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Thursday, February 16, 2012

PASSIVE VOICE



A. Definition

A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence. Take a look at this passive rephrasing of a familiar joke
 


B. Example Passive Voice
Tense                 Active                                                     Passive
Simple Present   We take a cake                                         A cake is taken by us
Simple Past       We took a cake                                         A cake was taken by us
Simple Future    We will take a cake                                    A cake will be taken by us
Present Perfect  We has taken a cake                                  A cake has been taken by us
Past Perfect       We had taken a cake                                  A cake had been taken by us
Going to-future   We are going to take a cake in the table      A cake is going to taken by us in the table


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)


C. Agent

In a passive clause, we usually use a phrase beginning with by if we want to mention the agent - the person or thing that does the action, or that causes what happens.
Examples:

  • My mother makes sandwich every morning.

  • Subject + verb1 + s/es + O + C (adv. of time)

  • Sandwich is made by my mother every morning.

  • Subject + to be + V3 + Agent + C (adv. of time)


If you want to change an active sentence which has two objects into its passive forms, there are two ways:

1. Make its indirect object into the subject of the passive sentence.

2. Make its direct object into the subject of the passive sentence.


Example:

Active:

John is giving his girl-friend a bunch of flower.

indirect object direct object.

Passive:

The indirect object as the subject.

John’s girl-friend is being given a bunch of flower.

Passive:

The direct object as the subject.

A bunch of flower is being given to John’s girl-friend.

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