Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is
the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object.
Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving
action]
Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action
is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally
included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you
think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be
emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing
the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle
of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle
(3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice,
note the following:
·
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)
Examples of Passive
|
Tense
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object
|
|
|
Simple Present
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
writes
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
is written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
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 I
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
will write
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
will be written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
Hilfsverben
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
can write
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
can be written
|
by Rita.
|
|
Examples of Passive
|
Tense
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object
|
|
|
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 written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
Past Perfect
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
had written
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
had been written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
Future II
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
will have written
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
will have been written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
Conditional I
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
would write
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
would be written
|
by Rita.
|
|
|
Conditional II
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
would have written
|
a letter.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
would have been written
|
by Rita.
|
|
Passive Sentences with Two Objects
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.
|
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object 1
|
Object 2
|
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
wrote
|
a letter
|
to me.
|
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
was written
|
to me
|
by Rita.
|
|
Passive:
|
I
|
was written
|
a letter
|
by Rita.
|
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does
not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped.
Personal and Impersonal Passive
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.
Example: he says – it is said
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.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here,
Personal Passive is more common.
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.
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