POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT USING THE PASSIVE IN ENGLISH

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Points to rem em ber about using the passive in English

1. The passive is used when the action is more important than the person who does it. Consequently by and the agent are put in only when they are absolutely necessary to the meaning. English is spoken here. That book was written by Dickens. (There is no meaning without the agent in the last sentence.) Following from the dominance of the action over the person who does it is the common use of the gerund (and sometimes the infinitive)with a passive meaning as a way of entirely suppressing the doer of the action. This may lead to the sentence ending with a preposition. That photograph wants touching up. He enjoys being admired. He is not looking forward to being operated on. It should be noted that the gerund always replaces the passive infinitive after need, want, require and deserve, all verbs that are followed by the infinitive in an active sense. This room needs decorating. It should further be noted that the infinitive in this kind of sentence can only be used after pronouns like nothing, anything, something, someone, etc. Furthermore, the passive infinitive is sometimes used after these. Music is to be enjoyed. There was nothing to be seen. Nobody is to blame/to be blamed for that. There is something to be said for that. 3. Some verbs which are really passive in meaning have an active form in English. This soup tastes nice. Those new houses are selling well. 4. If there are two objects in the active, a personal indirect object and a thing direct object, the personal indirect object always becomes the subject of the passive unless any special emphasis is required. They gave me that vase. I was given that vase. 5. Verbs followed necessarily by prepositions or compound verbs can be used in the passive, on condition that the preposition is left in. Fifty students passed / succeeded in the examination The examination was passed / was succeeded in by fifty students 6. Remember from the pattern of tenses that the present continuous and the past continuous exist in the passive and are used just the same as in the active: for an action in the middle of happening. They are now building a new cinema there. A new cinema is now being built there. 7. It is permissible and quite common to put adverbs rather earlier in the passive than in the active. This is not, however, compulsory. They fed the soldiers very well. The soldiers were very well fed.

a. Put into the passive. 1.His grandfather left him about 1 0 ,0 0 0 2.The hooligans set upon the old man and beat him up. 3.She doesn't like it if people criticise her. 4.They have done away with trams in England. 5.I do not think the police are doing anything about it. 6. They were giving a concert in that hall when a large piece of plaster fell down from the ceiling. It injured about fifty people seriously enough for the ambulance men to take them to hospital. 7.I gave him a cheque for the amount required. 8.The magistrate let him off with a severe reprimand. 9. They had evacuated Chichester Cathedral before the spire collapsed, so it did not hurt anyone. 10.They look after you very well in that hotel. 11.The police eventually gave up the search for the missing man. 12.Some girls love it if men pay them compliments. 13.Someone gave me this fountain-pen for Christmas. 14.Everyone was listening to the news bulletin with avid interest. 15.They told him curtly to go away. 16.Someone sent my sister a Valentine card last week. 17.Some people object if others make them work hard. 18.Have you paid for that television set yet? 19. I hate it when people make fun of me, though I don't mind it if they tease me. 20. My sister's fianc is cooking dinner tonight.