THE PASSIVE VOICE
As well as having tense distinctions,
verbs in English possess voice characteristics. There are two main voices in
English: active and passive. The difference between them is that the subject of
a passive construction, unlike the subject of an active construction, is not
the doer (agent) of the action but the receiver of it, while the doer (agent)
of a passive verb is expressed by the object of the passive construction.
|
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
|
Subject Predicate Object The storm damaged the roof. doer receiver |
Subject Predicate Object
The roof was damaged by the storm. receiver doer |
It is formed with the auxiliary verb ―to be‖ in the required
tense and Past participle (V3) of the
main verb.
|
|
Present |
Past |
Future |
||
|
Indefinite |
am is are |
asked |
was
were |
asked |
will be asked |
|
Continuous |
am is are |
being asked |
was
were |
being asked |
--------- |
|
Perfect |
have
has |
been asked |
had been asked |
will have been asked |
|
Only the verbs
which take an object can go into the passive (=transitive verbs). Intransitive
verbs can‘t be used in the Passive Voice.
A feature of
English is that a verb in the active form may have a passive meaning.
e.g.
The cow milks well.
The cardigan wears well. The dress washes badly.
The passive is
preferred to the active when we are more interested in the action than in the
person who does it. It happens in the following cases:
1)
when it is not necessary to
mention the doer of the action as it is obvious who she/he is/was or will be.
e.g.
The streets are swept every day.
2) when the speaker doesn‘t know who did the action or when the doer
cannot be named definitely. In such cases the subject of the active sentence
would be typically expressed by the noun ―people‖ or by the indefinite pronouns ―one, someone, somebody, they, you‖.
e.g. My car has been moved.
=Someone has
moved my car.
A new public library is being built.
=They are
building a new public library.
1)
when the speaker wants to
avoid an awkward or ungrammatical sentence (when the subject of an active sentence consists of a long expression).
e.g. Don‘s decision to give up his job and
move to Sydney surprised me. (-)
I was surprised by Don‘s decision to give
up his job and move to Sydney. (+)
2)
when the speaker wants to
disclaim responsibility for disagreeable announcements or when he wants to make a polite statement.
e.g. You have opened the letter! (impolite) The
letter has been opened. (polite)
The passive is more
widely used in formal English and in written English. It is common for official
rules, news items, newspaper reports of accidents and crimes, instructions,
advertisements, headlines, signs, science and technology, formal explanations.
If we want to
say who did the action we introduce the doer by ―by‖,
the instrument which was used to perform an action is introduced by the
preposition ―with‖. ―With‖ is also used to talk about materials and
ingredients.
e.g. He was accompanied by his friend. The building was
lit by lightning.
The windows were broken with a
baseball bat. He was killed with a knife.
Irish coffee is made with
whisky. The room was filled with smoke.
Uses of the Passive Voice
peculiar to the English language.
There are cases
when the use of the Passive Voice seems to us very peculiar because we find no
analogous constructions in Russian. These cases are as follows:
1.
The verbs to accord, to advice, to allow, to ask, to
award, to deny, to envy, to forbid, to forgive, to give, to grant, to offer, to
order, to pay, to prescribe, to promise, to refuse, to show, to teach, to tell are used in the Passive Voice.
These verbs always take an object expressed by a noun or an infinitive. The
action expressed by the Passive Predicate passes on to the subject and the
object. The subject corresponds to the Russian indirect object.
She was
granted a two days‘ leave.
Has he been
shown a new picture?
Note. If
the
object is expressed by a noun we can say not only I was given a book, but also A book was given to me. The choice of the construction
depends on the logical stress: in I
was given a book the thing given is emphasized, which occurs oftener;
in The book was given to me
the person is emphasized.
2.
The Passive Voice is
possible with intransitive verbs used with prepositions: to account for, to agree upon, to allude to, to arrive at (a
conclusion, agreement, decision), to call for, to call upon, to comment
upon(on), to depend on, to deal with, to fire at, to hear of, to hear from, to insist on (upon),
to interfere with, to laugh at, to listen to, to look at, to look after, to
look for, to look into, to look upon, to look down, to look up to, to mock at,
to object to, to provide for, to put up with, to read to, to refer to, to rely
on, to run over, to send for, to speak about (of), to shout at, to think highly
(well, badly, poorly) of, to talk about (to, over), to wait for, to write to.
e.g. This book is always referred to. My friend can be
relied on. Little children like to be
read to.
The phrasal
verb to do away with the preposition ―with‖ can be used in the Passive
Voice.
In our country illiteracy was done away with many years ago.
Note. To send for can be used only in connection with people.
The secretary was sent for.
«Послать за лекарством, книгой» should be
translated in the following way: to send
someone to get medicine (the book). But we can say: A car (a taxi) was sent for.
3.
The following verbal
phraseological units can be used in the passive Voice: to do away with, to find fault with, to lose sight of , to make use of,
to make fun of, to pay attention to, to put an end to, to put up with, to set
fire to, to take care of, to take notice of.
e.g. His words were taken no notice of.
Their conversation was put an end to by a sudden telephone call.
4.
When phrasal verbs are
followed by a direct object without a preposition remember to keep the two
parts of the phrasal verb together in a passive structure.
|
Active Voice |
Passive Voice |
|
They knocked
down old buildings in the centre of the city. |
Old buildings in the centre of the city were knocked down. |
5.
When the subject of the
passive predicate corresponds to the Russian adverbial modifier then we use
the intransitive verbs to
live and to sleep
with the preposition ―in‖.
e.g. This old house
on the hill is not lived in.
The bed was not slept in.
6.
There are a number of
transitive verbs in English which correspond to intransitive verbs in Russian.
They are: to affect, to answer, to
assist, to attend, to follow, to help, to influence, to join, to watch. These
verbs naturally admit of the passive construction while their Russian
equivalents cannot be used in the Passive Voice.
e.g. His report was
followed by a discussion.
Here is a list of
prepositional verbs (A), phrasal verbs (B) and phraseological units (C) to be
learnt:
A
1.
account
for –
to give an explanation or reason for;
2.
arrive
at (a
decision, conclusion, agreement) – to reach, to come to;
3.
ask
for –
to make a request for;
4. approve of – to consider good,
wise, right; disapprove of – to consider bad, wrong, unwise;
5.
break
into –
to enter by force: to break into a house;
6. call for – to demand (e.g. to
call for the waiter, to call for the bill); to collect (someone or something);
7.
comment
on –
to make a remark, give an opinion;
8.
deal
with –
to do business, to trade with;
9.
depend
on –
to trust (usually someone);
10.
hear
from –
to receive news from someone usually by letter;
11.
hear
of –
to know or to hear about (a fact, existence of something or somebody);
12.
insist
on (upon) – to declare firmly (when opposed);
13. interfere with – to get in the way of another, to prevent from happening;
14. laugh at – to treat as
foolish, worthless or an object of fun;
15.
listen
to –
to give attention in hearing;
16.
look
at –
to give attention in seeing, use the eyes;
17. look after – to take care of
someone or something;
18.
look
for –
to try to find;
19.
look
into –
to examine the meaning or causes of something;
20.
mock
at –
to laugh at (someone or something) when it is wrong to do so;
21.
object
to –
to be against something or someone;
22.
provide
for –
to support, supply with necessary things;
23.
read
to –
to say printed or written words especially to give pleasure to others;
24.
refer
to –
to mention, speak about;
25.
rely
on –
to trust someone to do something;
26.
send
for –
to give a command, request;
27.
shout
at –
to give a loud cry, speak or say very loudly;
28. think highly (well, little,
poorly) of someone or something – to have a good (bad, etc.) opinion of someone
or something;
29. wait for – to stay somewhere
without doing anything until somebody or something comes or something happens;
30.
write
to –
to produce and send (a letter);
e.g. I hope the child will be looked after while the parents are away. She was well provided for in her husband‘s will.
I hate to be shouted at.
His foolish behaviour could not be accounted for.
B
1.
blow
down –
to fall by blowing;
2.
blow
out –to
(cause) stop burning;
3.
break
down –
to destroy something, reduce to pieces;
4.
bring
up –
to educate and care for the family until grown; to raise or introduce (a subject, a question);
5.
call
up –to
order(someone) to join the armed forces;
6.
give
up –
to stop believing that someone can be saved especially from death;
7.
hold
up –
to delay;
8.
knock
down –
to destroy a house by means of blows;
9.
let
down –
to cause someone to be disappointed in one‘s loyalty; to fail to keep a promise
t someone;
10. pick on – to choose someone
to do an unpleasant job or blame someone for something, especially unfairly; to
choose something or someone;
11. pick out – to choose someone
or something carefully; to recognize someone or something in a group of people
or things;
12. pick up – to lift something
up from a surface; to collect someone who is waiting for you or something that
you have left somewhere;
13. point out – to draw attention
to something or someone;
14.
pull
down –
to break to pieces and destroy something;
15.
pull
out –
to remove by drawing out;
16.
put
off –
to move to a later date, to delay;
17. run over (of a vehicle or its
driver) – to nock down and pass over the top of (esp. a creature);
18.
see
off –
to go to the airport, station, etc. with someone who is beginning a trip;
19.
take
down –
to write down; to separate (a large machine or article) into pieces;
e.g.
The mail will
be picked up a bit later. Their
wedding has been put off.
The window was blown out by the
explosion.
C
1.
to do
away with – to cause to end, abolish;
2.
find
fault with – to complain, perhaps too much or too often;
3. lose sight of – to cease to see;
to forget;
4.
make
use of – to use well, to take advantage of;
5.
make
fun of – to laugh or cause others to laugh rather unkindly;
6.
pay
attention to – to take notice of;
7.
put an
end to – to stop from happening any more;
8.
put up
with –
to accept an unpleasant situation or person without complaining;
9.
set
fire to – to light (something) not really meant to burn, set something on fire;
10.
take
(good) care of – to be responsible for someone or something;
11.
take
notice of – to pay attention to;
e.g. She said
something but her words were taken no notice of. This state
of affairs will be put an end to.
At last the ship was lost sight of. The main purpose of the discussion mustn’t be lost sight of.
Ex.1
Choose.
Read the sentences and decide if they are Active (A) or Passive (P).
1.
A small sum of money was
stolen from the cash box.
2.
Reader`s Digest was founded
in 1922.
3.
Millions of people read it.
4.
A large type edition is also printed.
5.
They also read it.
6.
Reader`s Digest is published
once a month.
7.
It has been translated into
many languages.
8.
Many readers subscribe to
the magazine.
9.
It is sold in newsagents
throughout the country.
10.
I read an interesting
article in it.
11.
The article was written by a
famous scientist.
12.
A new article will be
written soon.
Ex. 2
Active
into Passive. Which sentences cannot be turned from Active into Passive?
A) Passive
form is possible
B)
Passive form is impossible
1.
They didn`t ask her name.
2.
Ann saw Mary in the park.
3.
Has anyone answered your question?
4.
They danced all night.
5.
On Sunday evening we all met
at my friend`s.
6.
Someone told us a funny
story yesterday.
7.
You can`t park your car in
the street before this office.
8.
This kind of flowers doesn`t
bloom very often.
9.
His parents have brought him
up to be polite.
10.
The plane from Minsk was
several hours late.
11.
The fire has caused
considerable damage.
12.
My shoes don`t fit me.
13.
People must obey the law.
14.
He was having a bath.
15.
A famous designer will
decorate the hall.
Ex. 3
Choose
the correct word or phrase.
1.
The prime minister was / has
criticized for his recent actions.
2.
When I walked past the
Brown`s house, their new sofa was/has being
delivered.
3.
Our teacher was / has told
us to take our favourite book to school tomorrow.
4.
I think my mobile was / has been stolen!
5.
Ann was/has chosen to play
the lead role in the play.
6.
I`m sleeping downstairs
because my bedroom is being painted/has been
painted.
7.
This picture was/has
probably taken during winter.
8.
Your essays must be/have
handed in on Friday.
9.
Someone was/has left their
wallet on the floor.
10.
Did you hear about the bank
being/having robbed?
11.
Treasure Island was/has
written by R.L. Stevenson.
12.
It was a real shock when my
dad was/has fired from his job.
13.
The Vikings had visited
America before it was/has discovered by Columbus.
14.
When we got to the airport,
we learned that our flight was/had been delayed.
15.
Was/has your ticket for the
concert paid for by you or your parents?
Ex. 4
Complete
using the correct passive form of the verbs in brackets.
1.
The Earth ……… (hold) by the
gravity of the Sun and orbits around it.
2.
The first feature-length comedy film (create) by Charlie Chaplin.
3.
The award for best video (present) later this evening.
4.
By the time you read this, I (arrest) for murder.
5.
I don`t know if our tests (mark) yet or
not.
6.
Radio waves (discover) by Marconi.
7.
You wouldn`t think it to
look at him now, but Jack ………... (bully) when he was at school.
8.
Your application (consider) and
we will let you know as soon as we`ve
made a decision.
9.
The roof of the car can (lower)
by pressing this button here.
10. Our
tent ………….. (blow) over in the night by the wind.
11. Chess (play) for around two thousand years now.
12. Two men (question)
at this moment by police in connection with the
burglary.
Ex. 5
Write
sentences in the passive.
1.
Our car / service/ a
mechanic/ at the moment.
2.
A man / shoot/ an air gun/
outside the petrol station last night.
3.
Gunpowder / invent/ the
Chinese.
4.
At the surgery yesterday, I/ examine/ Dr Jon/and I/give/ a prescription.
5. I
went to see it because I/ tell/ it was
a good film/ all my friends.
6.
This photograph/ take/my friend.
7.
It looked like the window/
break/ a hammer/ some time before.
8.
Our dog/ give/ an injection/
a special syringe/ the vet.
9.
The winning goal in last
match/ score/ Donatello/ a brilliant free kick.
10.
Your cheque/send/ last
Friday and / should/ deliver/ to you tomorrow.
Ex. 6
Rewrite
in the passive starting with the words given.
1.
People say that Bali is a beautiful island. It ………..
2.
People generally think that life won`t be found on Mars. It
…………
3.
It is generally said that Christmas is too
commercialized. Christmas ………….
4.
People often argue that prison doesn`t work. It
………………
5.
People have suggested that the school should start
to produce a magazine. It …………….
6.
People say that crocodile tastes like squid. Crocodile ……………
7.
It is said that the Vikings discovered America
before Columbus. The Vikings ……………
8.
People think that heart
disease is caused by eating the wrong things.
Heart disease ……………
Ex.7
Rewrite
the sentences using the passive form of the underlined verbs.
1.
They gave up the
search after 3 hours.
2.
They ought to have
pointed that out to me at the very
beginning.
3.
No one brought up
that question at the meeting.
4.
Somebody should look into
the matter.
5.
It was clever that the
parents had brought the child up
well.
6.
He had to put off our
visit until later.
7.
I was shocked to hear that
someone had broken into your house.
8.
Don`t speak until someone
speaks to you.
9.
His bank manager turned
down his request for a loan.
10.
You must account for
every penny you spent.
11.
Someone hasn`t stuck this
stamp on very firmly.
12.
Events will bear out
the truth of what I`m saying.
13.
An official held us up
at the Customs for half an hour.
14.
How can we bring about
the desired result?
Ex. 8
Complete the sentences with a passive construction
using the verbs given and the forms suggested.
1.
Much of London (destroy) by
fire in the 17th century. (Past Indefinite)
2.
The men who (bite) a snake
(give) a serum. (Past Perfect, Past Indefinite).
3.
A leader should be a man who
can (respect). (Infinitive).
4.
Many slums (demolish) to
make way for new buildings. (Present Continuous)
5.
The police (instruct) to
take firm action against hooligans. (Present
Perfect).
6.
A cease-fire (expect)
(declare) later this week. (Present Indefinite, Infinitive).
7.
The worker claimed that he
(victimize) by his employers. (Past Continuous).
8.
It (think) that the
Government would do something to help. (Past
Perfect).
9.
Three hundred new houses
(build) by the end of the next year. (Future
Perfect).
10.
Because of a strike work on
the building had to (discontinue). (Infinitive).
11. Customers (ask) to
ensure that they (give) the correct change before leaving the shop, as mistakes
cannot afterwards (rectify). (Present Indefinite, Present Perfect, Infinitive).
Ex. 9
Choose
the correct answer.
1.
We a swimming pool put in this week.
a) get
b)
are having
c)
have
d)
have got
2.
Why don`t you get a doctor
..… at your arm?
a)
to look
b)
looked
c)
look
d)
be looking
3.
My teeth were a little
yellow so I ….. by the dentist.
a)
had cleaned them
b)
have them cleaned
c)
was cleaned them
d)
had them cleaned
4.
Brown`s thinking of having .….!
a)
shaved his head
b)
his head shaving
c)
his head shaved
d)
shaved to his head
5.
My sister ….. her ear
pierced last Monday.
a)
made
b)
got
c)
did
d)
took
6.
Mum and Dad didn`t fancy
cooking, so we got a pizza ….. .
a)
be delivered
b)
to be delivered
c)
delivered
d)
deliver
7.
You should ….. a
professional to check your house for earthquake damage.
a)
have
b)
made
c)
take
d)
get
8.
She wanted to have a live band at her wedding.
a)
to be played
b)
play
c)
played
d)
been playing
9.
Can we …… this summer?
a)
get installed air-conditioning
b)
get air-conditioning to install
c)
have installed air-conditioning
d)
have air-conditioning installed
10.
We while we were on holiday.
a)
were burgled our house
b)
had our house burgled
c)
had burgled our house
d)
got burgled our house
Ex.10
Right/wrong
– Passive Voice. Find the mistake and correct it.
A) right B) wrong
1.
By 4 o`clock Ann was tired
of fishing.
2.
These bushes have grown so
high that they block the window.
3.
Since all our matches had
soaked when the boat turned over we couldn`t make a fire.
4.
His face was covered with
scratches and his clothes was torn and dirty.
5.
The plane wasn`t delayed in Brest.
6.
The letter has to sign the
chief of police.
7.
Peaches can be bought here
for 10 p each.
8.
Jim laughed as he fell into
the water.
9.
The meeting was to be
continued after lunch.
10.
He was such a good runner
that he could be caught.
11.
It was obvious that the
order couldn`t be controlled by authorities.
12.
The passes through the
mountains were often block with snow during the winter.
13. These
lilac bushes should being trimmed.
14.
It was impossible to
tell what was in the can, for the label has been torn off.
15.
A calendar tells you how
each month will divide into weeks.
16.
I hope they will have been
received the papers by tomorrow afternoon.
Ex. 11
Insert
prepositions and translate the sentences into Russian.
1. Troops
have been called … .
2. The
trains were held … by fog.
3. This
is to be left here. It will be called … .
4. The
police were called … .
5. He
was looked … to by everyone.
6. He
will be seen … at the airport by all
his friends.
7. Her
bed hasn`t been slept … .
8. The
house was broken … .
9. That
notice was taken … by his secretary.
10.
After a million dollars had
been spent, their experiment was given … .
11.
She is often taken … her brother.
12.
These skyscrapers will have
to be pulled … soon.
13.
No conclusion was arrived ….
14.
I hate to be shouted … . .
15.
I`m not prepared to think
that I`m being made a fool … .
16.
No notice was taken … the
boy at first.
17.
These pictures must be
looked … with great attention.
18.
This child is always being
found fault … .
19.
The discussion was put an
end … by his sudden arrival.
20.
Soon the car was lost sight ….
21.
He was looked … … by all the boys.
22.
Though the question had been
discussed for a long time no decision was arrived … .
23.
The visit of this delegation
is widely commented … in the newspapers.
24.
He can be depended … to keep
strict silence.
25.
He left for Australia five
years ago and hasn‘t been heard … since.
26.
I‘m sure the idea of
spending this week-end in town will be strongly objected … .
27. Unfortunately our work was constantly interfered … .
28.
His presence at the meeting
will be insisted … .
29.
Don‘t say foolish things.
You‘ll be laughed … .
30.
The children should be
looked … better. They look so scruffy.
31.
A shop was broken … last
night. A man was seen leaving the premises.
32.
He was knocked … by a bus
and taken to hospital.
33.
The matter will be dealt …
as soon as possible.
34.
The old rules have been done
away … .
35.
This book is very popular
with the readers. It is often asked … .
36.
The cottage hasn‘t been
lived … for a long time.
37.
An endless number of
examples was made use … in his report.
38.
Don‘t worry. The children
will be taken good care … in your absence.
39.
Here you are at last. You
have been waited … too long.
40.
He can never be relied … .
Whenever he makes a promise he always breaks
it.
Ex. 12
All
these sentences contain errors. Spot and correct them.
1.
The late arrival of the
plane can be accounted by bad weather.
2.
After an interesting
discussion about the problem the agreement was arrived to.
3.
The proposal was approved by
the Project Coordinating Team.
4.
The President‘s speech was
widely commented by mass media.
5.
This will be dealt in
chapter seven.
6.
Sarah has not been heard for
a long time. I hope she will write soon.
7.
Higher salary will be insisted about.
8.
His work was constantly
being interfered in.
9.
I am not going to stand here
and be laughed by a crowd of ignorant fools.
10.
I like to be listened carefully.
11.
It pleased her to be looked to.
12.
Old Mrs Peabody lives with
her children and is well looked at.
13.
The matter will be looked
after in the near future.
14.
The servants were well
provided with in Mr Johnson‘s will.
15.
Little children like to be
read about.
16.
Later the data were referred for.
17.
The sick child was taken
good care.
18.
Jane was written and
informed about the conference.
19.
Several trees were blown
down out by the hurricane.
20.
The door was blown up by the explosion.
21.
The baby is always picked
out whenever it starts crying.
22.
The hitchhiker was picked on
by the truck driver.
23.
His rotten tooth must be
pulled away.
24.
When he leaves he will be
seen out by all his relatives.
25.
The plane took off and soon
it was lost sight.
