THE PASSIVE VOICE

INTRODUCTION

The passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the
active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb. The subject of the active verb becomes
the agent of the passive verb. The agent is very often not mentioned. When it is mentioned it is
preceded by by and placed at the end of the clause.

Active: My grandfather planted this tree.

Passive: This tree was planted by my grandfather.
PASIVE VERB TENSES

ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

Present Simple He delivers the letters. The letters are delivered.
Past Simple He delivered the letters. The letters were delivered.
Future Simple He will deliver the letters. The letters will be delivered.
Present Continuous He is delivering the letters. The letters are being delivered.
Past Continuous He was delivering the letters. The letters were being delivered.
Going to He is going to deliver the letters. The letters are going to be delivered.
Present Perfect He has delivered the letters. The letters have been delivered.
Past Perfect He had delivered the letters. The letters had been delivered.
Infinitive He has to deliver the letters. The letters have to be delivered.
Modals He must deliver the letters. The letters must be delivered.
USES OF THE PASSIVE
1. When the agent (=the person who does the action) is unknown, unimportant or obvious from the
context.
Jane was shot. (We dont know who shot her.)
This church was built in 1815. (Unimportant agent)
He has been arrested. (Obviously by the police)
2. To make more polite or formal statements.

The car hasnt been cleaned (more polite)

3. When the action is more important than the agent, as in processes, instructions, events, reports,
headlines, new items, and advertisements.
30 people were killed in the earthquake.
4. To put emphasis on the agent.
The new library will be opened by the Queen.

AGENT

To say who did the action that we are talking about, i.e. to refer to the agent, we use the preposition
BY, and the name (by Peter), noun (by the teacher) or pronoun (by him) at the end of the sentence.

We usually only refer to the agent when it gives us some important information which otherwise would
be missing from the sentence.

Our house was designed by a famous architect.

We dont mention the agent:
1. If we dont know who has done what we are talking about.
 Our car was stolen last night. (We dont know who stole it)
2. If we are not interested in who has done what we are talking about or it is not important to
mention it.
He has been taken to hospital. (What we are interested in is the fact that he
has been taken to hospital and not who has taken him.)
3. If it is easy to understand who did something without it being mentioned.
The murderer was arrested last night. (It is not necessary to mention
that he has been arrested by the police because it is self-evident.)
4. If the subject of the active voice sentence is something like somebody, people, they, you, etc.
Someone broke the window. The window was broken.

ACTIVE TO PASSIVE
To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice:
The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.
Agatha Christie wrote this book.
This book was written by Agatha Christie.
We change the main verb of the active voice sentence into the passive voice. The tense remains
unchanged.
The subject of the active voice sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence. It is placed after
the past participle and it is preceded by the preposition by. Ex.: Agatha Christie wrote this book
this book was written by Agatha Christie.

Leslie took this photograph yesterday.

SUBJECT ACTIVE VERB OBJECT TIME COMPLEMENT

This photograph was taken by Leslie yesterday.

SUBJECT PASSIVE VERB AGENT TIME COMPLEMENT

DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS

When we have verbs that take two objects like, for example, give somebody something, we can
convert the active sentence into a passive one in two ways:
1) By making the indirect (animate) object the subject of the passive voice sentence, which is the
way we usually prefer.
2) By making the direct (inanimate) object the subject of the passive voice.
Rick gave me (indirect object) this book (direct object).
I was given this book by Rick.
3 This book was given to me by Rick.
Some of the verbs that take two objects are: give, tell, send, show, bring, write, offer, pay, etc.
When the indirect object is alone after the verb in the passive voice sentence, it needs the
preposition to. If the indirect object of the active voice sentence is a personal pronoun it has to be
changed into a subject pronoun to be the subject of the passive voice sentence.

SUBJECT OBJECT SUBJECT OBJECT

I me We us
You you You you
He Him They them
She her
It it
 ADAPTED FROM:

- Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman.

- Jervis, S. (2003). Grammar Time 5. London: Longman.
- Thomson & Martinet (1996). A Practical English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

IT+APASSIVEVOICEVERB+ATHATCLAUSE

We can use it + a passive voice verb + a that clause to avoid mentioning an agent. We use this
structure with past participles such as believed, confirmed, considered, estimated, feared, hoped,
known, mentioned, reported, said, andthought.

Active Voice: People said that he is billionaire.

Passive Voice: It is said that he is billionaire.

We can also use the subject of the active that clause as the subject of the passive sentence.

Active voice: People said that he is a billionaire

Passive voice: He is said to be a billionaire
ADAPTED FROM: Cambridge. Org:
http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412688

CAUSATIVE SENTENCES WITH HAVE AND GET: PASSIVE VOICE

We can form passive causative sentences with have and get, but not with make.

Subject Have/Get Object Past Participle

I have my hair styled by Lorenzo.
We have had our car serviced twice this year.
She had her winter coat cleaned last week.
H is getting his car washed this afternoon.
e
You should get your eyes tested soon.

When we use have or get in a passive causative sentence, we do not use to with the past
participle.
Correct: He got his hair cut.
Incorrect: He got his hair to cut.
We can use the causative with modals and in all forms.
We use the normal rules to form negative statements, questions, and short answers.

Negative statements I dont have my hair styled by Lorenzo.

He isnt getting his car washed this afternoon.
Yes/No questions Did she have her winter coat cleaned last week?
Should I get my eyes tested?
Wh- questions Who had the car serviced?
What did John have serviced?

FUNCTION
1. We use the passive form of the causative when we want to stress what was done and not who did it.
We do not use by + an agent when we dont know who did it, or when it is not important who did it.
She has her hair styled every week. I got the refrigerator fixed.
2. We use by + an agent when it is important to mention the person doing the service.
 She has her hair styled by Lorenzo. (The speaker wants to mention the agent, Lorenzo.)
I must get my suit cleaned this week. (The speaker is not interested in mentioning the agent.)
3. We use the causative with have when something unpleasant or unexpected happens to someone.
We had our passports stolen when we went on vacation
ADAPTED FROM: Cambridge. Org:
http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412688

1. Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

FIAT

Fiat .(started/was started) by a group of Italian businessmen in 1899. In 1903, Fiat,

(produced/was produced) 132 cars. Some of these cars
.. (exported/were exported) by the company to the United States and Britain.
In 1920, Fiat .(started/was started) making cars at a new factory at Lingotto,
near Turin. There was a track on the roof where the cars.(tested/were tested)
by technicians. In 1936, Fiat launched the Fiat 500. This car.(called/was called) the
Topolino the Italian name for Mickey Mouse. The company grew, and in 1963
Fiat.(exported/was exported) more than 300,000 vehicles. Today, Fiat is based in
Turin, and its cars .(sold/are sold) all over the world.

ADAPTED FROM: Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman.
2. Change the following sentences into passive sentences using the words in brackets.

1) We sell tickets for all shows at the Box Office. (Tickets for all shows/sell/at the Box
Office)

2) Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. (The electric light bulb/invent/by Thomas
Edison)

3) Someone painted the office last week. (The office/paint/last week)

4) Several people saw the accident. (The accident/see/by several people)

5) Where do they make these video recorders? (Where/these video recorders/make)

ADAPTED FROM: Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman.
3. Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice.

a. They will build a new bridge next year.

b. Brian Brody directed The Ultimate Space Adventure.

c. Pierre Matie will design her costume.

d. Someone found my wallet.

5
6
e. One of the students broke the window.
 f. They will deliver my computer on Monday
g. Mary invited Paul to her birthday party.

h. British astronomers discovered a new planet.

ADAPTED FROM: Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman.
4. Rewrite the following passages in the Passive.
Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The police are
searching for the bus now. They will use the childrens descriptions to catch the thief.

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Some people saw a UFO in the sky above London last night. They reported it to the police.
The army sent a helicopter to look at it more closely. The UFO shot the helicopter down and
killed both men in it. People have given photographs of the UFO to the police. Experts are
looking at them now.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ADAPTED FROM: Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman
5. Turn from Active to Passive in two ways.
1) He gave me a present.

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2) The waiter will bring us the bill.

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3) Her mother bought Mary some sweets.

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4) Bob has sold Ted a second-hand car.

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5) Larry is going to send a letter to Tom.

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ADAPTED FROM: Evans, V. (1995). Round-Up (English Grammar Practice). London: Longman
6. Find or make up three newspaper headlines. Ask a partner or the class to make a passive sentence
from each. Discuss: Can we write all headlines in the passive voice?
 Example:
HEADLINE: Local Student Chosen for Big Scholarship
PASSIVE VOICE SENTENCE: A local student has been chosen for a big scholarship.

1)

2)

3)

ADAPTED FROM: CAMBRIDGE. ORG

http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412688

7. Rewrite the sentences using It is that

1) We know that fruits and vegetables are important for our health.
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2)Many doctors think that some fruits and grains can help to prevent cancer.
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3) People say that fruit improves your immune system.
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4) We believe that nuts help to lower cholesterol.
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5) Dentists know eating a lot of sugar can be bad for our teeth.
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6) We believe that calcium builds strong bones and teeth
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SOURCE: CAMBRIDGE. ORG

http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412688
8. Complete the following statements with a noun + a passive voice verb. Use the past participles of
verbs like think, say, expect, report, or consider + the infinitive in parentheses.

1) (to be) the best singer of the decade.

2) (to taste).delicious, but I have never eaten it/one/them.
3) (to win) the World Cup this year.
4) (to have). a financial recovery soon.
5) (to be)..good for your health.

SOURCE: CAMBRIDGE. ORG

http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412688
9. Write a sentence about what you can have done (or get done) at these places.

1. copy shop 3 dry cleaners 5 hair salon

. .
2. dentists office 4 garage 6 laundromat
. .
1) You can get copies made at a copy shop. You can also get them bound
2) ..
3) ..
4) ..
5) ..
6) ..
ADAPTED FROM : CAMBRIDGE. ORG
http://www.cambridge.org/servlet/file/Grammar_Form_and_Function_L3_Unit8.pdf?ITEM_ENT_ID=7412
688
10. Rewrite these sentences using have or get.
1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.
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2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
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3. A decorator has repainted our house.
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4. A friend of mine, whos an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.
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5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaners.
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6. The town hall has just been rebuilt for the council.

SOURCE: EOI OVIEDO: http://www.eoioviedo.org/anacarmen/passive/causative%20verbs.pdf