Transcript Passive Voice

Passive Voice
Teacher Silvino Sieben
2ª série EM
You are being replaced by a
machine.
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 2
Form
 Different tenses of be (is, was, is being, have been, …)
+
past participle of the main verb.
 This article was written by a well-known journalist.
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 3
Form
* PP = Past participle
Passive Tense
Structure
Present Simple
am/are/is + PP*
English is spoken here.
Present
Continuous
am/are/is being +
PP
The house is being painted.
Past Simple
was/were + PP
I wasn’t invited, but I went.
Past Continuous
was/were being +
PP
I felt I was being watched.
Present Perfect
have/has been +
PP
Has Mary been told?
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 4
Form
* PP = Past participle
Passive Tense
Structure
Past Perfect
had been + PP*
I knew I had been forgotten.
Will future
will be + PP
You’ll be told soon.
Going to future
am/ are / is going
to be + PP
Who’s going to be invited?
Modal verbs
can/ must / should
/ would / must be
+ PP
It may be destroyed this
week.
can/ may/should /
would/ must
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 5
Structure
Subject
Passive:
This church was built in 1275.
Active:
They built this church in 1275.
Object
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 6
Structure
Subject
Passive:
German is spoken in Germany.
Active:
Germans speak German.
Object
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 7
Use
 We use the passive voice:
 when the agent is unknown;

My car was stolen last night. (I don’t know who stole my car)
 to emphasise the action rather than the agent;

The factory was painted during the war. (We are interested in the
factory.)
 when the agent is generally understood;

The thief was arrested (by the police).
 When we don’t want to say who the agent is/was.

A mistake was made. (Active voice: I made a mistake.)
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 8
Use
 The passive voice is usually used in:
 Newspapers (/ news);
 Formal notices;
 Scientific or technical writing.
Sunday, 03 April 2016  Page 9