake (subject) was (form of "to be") baked (past participle) by Mary (agent)."
When to use the passive voice
The passive voice is used in various situations:
- When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant. Example: "The book was stolen from my bag." (We don't know who stole it.)
- To emphasise the receiver of the action. Example: "The proposal was accepted by the committee."
- In formal or academic writing.
- When the doer of the action is implied or obvious. Example: "The criminal was arrested." (It is obvious that the police arrested the criminal.)
- To create a more objective or neutral tone.
- To shift the focus from the "doer" to the "receiver" of the action.
Form: ing passive tenses
To form the passive voice in different tenses you need to adjust the form of the verb "to be".
Examples:
- Present: "The report is written by the team."
- Past: "The letter was sent yesterday."
- Future: "The package will be delivered tomorrow."
- Present Perfect: "The document has been completed."
- Past Perfect: "The work had been finished before the deadline."
- Future Perfect: "The project will have been completed by next month."
Practice
Exercise 1
Choose the correct answer.
1. The flowers ______ by Jane every morning.
2. The movie ______ at the cinema tonight.
3. This book ______ to me by my teacher.
4. The tickets ______ by the time we got to the theater.
5. The Mona Lisa ______ by Leonardo da Vinci.
6. The keys ______ on the kitchen table.
7. The problem ______ by the team soon.
8. The car ______ by the mechanic.
9. The story ______ in ancient times.
10. London city ______ by many tourists every year.
Exercise 2