Passive
Voice
The passive voice is less usual than the active voice. The
active voice is the "normal" voice. But sometimes we need the passive
voice. In this lesson we look at how to construct the passive voice, when to
use it and how to conjugate it.
Construction of the Passive Voice
The structure of the passive voice is very simple:
subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)
The main verb is always in its past participle form.
Look at these examples:
|
subject
|
auxiliary
verb (to be)
|
|
main
verb (past participle)
|
|
|
Water
|
is
|
|
drunk
|
by
everyone.
|
|
100
people
|
are
|
|
employed
|
by this
company.
|
|
I
|
am
|
|
paid
|
in euro.
|
|
We
|
are
|
not
|
paid
|
in
dollars.
|
|
Are
|
they
|
|
paid
|
in yen?
|
Use of the Passive Voice
We use the passive when:
- we want to make the active object more important
- we do not know the active subject
|
|
subject
|
verb
|
object
|
|
give
importance to active object (President Kennedy)
|
President
Kennedy
|
was
killed
|
by Lee
Harvey Oswald.
|
|
active
subject unknown
|
My
wallet
|
has been
stolen.
|
?
|
Note that we always use by to introduce the passive
object (Fish are eaten by cats).
Look at this sentence:
- He was killed with a gun.
Normally we use by to introduce the passive object.
But the gun is not the active subject. The gun did not kill him. He was killed by
somebody with a gun. In the active voice, it would be: Somebody killed
him with a gun. The gun is the instrument. Somebody is the
"agent" or "doer".
Conjugation for the Passive Voice
We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of
verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past
participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the
required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:
- present simple: It is made
- present continuous: It is being made
- present perfect: It has been made
Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:
|
infinitive
|
to
be washed
|
|
|
simple
|
present
|
It is
washed.
|
|
past
|
It was
washed.
|
|
|
future
|
It will
be washed.
|
|
|
conditional
|
It would
be washed.
|
|
|
continuous
|
present
|
It is
being washed.
|
|
past
|
It was
being washed.
|
|
|
future
|
It will
be being washed.
|
|
|
conditional
|
It would
be being washed.
|
|
|
perfect
simple
|
present
|
It has
been washed.
|
|
past
|
It had
been washed.
|
|
|
future
|
It will
have been washed.
|
|
|
conditional
|
It would
have been washed.
|
|
|
perfect
continuous
|
present
|
It has
been being washed.
|
|
past
|
It had
been being washed.
|
|
|
future
|
It will
have been being washed.
|
|
|
conditional
|
It would
have been being washed.
|
|
Reference
:
Postingan
