The passive voice - grammar rules

Form Present simple: The car is repaired. Present continuous: The car is being repaired. Past simple: The car was repaired. Past continuous: The car was being repaired. Present perfect: The car has just been repaired. Past perfect: The car had been repaired. Future simple: The car will be repaired. Present conditional : The car would be repaired. Perfect conditional: The car would have been repaired. The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle, which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular verbs (taken, thrown). Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened. Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened? Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened. The continuous forms are as follows. (Other continuous tenses are not normally used in the passive.) Present: A new house is being built in our street. Past: A new house was being built in our street. In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned. We do not know it. Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it). If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and use the preposition by. The flowers were planted by my mother. But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it). Direct and indirect objects If there are both objects in a sentence, the indirect object becomes the subject in the passive voice. Active: My friend sent me a letter. Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (Not: A letter was sent to me by my friend. This sentence does not sound natural in English.) Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place. The infinitive without to In the active voice some verbs are followed by the infinitive without to. In the passive we use most such verbs with the infinitive with to. Active: We saw them come. She made him do it. Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it. But: They let us go. - We were let go.

Use The passive voice is used: 1. If the action is more important then the agent. A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868. The important thing is what happened, not who did it. 2. If the agent is not known. He was offered a job. (someone offered him the job) They are supposed to be good students. (some teachers suppose that) The difference in meaning between the simple and continuous A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.) A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.) I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the middle of the introduction.) When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then she introduced me.) Notes The passive voice is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles. English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed. In a less formal style the active voice is more usual. English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop. He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover. The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal. In the English language the passive is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover, you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages. I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon.

FINAL TEST 4 ESO

1.- CHANGE INTO PASSIVE VOICE:

a) Someone sent me a text message yesterday b) They keep the cat inside the house c) My friends are watching a film d) Film stars wear fashionable clothes e) My cousin found the lost dogs yesterday f) Tom's grandmother has sewn these dresses

2.- CHANGE INTO REPORTED SPEECH:

a) "I don't speak German" Mary said Mary said that b) "The film began at ten o'clock yesterday" Tom said Tom said that c) "Does she know Sarah?" Sean asked Sean asked d) "Say hello to Jim" My mum told My mum told me e) "How much have you saved?" She wanted to know She asked f) "Don't talk to me like that or I'll punish you" My father ordered My father ordered me

3.- REPHRASE THESE SENTENCES:

a) People will choose him for president He b) "Don't forget your notebook" The teacher told me The teacher told me c) When did they steal your mobile phone? When was d) "What time is it?" She wanted to know e) She offered us some water We

4.- COMPLETE THESE CONDITIONAL

SENTENCES USING THE CORRECT TENSE:
a) If it weren's so late, I (GO SHOPPING) b) We can visit the cathedral if we (HAVE) time c) If the weather (BE) better, the plane wouldn't have crashed d) We would win the match if Adrian (PLAY) with us e) If I had studied, I (PASS) yesterday's exam

5.- CHOOSE THE RIGHT PREPOSITION:

a) It depends the weather b) Stop listening that song. It gives me headache c) I'll wait you at the park d) I don't care politics e) Don't laugh your sister f) We arrived the station at half-past two g) Ask the manager h) She will graduate University soon

6.- COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

WITH THE WORDS BELOW:
PERFORMS VOICE APPRECIATE OBEY CLIPS a) The Rolling Stones' first was "Not fade away". They didn't have MTV or video on those days b) Cassandra Wilson is a great singer. She has got such a beautiful c) I've taught my dog to me d) I will you whenever you need my support e) We will your help f) Robert de Niro is my favourite actor. He in a lot of films

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