Mohammed V University

Course: Grammar 2
Semester 2: Group A & D
Prof. Sarah Houssami

The Passive Voice

The passive is made with the verb to be in the tense of the verb in the active sentence + past
participle.
Spanish is spoken in many Latin American countries. (present simple passive)

My house is being painted. (present continuous passive)

The robber was arrested. (past simple passive)
The object of an active sentence becomes the subject of a passive sentence.
People give money to charity. (object: money)
Money is given to charity. (subject: money)
When to use the passive

1. When you don’t know who does the action: My car was stolen last night. (I don’t know
who stole it.)
2. When you aren’t interested in who does the action: I love this poem. It was written about
a hundred years ago. (I’m interested in the poem, not the poet.)
3. When the person who does the action is not important: All our computers are checked
before they leave the factory. (It isn’t important who checks them.)
4. When it’s obvious who does the action: The prisoner is being taken to the jail. (It’s
obvious that the police are taking him to jail.)
When not to use the passive

1. When the active is more direct and easier to understand.

2. Intransitive verbs can’t be passive because they don’t take an object, e.g. arrive, die, sit,
sleep. Also, you don’t use the passive with these verbs: agree with, belong, fit, have,
resemble, and suit.
Passive verb forms

• Present simple: tell(s) => am/is/are told

Once a week, Tom cleans the house.
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• Past simple: told => was/were told
Sam repaired the car.
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 • Present perfect: have/has told => have/has been told
Many tourists have visited the castle.
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• Past perfect: had told => had been told
George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic’s license.
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• Present continuous: am/is/are telling => am/is/are being told
Right now, Sarah is writing the letter.
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• Past continuous: was/were telling => was/were being told
The salesperson was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.
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• Present perfect continuous: has/have been telling => has/have been being told
Recently, John has been doing the work.
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• Past perfect continuous: had been telling => had been being told
Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant’s fantastic dinners for two years
before he moved to Paris.
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• Future simple: will tell => will be told | am/is going to tell / am/is going to be
told
Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM.
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Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.
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• Future continuous: will be telling => will be being told
At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes.
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• Future perfect: will have told => will have been told
They will have completed the project before the deadline.
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• Future perfect continuous: will have been telling => will have been being told
The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the
time it is finished.
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Special cases

• Verbs with two objects:

Active: David gave some books to Anna.
David gave Anna some books.

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 Passive: Some books were given to Anna.
Anna was given some books.
• Noun clause and reporting verbs:
Active: People say (that) Mr. Langdon lives in Spain now.
Passive: It is said that Mr. Langdon lives in Spain now.
Mr. Langdon is said to live in Spain now.
Verbs of opinion: say, claim, think, expect, know, believe, understand, consider,
find, etc.
• Verb + object + -ing:
Active: They saw him climbing over the fence.
Passive: He was seen climbing over the fence.
Other verbs in this pattern include bring, catch, hear, find, keep, notice, send,
show. Passives with these verbs are only possible when the subject and the object
of the active and the subject of the passive are people.
• Verb + to infinitive + object:
Active: His colleagues started to respect Tim.
Passive: Tim started to be respected (by his colleagues).
Other verbs in this pattern include appear, begin, come, continue, seem, tend,
agree, aim, attempt, hope, refuse, struggle, and try.
• Verb + object + to infinitive:
Active: Mr. Price taught Peter to sing.
Passive: Peter was taught to sing by Mr. Price.
Other verbs in this pattern include advise, allow, ask, believe, consider, expect,
feel, instruct, mean, order, report, require, tell, understand.
• Verbs such as decide/demand/agree/arrange + infinitive + object:
Active: He decided to sell the car.
Passive: He decided that the car should be sold.
• Verbs such as advise/insist/propose/recommend/suggest + gerund + object:
Active: They suggested announcing the results on Friday.
Passive: They decided that the results should be announced on Friday.
• Imperative form:
The construction let + object + be/get + past participle is used:
Active: Serve the best meals.
Passive: Let the best meals be served.

Practice:

Write passive sentences. Include a by phrase only if you think it’s necessary.
A. When we arrived, a waiter was serving dinner.

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 B. The mother gave birth to George on 4 October.
C. Dufy painted this picture.
D. Auctioneers will sell the painting at auction.
E. Someone’s offered me a better job.
F. They’re taking the goods to the market.
G. Someone owes me a lot of money.
H. The police have arrested the mugger.
I. By the time I got back, someone had ordered the coffee.
J. I’m sure my uncle invented this machine

Complete these extracts from newspaper articles with an appropriate tense of the verbs
given. Decide whether active or passive forms are needed.
A. Rush Hour Crashes Cause Chaos
build up / cause / close / fly / happen / involve
Two rush-hour accidents ______________ chaos for Glasgow motorists last night. In the
first, traffic _________________ on the M8 after a section of the road ________________
to allow an air-ambulance to pick up an injured motorist. The victim ________________
to the General Hospital with serious injuries. Six vehicles ________________ in the
accident which ____________________ at 5:30 on the southbound carriageway.
B. Award for Local Musician
award / give / join / plan / play / teach
A promising young clarinet player _______________ a scholarship to a top European
music academy Katie Slater, aged 17, ___________________ the Danish Academy of
Music in Copenhagen in September, where she __________________ by leading
musicians. She ___________________ since the age of six when she _________________
a clarinet by her grandfather. She _______________ to go on to become a professional
musician.
C. Health Workers Freed
drive / free / hold / include / insist / pay / reunite
Three UN health workers and a pilot _______________ yesterday, after they
______________ in captivity by the separatist rebels for over 10 weeks. The two men and
two women __________________ to the capital where they _________________ with
colleagues and relatives. The captives __________________ two Germans, a Belgian and
a Norwegian. A spokesman for the UN _____________________ that no ransom money
__________________ to the kidnappers.