The Passive Voice Ppt

The passive voice

FORM: Examples • • • • • • • • • •

Present Simple She writes a letter Present Continuous She is writing a letter Present Perfect Simple She has written a letter Past Simple She wrote a letter Past Continuous She was writing a letter Past Perfect Simple She had written a letter Future Simple She will write a letter Future Perfect Simple She will have written a letter Be going to She is going to wrote a letter Modals / semi-modals She has to / can write a letter

Present Simple A letter is written (by her) A letter is being written. A letter has been written A letter was written A letter was being written A letter had been written A letter will be written A letter will have been written A letter is going to be written A letter has to / can be written

Structure •

Active Voice: Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Complements She

•

writes

a letter

in her desk

Passive Voice: Subject + ‘to be’ + participle of main verb + Complements + (Agent) A letter

is

written

in her desk

(by her)

Indirect Compl. as Subject •

If there is a direct and an indirect object in the active sentence, the indirect object is preferred as the subject of the passive voice.

•

Active Voice:

Subject + verb + D.O. + I.O. + Complements They bought a watch to Peter for his birthday.

•

Passive Voice:

Sub. + ‘to be’ + partic. + D.O. + Compl. + (Agent)

Peter was bought a watch for his birthday (by them).

Agent • By + noun is used to say who does the action. If we don’t know who does the action, or it is someone or something unknown or general, we don’t use by.  Somebody should have cleaned the windows yesterday  The windows should have been cleaned yesterday.

MAIN USES •

To focus on the action rather than on the person who performs the action.  A lot of houses were broke into last month. (Entraron en muchas casas [a robar] el mes pasado; we focus on the action).

•

We don’t know who / what performed the action or we don’t want to say it.  The window was broken (Han roto la ventana; we don’t know who broke the window)

•

When the agent is irrelevant.  A house is going to be built in this place (se va a construir una casa en este lugar; we don’t mind who’s going to build the house).

•

In formal speech.  It has been decided that no cell phones should be used (Se ha decidido que no se podrán usar teléfonos móviles).

SPECIAL CASES •

Passive infinitive modal verb + BE + past participle  The job must be finished

•

Passive + to + infinitive, with verbs: believe, consider, know, suppose, think  He is supposed to be funny.

•

Impersonal expressions (same verbs as before)- It is believed that... (se cree que...)  It is believed that he was hidden in a cave.

•

Verb + preposition: the preposition is placed after the verb:  I will look after your children  Your children will be looked after by me.

OMISSION OF THE AGENT • • • • • •

We don’t know who the agent is.  He has been murdered (Ha sido asesinado). The agent is not important.  I’ve been told the bank is closed. (Me han dicho que el banco está cerrado; no importa quién lo ha dicho). It’s obvious what or who the agent is.  She wasn’t paid this month (No le han pagado este mes; el agente es obvio: el jefe). The agent has been already mentioned.  He responded quickly, and new answers were given (Él respondió rápidamente, y nuevas respuestas fueron dadas –por él). People in general are the agent.  The film has been well-received (La película ha sido bien recibida –por la gente, en general). A wish to conceal the identity of the agent ot to distance ourselves from our own actions.  The mirror has been broken (Se ha roto el espejo –no quiero decir quién lo ha roto).  She was given instructions to moderate her tone (Se le ha dado órdenes de moderar su tono –puede que el agente sea yo, pero al no querer implicarme en la acción, uso la pasiva).