Grammar - L2 G5+8 - Ms. Amara - Active Passive Voice PDF

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University of Bejaïa

Faculty of letters and languages

Department of English

Level : L2. / G5 …G8

Module : Grammar

Teacher : Amara

Email : Nadi.aokas@gmail.com

Active and passive voice

What is active and passive voice ?


In grammar, the voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action (or
state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by
its arguments (subject, object, etc.). When the subject is the agent or doer of the
action, the verb is in the active voice. When the subject is the patient, target or
undergoer of the action, the verb is said to be in the passive voice. Voice is
sometimes called diathesis.

Active voice is a quality of a verb that describes when its subject is acting
out the verb. When the opposite is true (i.e., the subject of the sentence is
being acted upon by the verb), it is said to be in passive voice.
Formula for active voice
Subject + basic form of tense + object
Alice [subject] visited [tense] America[object].
Active voice is used to talk about the people or thing that performs the action.
In short , it is used to show the interest in the subject.
For example: Alice visited America .[ hence , Alice (people)performs the action(visit)].
Formula for passive voice
Subject +(object of the active voice)+passive form of tense + by +
object (subject of Active voice). Or
form of “to be” + past participle = passive voice
Example: America [subject (object of A.V)]was visited [passive form of tense] by
alice[object of A.V].
Passive voice is used to talk about people or thing that experience the action.
In short. It is used to show the interest in the object of Active voice.

Types Active Passive


Present simple Write Is written
Present continuous Is writing Is being written
Simple past Wrote Was written
Past continous Was writing Was being written
Present perfect Have/has written Have /has been written
Past perfect Had written Had been written
Simple future Will write Will be written
Future( going to) Going to write Going to be written
Modal May /might / can / should May/ might/can/
/ must /ought to + have could/must /should
written. /ought to+ have been
written
Conditional 1 Would be written Would be written
Conditional 2 Would have been written Would have been written

• Passive Sentences with Two Objects


If there are two objects following a transitive verb in an active sentence (a
direct object and an indirect object), we can change the active sentence
into two passive ones
Give, send, show, lend, pay, promise, refuse, tell, offer are verbs
followed by two objects (direct and indirect).
Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one
of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object.
Which object
Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2
Active John Wrote A letter To me
Passive A letter Was written To me By John
Passive I Was written A letter By john
to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Personal and Impersonal Passive


Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence
becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an
object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal
passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the
passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you
need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal
Passive.
Example: he says – it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages
(e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passiveis only possible with
verbs of perception (e. g.say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that
women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more
common.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said
to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the
sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the
sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary
verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect
object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.
Passive of infinitives
(a) For changing the infinitive into passive, this form is used: to be + III form
of the verb.
(b) For the sentences which begin with it is time to “, the form is: is time +
for + object + to be + Ill form of the verb”.

Changing an imperative sentence in the active voice to passive


An imperative sentence in the voice has the following form: Let + object + be + past participle.
Active: Carry it home.
Passive: Let it be carried home.
Active: Do it at once.
Passive: Let it be done at once.
Active: Open the door.
Passive: Let the door be opened.
Active: Throw the ball.
Passive: Let the ball be thrown.
When the active voice is in the negative, the passive voice takes the form: Let + object + not +
be + past participle.
Active: Do not beat the dog.
Passive: Let the dog not be beaten.
Note that do is not used in the passive form.
We can begin the passive sentence with you if we want to put emphasis on the person
addressed to.
Compare:
Active: Help me.
Passive: Let me be helped.
Passive: You are requested to help me.
Active: Learn the poem.
Passive: Let the poem be learned.
Passive: You are asked to learn the poem.
Active: Don’t touch it.
Passive: Let it not be touched.
Passive: You are warned not to touch it.
Note that the passive form has to begin with you when the object of the active verb is not
mentioned.
Active: Work hard.
Here the active verb does not have an object. Therefore the passive form should begin with you.
Passive: You are advised to work hard.
Passive: You are ordered to get out.

Special structures:

1. Causative form: HAVE, GET

Active: Subject + HAVE + object(person) + bare-infinitive

Passive: Subject + HAVE + object(thing) + past participle


(+by+object(person))
I had him repair my car.

I had my car repaired.

Active: Subject +GET + object(person) + to infinitive

Passive: Subject + GET + object(thing) + past participle


(+by+object(person))

She gets me to write a letter.

She gets a letter written.

2_Special verbs: remember; want; try; like, hate …

Ex:

I remember my grandfather teaching me to play chess. (active)

I remember being taught to play chess by my grandfather..(passive)

Ex: She wants her boyfriend to buy some flowers.(active)

She wants some photographs to be bought by her boyfriend. (passive)

Ex: She likes her boyfriend telling the truth. (active)

She likes being told the truth by her boyfriend. (passive)

3. Special structures with infinitive with "TO": suppose, make, see,


hear, watch, look, taste,...

Active: Subject + verb+ object + bare infinitive/V-ing

Passive: Subject + be + past participle +to infinitive/V-ing

Ex: His father makes him cry. (active)

He is made to cry by his father. (passive)

Ex:

You should be working now.(active)

You are supposed to be working now.(passive)

Ex:
I saw him come out of the restaurant.

He was seen to come out of the restaurant.

4. Special structures with : say, think, believe, report, rumour,...

Active: Subject + verb + that + clause (Subject2+Verb2+Object2+...)

Passive:

- It + be + verb(past participle) +that+clause.

- Subject2 + be + verb(past participle) +to infinitive/to have + past


participle

People say that he is a good teacher.

It is said that he is a good teacher.

He is said to be a good teacher

Exercise:change these active sentences to passive .


The Government is planning a new road near my house.
2) My grandfather built this house in 1943.
3) Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.
The cleaner has cleaned the office.
5) He had written three books before 1867.
6) John will tell you later.
7) By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.
8) Somebody should do the work.
9) The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.

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