Xpl12 Passive Voice

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PASSIVE

VOICE
XPLORE 12
Unit 1.2. Killer English
Unit 3.2. Real Hunger Games

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


The Passive Voice is used whenever
an action is more important than
the agent – for example, in
reporting the news, in public
notices or scientific experiments.

Example:
Example:
Theoriginal
The originaltext
textwas
waswritten
writtenininSanskrit
Sanskritbut
but
thisone
this onehas
hasbeen
beenlargely
largelymanipulated.
manipulated.

Here the focus is on the writing of the text and what


has happened to it rather than who was responsible
for manipulating it.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


In passive constructions the agent is only mentioned
when necessary.

When there is an understanding of who carried out


the action it is always incorrect to add the agent or
when this information is not known or would be too
complicated to add.

Example:
Example:
She was taught foreign
She was taught foreign
languages[by
languages [byteachers]
teachers]atat
school.
school.
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho
After modal verbs the auxiliary verbs be or have
been are used; the have been construction shows a
past event which didn’t happen.

Example:
Example:
AAmultilingualism
multilingualismapproach
approachshould
should
bebefollowed.
followed.

Example:
Example:
Informationcould
Information couldhave
havebeen
beensent
sent
ininone
onelanguage
language[but
[butititwasn’t].
wasn’t].

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


Active
Some linguists have defined English as a killer-
language.
Subject Object

Passive

English has been defined as a killer- by some


language linguists.
Subject
Agent
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho
ACTIVE PASSIVE

have defined has been defined

Present Present Perfect


Perfect Passive

To be + Past Participle
Auxiliary Main verb

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


PASSIVEVOICE
PASSIVE VOICE––TWO
TWOOBJECTS
OBJECTS

Many verbs like give, lend, award, offer,


warn, teach… can have two objects.

When putting these verbs into the passive, it


is more usual to use the indirect object as
the subject.

Example:
Example:
I Iwas
wasgiven
givenaalanguage
languagelesson.
lesson.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


Active
School has given us useful skills.

Subject
Indirect Direct
Object Object

Passive
We have been given useful skills by school.

Subject Agent
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho
Passiveconstructions
Passive constructionsare
areoften
oftenused
usedwith
with
verbslike
verbs likesay,
say,believe,
believe,estimate
estimateand
andknow.
know.

1. itit++passive
passiveverb
verb++that-clause
that-clause

2. subject
subject++passive
passiveverb
verb++to-infinitive
to-infinitive

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


1.
it + passive verb + that-clause

It is estimated that 51 million children


suffer from malnutrition.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


2.
subject + passive + to-infinitive

51 million children are estimated to suffer


from malnutrition.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


Sometimes there are two passive constructions in the
same sentence.
Example:
Example:
ItItisisknown
knownthat thatglobal
globalEnglish
Englishhas
hasbeen
beenshaped
shaped
bybycultural
culturalinteractions.
interactions.

GlobalEnglish
Global Englishisisknown
knowntotohave
havebeen
beenshaped
shapedbyby
culturalinteractions.
cultural interactions.

Other verbs which are used in this way include:


consider, think, understand, report, expect, fear,
claim and deny.
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho
Now Practise!

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


1. Rewrite these sentences in the active or
passive voice.
a. The students designed a leaflet to draw attention to
languages in danger of extinction.
AA…leaflet was designed to draw attention to languages in
danger of extinction.
b. Some language researchers have advised UN officials that
actions need to be taken to protect endangered languages.
UN
UNofficials
officials…have been advised that actions need to be
taken to protect endangered languages.
c. Unesco is setting up a programme to make recordings of
dialects.
A programme … to make recordings of dialects is being set
up by Unesco.
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho
d. A research had already shown to linguists that the English
language is threatening others.
Linguists
Linguists…had already been shown that the English
language is threatening others.
e. A list of actions was devised to protect minority
languages.
Unesco
Unesco …devised a list of actions to protect minority
languages.
f. The linguistic programme developed by the UN hasn’t
been acknowledged by several governments.
Several governments
Several governments … haven’t acknowledged the
linguistic programme developed by the UN.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


2. Rewrite the following sentences beginning
with the words given.
a. They assumed that the obstacles to the inclusion
programme were overcome.
ItIt …
was assumed that the obstacles to the inclusion
programme were overcome.
The
The obstacles…
obstacles to the inclusion programme were assumed
to be overcome.
b. Analysts have foreseen that the Human Rights
Committee won’t implement any measures to solve
the problem.
ItIt …
has been foreseen that the Human Rights Committee
won’t implement any measures to solve the problem.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


c. That expert is estimating that conflicts due to racial
discrimination will increase in our cities.
ItIt …
is being estimated that conflicts due to racial
discrimination will increase in our cities.
d. Journalists have reported that a consensus between
the major political parties was reached.
ItIt …
has been reported that a consensus between the major
political parties was reached.
e. The police expects that the demonstration during
the G9 summit will turn violent.
ItIt …
is expected that the demonstration during the G9
summit will turn violent.

Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho


Further Practice!

Passive Voice Quiz 1

Passive Voice Quiz 2

PASSIVE VOICE
XPLORE 12
Unit 1.2. Killer English
Unit 3.2. Real Hunger Games
Teresa Pinto de Almeida ▪ Paula M. Araújo ▪ Telma Coelho

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