The passive Voice

Compare two sentences: We write dictations every week (Active Voice). Dictations are written every week. (Passive Voice).

Passive Voice is used to show what’s happening with a human being or thing; Active Voice – what a human being or thing is doing.

e.g. 1. Captain Cook discovered Australia in 1770.

Subject predicate object

Australia was discovered by Captain Cook in 1770.

2. The teacher asks me every lesson.

Subject predicate object

I am asked every lesson by the teacher.

Passive Voice is formed by means of the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ & Past Participle of the notional verb: to be + V₃

We use the preposition ‘by’ to show who performs the action & the preposition ‘with’ to show the way it is performed.

e.g. Australia was discovered by Captain Cook.

The letter was written with a pen.

TABLE OF PASSIVE VOICE

	Simple проста, звичайна, регулярна дія	Continuous дія відбувається у певний момент	Perfect завершена дія	Perfect Continuous дія продовжується вже певний час
Present теперішній	am is + V3 are	am is being + V3 are	have been + V3 has	___
Past минулий	was + V3 were	was being + V3 were	had been + V3	___
Future майбутній	will be + V3	___	will have been + V3	___

1. I like to be invited to the parties.	7. The environment has already been damaged.
2 The environment is damaged by the people.	8. The school had been built by the 1-st of September.
3. The school was built last month.	9. The book will have been read by tomorrow.
4. The meeting will be held tonight.	10. The cathedral can be seen from anywhere in the city.
5. I am being asked at the moment.	11. The poem must be learnt by all means.
6. The film was being shown yesterday at 10.	12. The rules of behaviour should be observed.

ACTIVE and PASSIVE VOICE (compare)

Active Voice

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16