The receiver of the action

La voz activa el sujeto de la oracin realiza la accin

Ej: John painted the house last week.

Sujeto

Objet
o

Ej2: Bell invented the telephone.

Sujeto
Objeto

La voz pasiva el sujeto recibe la oracin

Ej: The telephone was invented by Bell.
Sujeto

Ej 2: The house was painted last week. Notice that the object of the active
sentence
(house)
became
Sujeto
Accin

the subject of the passive sentence.

Cundo se usa?
We do not know who did the action
Example: The documents were stolen. (we dont know who stole
the documents)
The receiver of the action is more important
Example: The pyramids were built nearly 5,000 years ago by the
ancient Egyptians.
(we want to emphasize pyramids more than ancient Egyptians)
Example 2 :The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. (We
are more interested in the painting than the artist in this sentence)
When the subject is very long:
Example :I was surprised by how well the students did in the test.

(More natural than: 'how well the students did in the test surprised
me)
In order to put the new information at the end of the
sentence to improve style: Example: Three books are used
regularly in the class. The books were written by Dr. Bell. ('Dr. Bell
wrote the books' sound clumsy [Tosco])
How to change the receiver of the action:
Si queremos decir quin es responsable de la accin en una frase
pasiva, primero empezamos con el objeto + verbo to be
( dependiendo del tiempo) + past participle + preposicin by +
sujeto.
Example: The flowers were watered by the gardener
Example 2: The house is cleaned by Tom. (Active: Tom cleans the
house)
Example 3: The car was repaired by Sam. (Active: Tom cleans the
house)
Example 4: The flowers must be watered by the gardener (Active: The
gardener must water the flowers)
Example 5: A letter is written by Anne. (Active: Anne writes a letter.)
Example 6: A letter was written by Anne (Active: Anne wrote a letter)

No se usa la preposicin, cuando:

Cuando el agente es evidente: The money was stolen (by a thief)
Cuando el agente no es importante: The building is cleaned daily (by the
cleaning staff)
Cuando no sabemos o no podemos decir con certeza quin es el agente:
Watching TV is often considered a waste of time (by people).
Passive Voice (present): the passive voice uses the verbs is and are +
past participle of the main verb. The passive voice present is often
used to describe:

 Processes: First the apples are picked, then they are cleaned,
and finally theyre packed and shipped to the market.
General thoughts, opinions, and beliefs:
- New York is considered the most diverse city in the U.S.
- Hungarian is seen as one of the worlds most difficult languages to
learn.
- Skin cancers are thought to be caused by excessive exposure to
the sun.

Passive Voice (Past): The passive voice uses the

Other
situations
verbs was and were + past participle of the main verb. The passive
when the person
voice past is often used to describe:
who did the action
is
unknown
or
Events in history
unimportant.
George Washington was elected president in 1788.
Crimes / Accidents

- Two people were killed in a drive-by shooting on Friday night.

- Ten children were injured when part of the school roof collapsed.
Presente Continuo (ing):
Active: My brother is studying the lesson.
Pasive: The lesson is being studied by my brother.
Pasado Continuo:
Active: My brother was studying the lesson.
Pasive: The lesson was being studied by my brother
Presente Perfecto:
Active : My brother has studied the lesson.
Pasive: The lesson has been studied by my brother.
Pasado Perfecto
Active: My brother had studied the lesson
Pasive: The lesson had been studied by my brother