Uses of the Passive Voice peculiar to the English language

THE PASSIVE VOICE

1. THE FORMATION OF THE PASSIVE VOICE (to be + Ved/3=Participle II)

Tense	Active	Passive	Note: the action is done to the subject
Indefinite(Simple)	Present	V(s) ask(s)	am is are	+ Ved/3 asked	He asks / He is asked Он спрашивает / Его спрашивают   He asked /He was asked Он спросил / Его спросили   He will ask / He will be asked Он спросит /Его спросят
Past	Ved/2 asked	was were
Future	will V will ask	will be
Continuous	Present	am is are	+Ving asking	am is are	+ being Ved/3 being asked	He is asking / He is being asked Он сейчас спрашивает / Его сейчас спрашивают
Past	was were	was were	He was asking / He was being asked Он спрашивал / Его спрашивали
Future	will be	-
Perfect	Present	have has	+Ved/3 asked	have has	+ been Ved/3 been asked	He has asked / He has been asked Он уже спросил / Его уже спросили.   He had asked / He had been asked Он тогда уже спросил / Его уже тогда спросили   He will have asked / He will have been asked Он уже спросит / Его уже спросят
Past	had	had
Future	will have	will have
PASSIVE WITH MODAL VERBS	can / could may / might must/have to should / would needn't	+ be Ved/3 + have Ved/3	Can/could be done Can/could have been done

USES OF THE PASSIVE VOICE PECULIAR TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1. We use the passive when it is not so important (or unknown) who or what did the action	E.g.: My article was publishedyesterday. Rome wasn't builtin one day. The origin of the Universe will never be explained.
2.It's wrong to consider the passive to be another way of expressing a sentence in the active voice. We use it only when we don't know or don't want to say who did it.	E.g.: Helen likesEnglish (But not "English is liked by Helen". It sounds funny in English).
3.Only the verbs which take on object can go into the passive. Intransitive verbs can't be used in the Passive voice. They are: - to fly, to arrive; - to be, to become; - to have, to lack, to possess, to consist, to belong; - to hold, to suit, to resemble, to fit; - to appear, to seem, to come, to go, to last	E.g.: The hall holds500 people. They havea nice house. My shoes don't fit me.Sylvia resemblesa Greek goddess. My mother lackstact.
4.There are sentences in the active having a passive meaning.	E.g.: This shirt irons well. Your book readswell. This coat will weara lifetime. The door closedand there was silence in the room.
5.If you want to say who did it or what caused the action, usebyor with.	E.g.: The house was built by my grandfather. It was destroyed by fire. The room was filled with smoke.
6. We use the infinitive after modal verbs and a number of other verbs. The passive infinitive is to be done / to have been done.	E.g: I want to be leftalone. The music could be heardfar away. My bicycle has disappeared. It must have beenstolen.

7. Passive constructions with the verbs to advise, to allow, to award, to deny, to forbid, to forgive, to grant, to offer, to order, to pay, to promise, to refuse, to show, to teach present some difficulties. In English the subject of such constructions corresponds to the Russian indirect object. The centre of passive construction in English is not changed. Pay attention to the following difference.

Active	Passive	E.g.: He was givena ten days' leave. Have you been shownthe documents? They were told to wait.
Russian	Я просил... Я сказал ему...	Меня попросили... мне сказали...
English	I asked... I told him...	I was asked... I was told...

8. The verbs which take prepositional objects can form passive construction of the following pattern: (the list is given below)

smb smth

is was will be

sent for spoken about laughed at

E.g.: The film was much spoken about. The doctor was sent for.

Mind the place of the preposition in Russian and English: Над ним часто смеются. Не is often laughed at.

О нем много говорили. He was much spoken about.

The verbs taking prepositional objects. It should be remembered that not all of them retain this preposition in Russian.

A. to agree to / with to agree on / upon to arrive at an agreement to arrive at a compromise to arrive at a conclusion to arrive at a decision to call for, on to count on to deal with to hear of to insist on / upon to interfere with to laugh at to look after to look at to put up with to refer to to rely on / upon to send for to speak about / of, to to talk about	-соглашаться с чем-то -прийти к соглашению -прийти к соглашению -прийти к компромиссу -прийти к заключению -прийти к решению -зайти за -надеяться, рассчитывать на -иметь дело с -слышать о -настаивать на -вмешиваться в, мешать -смеяться над -ухаживать за -смотреть на -примириться с -ссылаться на -полагаться на -посылать за -говорить о/с -говорить о	to think of to write about to find fault with to make fun of to pay attention to to take care of В. to account for to comment on to listen to to look for to operate on to provide for to lose sight of to make a fool of to make use of to put an end to to take (no) notice of	-думать о -писать о -придираться к -насмехаться над -обращать внимание на -заботиться о -объяснять -комментировать -слушать -искать -оперировать -снабжать -потерять из виду -дурачить -использовать -положить конец -(не) замечать
E.g.: The boat wassoon lost sight of. The child should be taken care of. His remark was taken no notice of.

EXERCISES

Ex. 1. (A, B) Write the sentences in the Passive.

Model: (my sister/operate on/a distinguished surgeon) →My sister will be operated on by a distinguished surgeon

1. (a sound of violin/hear/ in the hall). 2. (I/wake up/at 7 o'clock/my mother). 3. (the note/find/on my desk). 4. (his lecture/listen to/with great interest). 5. (the window/break/the other day). 6. (the letter/post/tomorrow). 7. (your report/discuss/next week). 8. (the time-table/change/in a week). 9. (we/meet/at the station Tom). 10. (the letter/bring/recently). 11. (the plan/agree upon). 12. (this cup/break/my little brother). 13. (she/show/the shortest way/station). 14. (the teacher/listen to/attentively).

Ex. 2. (B) Read the situation and write a sentence. Use the words in brackets.

Model: 1. He seldom keeps his promise, (he/can/ rely on). He can't be relied on.

2. He's very sensitive, (he/not like/to laugh at). He doesn't like to be laughed at!

1. The child is very ill. (The doctor/send for). 2. The old car is in excellent condition, (it/look after/well). 3. He was speaking for two hours, (he/listened to/in silence). 4. She is going into hospital tomorrow, (she/take good care of). 5. This little boy is always dirty, (he/look after/ properly). 6. She is always breaking things in the kitchen, (she/speak to/about her carelessness). 7. He's a sensible man. (his advice/listen to/carefully). 8. The dentist said her teeth were very bad. (they/take care of). 9. He never broke a promise in his life, (he/can/rely on). 10. Shakespeare was born more than 400 years ago. (he/look upon/the greatest of English poets).

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