Passive voice

We use the passive when we want to change the focus of a clause, or if the doer of the verb
is not important or not known or if we do not want to say who the doer is.

Be + V3/ed

tense be form examples

Am I invited too?
am
One or two new types of insect are found in
present simple are
Britain each year.
is
It’s not made in China.

am Am I being recorded?
present
are being We’re already being served, thanks.
continuous
is That computer isn’t being used any more.

The story was reported in yesterday’s paper.

was
past simple We didn’t know what was in the boxes.
were
They weren’t labelled.

was Was he being examined?

past continuous being
were They were being watched carefully.

present perfect have Haven’t they been asked to the wedding?

been + V3/ed
simple has He’s been hurt.

past perfect An important discovery had been made.

had been
simple Had he been injured in the war?

Reservations can be accepted up to 24 hours

can
before arrival.
modal simple will be
I don’t think I’ll ever be paid.
might
Might we not be allowed to go in?

could She couldn’t still be being interviewed.

modal
may be being The photocopier may be being repaired.
continuous
must It must be being done now.

Do you think we could have been heard?

modal perfect could
have been The document must have been written when
simple must
they sold the house.

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Verbs with two objects
When verbs have two objects, either object can be the theme or subject of the passive
structure, depending on what we want to focus on:
Her mother gave each child a present. (active)
A present was given to each child (by her mother). (passive)
Each child was given a present (by her mother). (passive)

Linking verbs
We don’t form passive structures with verbs like be, become, seem where the complement of
the verb refers back to the subject (linking verbs):
After six years of training she has finally become a doctor.
Passives with and without an agent

Passives with an agent

We use the preposition by to introduce the doer or the agent of the action. We use this
structure when the agent is important:
Mr Ward has been arrested by the FBI.
The community was destroyed by a flood in 1862.
When the subject of the passive clause is not the real agent of the verb, we use other
prepositions in passive structures:
I’d been decorating the bedroom and I was covered in paint. (Paint isn’t the real agent; I am
the agent; I was painting.)
When the doer or agent of the action is an instrument, we use with:
The door was smashed open with a hammer.

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 Passive: typical errors
 We don’t form passive structures with intransitive verbs:
She died.
Not: She was died.
 We don’t form passive structures with verbs that describe states:
Those shoes don’t suit the dress.
Not: The dress isn’t suited by those shoes.
 We use the past form of be + born to talk about someone’s birth:
She was born at home.
Not: She is born at home.

Get passive
We form the get passive with get + -ed form:
The trees in the garden were damaged in the wind. (standard passive)
The trees in the garden got damaged in the wind. (get passive)
We use the get passive especially in informal speaking.
There were blizzards overnight and the whole town got snowed in.
I’ve got good news for you. Jim finally got promoted.
They had only known each other for six months when they got married in Las Vegas.
The get passive is commonly used in speaking of events that are negative or not desired:
They’ve worked there for three years but they still got sacked (lost their jobs).
He feels his paintings are always getting criticised.
Our car got stolen last night.
We sometimes use a reflexive pronoun with the get passive. This suggests the subject was at
least partly responsible for the event or made it happen:
I got myself locked out the other day. I stupidly left my keys in the bedroom. (or I got locked
out …)

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Have something done

What someone does for us

We use have + object + -ed form when we talk about someone doing something for us which
we ask or instruct them to do. It emphasizes the process/action rather than who performs it:
We’re having the house painted next week.
(We are not going to paint the house ourselves. Someone else will paint it. The
emphasis is on the fact that the house is being painted rather than who is doing it.)
Warning:
This pattern is not the same as the present perfect or past perfect.
Compare

I had my hair cut. Someone cut my hair.

I’ve cut my hair.

I cut my own hair.
I’d cut my hair.

We can also use have + object + -ed form when something bad happens, especially when
someone is affected by an action which they did not cause:
They’ve had their car stolen.
Hundreds of people had their homes destroyed by the hurricane.

Asking or instructing
We use the pattern have + object + infinitive without to when we talk about instructing
someone (underlined) to do something. We use it to emphasise who performed the action:
I’ll have Harry book you a taxi.
(I will instruct Harry to book a taxi for you. Emphasis is on who will do the action more
than on the action.)
He had Kay make us all some tea.

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PRACTICE
Task 1. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence. Leave out any unnecessary agents.
1 The company is importing the main components from Poland.

The main components

2 Someone invented the magnetic compass about a thousand years ago in China.

The magnetic compass

3 The government is increasing the price of fuel oil from tomorrow.

The price

4 You must complete all projects by 31st March.

All projects

5 Many people have heard the noise of the explosion.

The noise of

6 While the authorities were transporting the painting from Paris to Rome, it was damaged
in a train crash.

The painting was damaged in a train crash

7 The university will publish the test results at the end of the month.

The test results

8 Recently scientists have discovered other stars with planets in orbit around them.

Recently other stars

9 The authorities are closing the laboratory until further notice.

The laboratory

10 He suggested using bullet proof glass.

He suggested

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Task 2. Rewrite each sentence changing the active to passive, or passive to active.
Only include an agent if this is needed, and make any other necessary changes.

1 The cells use glucose to provide energy.

2 We provided all the athletes taking part with laptops and video cameras.

3 Health experts advise everyone to eat 400 grammes of fruit and vegetables per day.

4 Nobody knows how the fire began.

5 According to reports, coastal areas have been hit the hardest by the storm.

6 Worldwide we spent around $400 billion dollars on advertising last year.

7 If I were asked to rejoin the project, I would refuse.

8 Smith has been forced to abandon the Tour de France after breaking his arm.

9 We showed him how to do it.

10 They told him when to start.

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Task 3*. Passive constructions of Sentence Patterns.
1 He saw that the plan was useless.
It is seen by him that the plan was useless
2 He explained that nothing could be done.
It is explained by him that nothing could be done.
3 The newspapers say that the Prime Minister will come back soon.
It is said by the newspaper that the Prime Minister will come back soon.
4 The experts say that we shall have a cold winter.
It is said by the experts that we shall have a cold winter.
5 They said that the President had arrived in the city.
The President is said to have arrived in the city
6 They said that the President was arriving in the city.
The President is said to be arrived in the city.
7 They expect that the President will arrive soon.
The President is expected to
8 They report that two people were killed in the explosion.
Two people were reported to have been killed in the explosion
9 They showed me that he was an honest man.
That
10 John mentioned to me that she was sick.
That
11 He has bought his son a bicycle.
A bicycle
His son
12 I remember my father taking me to the zoo.
I remember
13 She hates people looking at her.  She
14 He kept me waiting.  I
15 I found him working at his desk.  He
16 I should love somebody to take me out to dinner.
I should love

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17 I didn’t expect the police to find my car.
I didn’t expect
18 I made him do it.  He
19 They have never known him behave so badly.
He
20 We saw them go out.  They
21 They let her go.  She
22 They let Bob teach Mary.  They
23 He let people cheat him.  He
24 I found the box empty.  The box
25 We elected him chairman.  He
26 Give the order.  Let
27 Do not insult the weak.  Let
28 Enter by this door.  You
29 Write your name on this piece of paper.
Let
30 Don’t let Nam hear you.
Don’t let yourself
31 They ordered the man to be shot.
The man
32 Someone has found the boy the people wanted.
The boy
33 People expected you to interest yourself in the job they have offered you.
You
34 He told me that his dog bit his child.
I was told by him that his child was bitten by his dog.
35 The boy who met you yesterday had mailed that letter.
That letter
You
36 Why didn’t Alice sing that song?
Why

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37 When did he meet her?
When
38 Where did your child find the key?
Where
39 How does your mother make pudding?
How
40 Who wrote this sentence?
By
41 Whose dog bit the policeman?
By
42 Which boy can answer this question?
By