Passive Voice Grammar

Passive Voice Grammar

1. Focus on the action

   • "The bike was stolen"

2. Diference between Active Voice

   • Can be more polite
     • "A mistake was made"

3. Structure

   • Subject + Finite form of to be + Past participle
     • A letter + was + written

4. Main Idea

   • Don't need/have/necessary to know
     • Where
     • When
     • Who

5. Rewriting active sentences

   • Object = Subject
   • Finite form of verb = to be + past participle
   • Subject = Object/ Can be dropped

6. Examples

   • Simple present
     • Passive: "A letter is written by Rita"
     • Active: "Rite writes a letter"
   • Simple past
     • Active: "Rita wrote a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter was written by Rita"
   • Present Perfect
     • Active: "Rita has written a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter has been written by Rita"
   • Future 1
     • Active: "Rita will write a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter will be written by Rita"
   • Present Progressive
     • Active: "Rita is writing a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter is being written by Rita"
   • Past Progressive
     • Active: "Rita was writing a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter was being writen by Rita"
   • Past Perect
     • Active: "Rita had written a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter had being written by Rita"
   • Future 2
     • Active: "Rita will have written a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter will have being written by Rita"
   • Conditional 1
     • Active: "Rita would write a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter would being written by Rita"
   • Conditional 2
     • Active: "Rita would have written a letter"
     • Passive: "A letter would have being written by Rita"

7. Sentences with two objects

   • One of the two object becomes the subject
     • The change depends on which action do you want to focus on
       • Active: "Rita wrote (1) a letter (2) to me"
       • Passive: "A letter was written (1) to me (2) by Rita"
       • Passive: "I was written (1) a letter (2) by Rita"

8. Personal and Impersonal

   • The object of the active becomes the subject of the passive
     • Every verb that needs an object can form a personal passive
       • They build houses. - Houses are built.
     • The verbs without an object are called intransitive, and only can form impersonal passive
       • He says. - It is said.
       • Only possible with verbs of perception
         • Say
         • Think
         • Know