EnglishGrammarOnline

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Dictionary aufDeutsch
(/en/dictionary) (https://www.ego4u.de/de/cram-up/grammar/passive)

CramUp (/)CramUpGrammar(/en/cram-up/grammar)Passive
Voice
Grammar
(/en/cram-
up/grammar)
PassiveVoice
Writing(/en/cram-
up/writing)
Vocabulary
(/en/cram-
up/vocabulary)
Tests(/en/cram- UseofPassive
up/tests) Passivevoiceisusedwhenthefocusisontheaction.It
StudyTips isnotimportantornotknown,however,whoorwhat
(/en/cram- isperformingtheaction.
up/learning) Example:Mybikewasstolen.
DailyEnglish
Intheexampleabove,thefocusisonthefactthatmy
(/en/cram-up/daily-
bikewasstolen.Idonotknow,however,whodidit.
english)
Sometimesastatementinpassiveismorepolitethan
ReadOn activevoice,asthefollowingexampleshows:
Example:Amistakewasmade.
Countries
(/en/read- Inthiscase,Ifocusonthefactthatamistakewas
on/countries) made,butIdonotblameanyone(e.g.Youhavemade
Animals/Sports amistake.).

(/en/read-
18 Motivos Ms Para Volar
on/animals) aerolineas.com.ar/18Cuotas/SinInters

Literature Vuelos Non-Stop. Ms Frecuencias.

Web Checkin. 36 Destinos En
(/en/read- Argentina.
on/literature)
FormofPassive
Business Subject+finiteformofto be+PastParticiple(3rd
Communication columnofirregularverbs(/en/cram-
up/grammar/irregular-verbs))
(/en/business-
Example:Aletterwaswritten.
english/communication)
Grammar Whenrewritingactivesentencesinpassivevoice,note
(/en/business- thefollowing:
english/grammar) theobjectoftheactivesentencebecomesthesubject
Business-Info ofthepassivesentence
(/en/business- thefiniteformoftheverbischanged(to be+past
participle)
english/infos)
 ChillOut thesubjectoftheactivesentencebecomestheobject
ofthepassivesentence(orisdropped)
Games&Riddles
(/en/chill- ExamplesofPassive
out/games) Tense Subject Verb
E-Cards(/en/chill-
Simple Active: Rita writes
out/ecards)
Present
ChatwithEgon Passive: Aletter iswritten

(/en/chill- SimplePast Active: Rita wrote

out/chat/egon-bot)
Passive: Aletter waswritten
TakeOn Present Active: Rita haswritten

Newsletter Perfect
Passive: Aletter hasbeenwritten
(/en/newsletter)
FutureI Active: Rita willwrite
Calendar2016
Passive: Aletter willbewritten
(/en/take-
on/calendar?2016) Hilfsverben Active: Rita canwrite

Passive: Aletter canbewritten

TeachIn
CulturalStudies ExamplesofPassive
(/en/teach-
Tense Subject Verb
in/cultural-studies)
Lessons(/en/teach- Present Active: Rita iswriting
in/lessons) Progressive
Passive: Aletter isbeingwritten

Past Active: Rita waswriting

Progressive
Passive: Aletter wasbeingwritten

PastPerfect Active: Rita hadwritten

Passive: Aletter hadbeenwritten

FutureII Active: Rita willhavewritten

Passive: Aletter willhavebeenwritten

ConditionalI Active: Rita wouldwrite

Passive: Aletter wouldbewritten

ConditionalII Active: Rita wouldhavewritten

Passive: Aletter wouldhavebeen

written

PassiveSentenceswithTwoObjects
Rewritinganactivesentencewithtwoobjectsin
passivevoicemeansthatoneofthetwoobjects
becomesthesubject,theotheroneremainsanobject.
Whichobjecttotransformintoasubjectdependson
whatyouwanttoputthefocuson.

Subject Verb Object1 Object2

Active: Rita wrote aletter tome.

Passive: Aletter waswritten tome byRita.

 Passive: I waswritten aletter byRita.

Asyoucanseeintheexamples,addingby Ritadoes
notsoundveryelegant.Thatswhyitisusually
dropped.

PersonalandImpersonalPassive
Personal Passivesimplymeansthattheobjectofthe
activesentencebecomesthesubjectofthepassive
sentence.Soeveryverbthatneedsanobject
(transitiveverb)canformapersonalpassive.
Example:Theybuildhouses.Housesarebuilt.

Verbswithoutanobject(intransitiveverb)normally
cannotformapersonalpassivesentence(asthereis
noobjectthatcanbecomethesubjectofthepassive
sentence).Ifyouwanttouseanintransitiveverbin
passivevoice,youneedanimpersonalconstruction
thereforethispassiveiscalledImpersonal Passive.
Example:hesaysitissaid

Impersonal PassiveisnotascommoninEnglishasin
someotherlanguages(e.g.German,Latin).InEnglish,
Impersonal Passiveisonlypossiblewithverbsof
perception(e.g.say,think,know).
Example:Theysaythatwomenlivelongerthanmen.Itis
saidthatwomenlivelongerthanmen.

AlthoughImpersonal Passiveispossiblehere,Personal
Passiveismorecommon.
Example:Theysaythatwomenlivelongerthanmen.
Womenaresaidtolivelongerthanmen.

Thesubjectofthesubordinateclause(women)goesto
thebeginningofthesentence;theverbofperception
isputintopassivevoice.Therestofthesentenceis
addedusinganinfinitiveconstructionwith'to'(certain
auxiliaryverbsandthataredropped).

SometimesthetermPersonal PassiveisusedinEnglish
lessonsiftheindirectobjectofanactivesentenceisto
becomethesubjectofthepassivesentence.

Exercises

ExercisesonPassive(Form)
* ExerciseonPassivewithSimplePresent(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises)
* ExerciseonPassivewithSimplePast(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?02)
* ExerciseonPassivewithPresentPerfect(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?03)
* ExerciseonPassivewithFutureI(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?04)
ExercisesonPassive(ActivePassive)
* ExerciseonPassivewithSimplePresent(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-present)
* ExerciseonPassivewithSimplePast(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-past)
* ExerciseonPassivewithPresentPerfect(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?present-perfect)
* ExerciseonPassivewithFutureI(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?future-1)
* ExerciseonPassivewithAuxiliaryVerbs(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?05)
* MixedExerciseonPassivewithPassive(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?06)
* Sentenceswith2Objects(IndirectObject,Personal
Passive)(/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?07)
(neu)
* Sentenceswith2Objects(DirectObject)(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?08) (neu)
* PersonalPassive(verbsofperception)(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?09) (neu)

* ExerciseonPassivewithPresentProgressive(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?present-progressive)

* ExerciseonPassivewithPastProgressive(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?past-progressive)
* ExerciseonPassivewithPastPerfect(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?past-perfect)
* ExerciseonPassivewithFutureII(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?future-2)
* ExerciseonPassivewithConditionalI(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?conditional-1)
* ExerciseonPassivewithConditionalII(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?conditional-2)

ExercisesonPassive(ActiveorPassive)
* ExerciseonSimplePresent(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-present-2)
* ExerciseonSimplePast(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-past-2)
* ExerciseonPresentPerfect(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?present-perfect-2)
* ExerciseonFutureIwithwill(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?future-will-2)
* ExerciseTheStatueofLiberty(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?text01) (neu)
* ExercisePortalDolmen(/en/cram-
up/grammar/passive/exercises?text02) (neu)
* SummaryTheFellowshipoftheRing(/en/cram-
up/writing/summary/exercises),part2(/en/cram-
up/writing/summary/exercises?ex02),part3(/en/cram-
up/writing/summary/exercises?ex03)

GrammarinTexts
* ShowPassiveVoiceinTheCantervilleGhost(/en/read-
on/literature/canterville-ghost?