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There are two special forms for verbs called voice: 1. Active voice 2. Passive voice The active voice is the "normal" voice. This is the voice that we use most of the time. You are probably already familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the object receives the action of the verb:
object
> fish
The passive voice is less usual. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb:
subject PASSIVE
Fish
Verb
< are eaten
object
by cats.
The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
subject
verb
object
water by everybody
Simple
I love
continuous
I am loving I am being loved I was loving I was being loved I shall be loving
Perfect
I have loved I have been loved I had loved I had been loved I shall have loved I shall have been loved
Perfect continuous
I have been loving
I am loved
I loved
I was loved
I shall love
I shall be loved
Change the following sentences into passive voice. 1. Ali helps aslam. 2. Sara loves hira. 3. Arsalan has paid the bill. 4. The boy makes a kite. 5. He is wearing a tie. 6. Jane will buy a new computer. 7. I draw a picture. 8. He open the door. 9. She sang a song 10. We stopped the bus.
11. I have opened the present. 12. The cats kill the mouses. 13. We sat the table. 14. My father is washing the car. 15. Sidra see a dark cloud.
Use of Passive:
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).
Form of Passive Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle) the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
TENSES SIMPLE Active PRESENT Passive SIMPLE Active PAST Passive PRESENT Active PERFECT Passive FUTURE l Active SUBJECT Rita A letter
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
TENSES PRESENT Active PROGRESSIVE Passive PAST Active PROGRESSIVE Passive PAST Active PERFECT Passive FUTURE II Active Passive CONDITION I Active SUBJECT Rita A letter
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rita A letter
a letter. by rita.
Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. Thats why it is usually dropped.
Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive. Example: They build houses. Houses are built. Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. It is said that women live longer than men.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.
1. She would order a pizza. 2. Who taught you french? 3. The manager will give you a ticket. 4. We would pick you up. 5. They would have told you. 6. All his friend laughed at him. 7. Give the order. 8. My poket has been picked. 9. She told me a lie. 10. We have asked him a favour. 11. Our neighbour gave me a lift. 12. People know that she is agood swimmer. 13. They suppose that the new product will come out soon. 14. I can answer the question.
The passive voice in english is an important aspect of grammar teaching. It is not the active voice the other way round. It is used in written and spoken English when our interest is on the action rather than on the doer of the action (e.g tea is grown in Ceylon), expect where the agent has an interest of his own, and is necessary to complete meaning (e.g The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jehan). In teaching the use of the passive voice to the student under consideration, the lesson was planned in two parts. 1. Introduction 2. Practice and revision. In introduction the aim was to teach the passive voice verb. The student had to absorb the forms of the passive voice verb in the different tenses. Each tense was taken separately and introduced through a structure already familiar to the students. The following tenses were used:
1. She is sweeping the room now, and it is swept everyday at this time. 2. She is bathing the baby now, and he is bathed everyday at the same time.
3. She is feeding the hens now, and they are fed everyday at the same time.
3. If they are baking the cake, then the cakes are being baked.
yesterday.
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Passive Sentences
Passive voice verbs are used in writing much more often than in speech, and they are used in some types of writing much more often than in others. Passives are used more in journalism (newspapers, magazines) than in fiction (novels, stories), but most journalists and fiction writers use far more active than passive sentences. However, passives are very common in all types of scientific and technical writing. Scientific articles often contain more passive than active sentences. You should not use passive voice verbs unless you have a good reason.
1. The object of the active verb is the subject of the passive verb (English in the example sentences below). Therefore, verbs which cannot be followed by objects (intransitive verbs) cannot be used in passive voice.
These are some common intransitive verbs: appear, arrive, come, cry, die, go, happen, occur, rain, sleep, stay, walk. These verbs cannot be used in passive voice. 2. The passive verb always contains a form of the auxiliary verb be. The form of be in the passive verb phrase corresponds to the form of the main verb in the active verb phrase (see the underlined words in the example sentences below). That is, if the active main verb is simple present tense, then a simple present tense form of be is used in the passive verb phrase; if the active main verb is -ING, then the -ING form of be is used in the passive verb phrase; and so on.
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3. The main verb in a passive predicate verb phrase is always the participle form of the verb. 3. Some examples of active and passive sentences:
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4. Perfect progressive verb forms are generally used in active voice only. That is, these are good English sentences:
But sentences like these are rarely used: PASSIVE: English has been being spoken.
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B. Most passive sentences do not contain an agent; all active sentences contain an agent.
1. An agent is the subject of the active verb. In the example sentences above, the agent is they in all the active sentences; the passive sentences do not contain an agent. 2. When a passive sentence contains an agent, it is in a prepositional phrase following the verb. For example: English is spoken by them. In the following sentences, the noun teachers is the agent in both sentences. Teachers is also the subject of the active verb, but exams is the subject of the passive verb.
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C. You should not use passive voice unless you have a good reason.
1. Passive voice is often used when the agent (the doer of an action; the subject of an active verb) is obvious, unknown, or unnecessary: Oranges are grown in California.
2. Passive voice is often used when the agent is known, but the speaker/writer doesnt want to mention it: She was given bad advice.
3.Passive voice is often used when the agent is very general such as people or somebody. English is spoken here.
4. Passive voice is often used when the speaker/writer wants to emphasize a result:
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Several thousand people were killed by the earthquake. 5. Passive voice is often used when the speaker/writer wants to keep the same subject for two or more verbs but this would not be possible if both verbs were the same voice (active or passive). For example, in a conversation about George, a speaker would probably use sentence a below rather than sentence b (both sentences are correct). a. George had several interviews before he was hired by a software company.
Passive
Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present
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George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.
The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future
WILL
Simple Future
BE GOING TO
Future Continuous
WILL
Future Continuous
BE GOING TO
Future Perfect
WILL
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Future Perfect
BE GOING TO
They are going to have completed the project before the deadline.
The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.
The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.
The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
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