Relating Sentences Passive

Active: Mary sang a song.

Passive: A song was sung by Mary.
Active: John ate the cake.
Passive: The cake was eaten by John.
The object of the active sentence becomes
the subject of the passive sentence.
The subject of the active sentence
becomes an optional argument of the
passive sentence.
This is called a by phrase

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. First, only transitive verbs can be

passivized!
II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
IV. The verb in its Past Participle Form follows
be.
Example:
John ate a banana.
I. eat is a transitive verb! So we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: A banana
III. Add the auxiliary be: A banana was
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
A banana was eaten.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Sam is making coffee.
I. make is a transitive verb, so we may
proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: Coffee
III. Add the auxiliary be: Coffee is being
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
Coffee is being made.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Sam will study linguistics.
I. study is a transitive verb, so we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: Linguistics
III. Add the auxiliary be: Linguistics will be
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
Linguistics will be studied.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Sue has watched that musical.
I. watch is a transitive verb, so we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: That musical
III. Add the auxiliary be: That musical has
been
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
That musical has been watched.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Jane was baking a cake.
I. bake is a transitive verb, so we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: A cake
III. Add the auxiliary be: A cake was
being
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
A cake was being baked.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Jane had bought a new car.
I. buy is a transitive verb, so we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: A new car
III. Add the auxiliary be: A new car had
been
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
A new car had been bought.

How do you passivize a

sentence?

I. Only transitive verbs can be passivized!

II. Take the object and make it the subject.
III. The subject is followed by the auxiliary be.
Make sure be is in the correct tense.
Example:
Sue would have seen him.
I. see is a transitive verb, so we may proceed.
II. Object becomes subject: He
III. Add the auxiliary be: He would have
been
IV. Add the verb in its Past Participle Form:
He would have been seen.

Tense of Passive
Sentences
The tense of the passive sentence is determined by the
auxiliary be (the verb is always Past Participle!)

1. The cake was eaten.

2. The mail is collected
daily.
3. Fun will be had.
4. The cake had been
eaten.
5. The mail has been
collected.

Past Simple
Present Simple
Future Simple
Past Perfect
Present Perfect
Future Perfect
Past
Progressive

From Active to Passive

When converting a sentence from active to
passive, be sure to keep the tense the same!

1. John is smoking a
cigar.
2. Sam hit Bill.
3. Jane was reading a
book.
4. Sue will watch a
movie.
5. Bill likes Mary.

A cigar is being
smoked.
Bill was hit.
A book was being
read.
A movie will be
watched.
Mary is liked.
Fun was had.

Active and Passive - Argument

Structure

What is the argument

structure:
1. Sam kissed Jane.
kiss:

verb; 1
2
NP NP

Remember the
kiss (passive): verb; 1
(2) By- Phrase
NP PP is optional!
2. Jane was kissed by Sam.

3. Jane was kissed.

kiss (passive): verb; 1
NP PP

When theres no
(2) By-Phrase the
sentence is a

Active and Passive - Argument

Structure

What is the argument structure:

1. Bill washed his car.
wash:

verb;

1
NP

2
NP

2. The car was washed.

wash (passive): verb; 1

(2)
NP PP

3. The bills were paid.

pay (passive): verb; 1
(2)
NP PP

Convert to Truncated
Passives

1. The lions chased the gazelles.

2. Clark walked around the campfire.
3. You can use those.
4. They will make a pie.
5. They had discovered a treasure.
6. We were watching this DVD yesterday.
7. Many farmers raise sheep.
8. GM has manufactured cars for decades.
9. We had lunch.
10. They will publish the book.

How to recognize a passive

sentence?

Passive sentences always contain the

auxiliary be, followed by a verb in the
past participle form.
Example:
Passive: John was kissed.
Active: John was kissing Mary.
II. Passive sentences contain a verb that
selects (at least) two arguments, yet
one of these arguments is always
optional, and could only appear in a byphrase!
Passive: John was kissed (by Mary).
I.

Active or Passive?
1. They bought the house by the railroad tracks.
2. Their daughter had been selected for that honor.
3. Mary was enjoying the cake by herself.
4. The monument is being designed by a known
sculptor.
5. Billy was staying at that hotel by the beach.
6. The milk was once delivered every morning.
7. The population of N.Y has increased by a million.
8. The judge has been detained by his clerk.
9. The door will be locked by the night custodian.
10. The investigator was walking by the courtroom.

Subjects
Note what the book says about Subjects of
passives:

The book says that in passive sentences

the subject does not come before the
verb.

This is a serious mistake!!!

Subjects
Two important properties of Subjects are:
I. Only subject pronouns can be subjects
1. I repaired this computer.
2. This computer was repaired by me.
me cannot be the subject of sentence 2.
II. Only the Subject agrees with the verb

1. They like
cake.
2. He likes

3. Cake is liked by
them.
4. Cake is liked by me.

5. Cakes are

Homework
Read and do all the
exercises of lesson 52
Watch out for quick-tip
52.2

Relating Sentences Questions

Every declarative sentence

corresponds to a yes/no
interrogative sentence
1. She has been living in N.Y. all her life.
2. Has she been living in N.Y. all her life?
3. John will study tonight.
4. Will John study tonight?
To form a yes/no question we do

Subject Aux. Inversion.

The Auxiliary do
1. John loves basketball.
2. Does John love basketball?
If there is no auxiliary, we add the auxiliary
do.
Aux. do requires the verb that follows it to
be in the Base Form!
Aux. do determines the tense of the
sentence:
do / does Present simple
did Past simple

Relating Sentences Negatives

Every positive sentence corresponds

to a negative sentence
1. John will eat the cake.
2. John will not eat the cake.
3. Mary has been singing at the opera.
4. Mary has not been singing at the opera.
To make a sentence negative we add the
word not after the first auxiliary.

The Auxiliary do
1. John loves basketball.
2. John Does not love basketball.
If there is no auxiliary, we add the auxiliary
do.
Aux. do requires the verb that follows it to
be in the Base Form!
Aux. do determines the tense of the
sentence:
do / does Present simple
did Past simple

An Important Exception The

verb be

We form a question by doing: Subject Aux.

Inver.
If there is no Aux., we add the auxiliary Do.
We form a neg. by adding not after the first Aux.
If there is no auxiliary, we add the auxiliary Do.
But look what happens when the verb is be:
1. John is a student.
Question: Is John a student?
Negative: John is not a student. No Aux.
Conclusion: For purposes of question or negative
added!!
formation the verb be behaves like an auxiliary.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Why are these sentences

starred?

*Jane has been not living here for years.

*John eat the cake?
*Bill not like apples.
*Did Sam drank his coffee?

Homework
Read lesson 51.
Read and do all the
exercises of lesson 53.