Sentences in the passive voice in English. Active Voice, Passive Voice: rules, examples

The Passive Voice

Formation of the passive form

The passive voice of verbs in various tense forms is formed using the verb be + past participle (Past Participle). The rules for choosing tenses in the passive voice are the same as in the real voice. For example, if the sentence is about an action that is happening at the moment, then the verb will be used in the present continuous tense Present Continuous in both active and passive voice.

Forms of the passive voice depending on the tense:

present simple: am/are/is + Past Participle

The bestseller is sold in many countries.
This bestseller is sold in many countries.

Present Continuous: am/are/is + being + Past Participle

The museum is being reconstructed now.
The museum is currently being restored.

Past Simple: was/were + Past Participle

The documents were stolen last week.
The documents were stolen last week.

Past Continuous: was/were + being + Past Participle

The museum was being reconstructed in December.
Refurbishment in December museum.

Present Perfect Simple: have/has + been + Past Participle

The prediction rules have already been defined.
The principles of forecasting were already defined.

Past Perfect Simple: had + been + Past Participle

The sushi had been delivered when we came back home.
The sushi had already been delivered when we got home.

Future Simple: will + be + Past Participle

The contract will be signed tomorrow. The contract will be signed tomorrow.

Future Simple in the Past: would + be + Past Participle

He said that the contact would be signed tomorrow.
He said the contract would be signed tomorrow.

Future Perfect: will + have been + Past Participle

The food will be delivered by 10 o'clock. Products will be delivered by 10:00.

Future Perfect in the Past: would + have been + Past Participle

He said that the food would have been delivered by 10 o'clock.
He said that the food would be delivered by 10 o'clock.

The tenses of the Perfect Continuous group are not used in the passive voice. They are trying to replace them with the Perfect group or use them in the active voice, using the formal subject they/one:

By the next month they will have been Invest i gating the murder for over a year.
Next month it will be almost a year, how is pinvestigation of this murder.

The passive voice is used when the speaker's attention is focused on the person or object on which the action is performed, and not on the person or object that performs this action:

Someone locks the office every evening. Someone closes the office every evening. (Active voice)

The office is locked every evening. The office is closed every evening. (Passive voice)

Some one has invited Tom to the party. Someone invited Tom to a party. (Active voice)

Tom has been invited to the party. Tom was invited to a party. (Passive voice)

Note that the object of the active verb (the office, Tom) becomes the subject in the passive.

The use of the passive voice

1. The passive voice is used when it is not known which person or object is the producer of the action:

His house was robbed two days ago. His house was robbed two days ago.
(The speaker does not know who robbed the house).

1. The passive voice is used when there is no need to mention the person or thing that performs the action, or when the performer of the action is of no interest:

Them in eral water side livered to the hotel every morning.
Mineral water is suppliedto the hotel every morning.
(It is not necessary to mention who the supplier of the mineral water is).

1. The passive voice is used when it is clear from the context who or what is doing the given action:

Football is played all over the world. Football is played all over the world.
(Everyone understands that football players play football).

After modal verbs, as well as after other constructions (for example, going to; have to; want to; would like to) be + Past participle is used:

The work cannot be done. This work cannot be done.

He does not want to be disturbed. He doesn't want to be disturbed.

To express the past tense, the passive Perfect Infinitive form is used:

We should have been to ld about the danger.
We should have been told about the danger.

There is also an –ing form in the passive voice: being + Past Participle

I don't like being cheated. I do not like being fooled.

He hates being shouted at. He hates being yelled at.

Verbs with two objects in the passive voice

Some verbs may have two objects after themselves. These include the verbs offer, send, pay, promise, teach, tell, show, give.

In such cases, you can form two different sentences in the passive voice:

someone showed me the way. Someone showed me the way.
(me and the way are two additions)

1. I was shown the way. They showed me the way.
2. The way was shown me. The path was shown to me.

In English, it is preferable to start a sentence with a person, so the first sentence sounds more natural.

If there is a need to mention in the sentence the person or object performing the action, then the preposition is used to introduce it into the sentence by:

'Imagine' was composed and sung by John Lennon.
The song "Imagin" composed and sang John Lennon.

If there is a need to mention an object in a sentence as a tool necessary to perform an action or a material with which an action is performed, the preposition is used. with:

He was hit with an umbrella. He was hit with an umbrella (gun)

The safe was blown with dynamite. Safe blown up with dynamite (gun)

The cake was made with dried fruit. The cake is made from dry fruits (material)

The garage was painted with a new kind of paint. The garage was painted with a new type of paint (material).

When it comes to what people think, say, believe, two forms can be used in a passive way. For example,

Active voice:

People say that Mr Ross is a good producer.
People

Passive 1: It + passive + that + clause (subordinate clause):

It is said that Mr Ross is a good producer.
They say that Mr. Ross is a good director.

Passive 2: Subject+ passive+ to infinitive:

Mr Ross is said to be a good producer.
They say that Mr. Ross is a good director.

Usually these forms in the passive voice are used in an official style.

With the following verbs: say, think, report, expect, believe, claim, know, understand,

It is reported that the president is seriously ill.
The president is reported to be seriously ill.

A new law is expected to be introduced next year.
The new law is expected to be passed next year.

He is supposed to have been married before. It is believed that he was previously married.

Construction “havesomethingdone”

This construction is used to express a situation in which other people are involved in performing some action.

Formed as follows:

Have + object (direct object) + Past Participle:

I must have my glasses mended.
My glasses need to be fixed.

We had our computer serviced last week.
Our computer was repaired last week.

I'm having a garage built at the moment.
I'm building a garage right now.

However, this construction can be used when no one is involved in the action, but when something unpleasant or unexpected happens to someone:

I had my leg broken when I fell off the ladder.
I broke my leg when I fell down the stairs.

Peter had his flat burgled while he was out at work.
Peter's apartment was robbed while he was at work.

In the same, we will analyze how interrogative, negative and affirmative sentences are built. What is the most important thing to know? That's right, the most important thing is to correctly compose a sentence using the passive voice. Therefore, we have prepared tables of the passive voice of the English language, you will not have any difficulties with them!

What is the passive voice in English?

It can be said that passive voice- this is when the person who performs the action suffers, as it is partially mentioned in the passive or does not affect him at all.

Recall a couple of characteristics of the Passive voice rule:

• When we change the sentence, the object becomes the subject.
• The passive voice can only be used (give, write, take, open etc.) Verbs such as: sleep, happen, come, go, seem are not used in the passive voice of English.
• In this form, we can mention who performed the action, or we have the right not to mention.
• To understand who performed some action, you need to use the preposition ‘by’.

Passive voice formula.

The formation of the passive voice in English is used according to the following formula:

Subject + form of ‘to be’ + past participle + by + object.

- A house has been built - The house was built.
OR
- A house has been built by my husband - The house was built by my husband.

Do you know how the passive voice is formed in English?! Now you can go to the tables with examples.

Passive voice in English: tables with examples

Remember that the temporary forms of the passive voice are used in the same cases as the corresponding forms of the active voice.

Table of indefinite tenses of the passive voice

Examples of sentences with tenses in the passive voice:

• Passive voice Present Simple:
  - Basketball is played by two teams of five players each - Basketball is played by two teams of five players.
• Passive Past Simple:
  - Our institute was established in 1930 - Our institute was founded in 1930.
• Future Simple Passive:
  - These competitions will be held in Moscow - These competitions will be held in Moscow.
• Passive Future-Simple-in-the-past:
  - She said that the annual swimming competition would be held in a few days - She said that the annual swimming competition would be held in a few days.

Long tenses of the passive voice

In this table, we will cover long times such as: Present Continuous passive voice, Past Continuous passive.

Examples:

• Passive Present Continuous:
  - The question is being discussed - The question is being discussed.
• Passive Past Continuous:
  Were new records being established when I arrived? – Were new records set when I arrived?

Perfect tenses of the passive voice

The perfect tenses that will be in this table are: Passive voice Present Perfect, Past Perfect Passive voice, Future Perfect, Future Perfect-in-the-past in the passive voice.

Examples with the above aspects:

• Passive Present Perfect:
  - These splendid houses have been built this year - These magnificent houses were built this year.
• Passive Past Perfect:
  - The game had been finished by 3 o'clock yesterday - The game was over yesterday at three o'clock.
• Future Perfect Passive:
  - The letter will have been sent by Friday - The letter will be sent by Friday.
• Future Perfect-in-the-past passive:
  - He said that the construction of the new stadium would have been finished by the end of the year - He said that the construction of the new stadium would be completed by the end of the year.

Passive voice in English examples

We hope that the English passive voice will not torment you anymore. After all, in fact, all you need to know is how to correctly build any type of sentence and in what cases to use it. Read more examples and give your own passive voice examples in English.

affirmative sentences:

• He was taken to the hospital when the ambulance crashed - He was taken to the hospital when the ambulance crashed.
• We couldn't go to my favorite café. It was being redecorated - We couldn't go to my favorite cafe. They were doing repairs.
• The politician is being interviewed now - The politician is being interviewed now.

Negative suggestions:

• All the competitors were not given souvenirs - All the competitors were not given souvenirs.
• The floor hasn't been cleaned yet - The floor has not been cleaned yet.
• This plant can't be kept indoors - This plant cannot be kept indoors.

Questions in the passive voice in English:

• Is whiskey made in Poland - Is the whiskey made in Poland?
• Was Mona Liza painted by Leonardo da Vinci? Was the Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci?
• Will I be invited? Will I be invited?

Passive English dialogue:

your friend: How was your weekend?

You: It was good. We went out of town this weekend because it was my daughter's birthday. We went to see the grandparents. When we got home I walked in and a layout had been knocked over and some of the trash had been eaten in the kitchen and some of the cabinets had been opened. There were some things that had been left on the floor.

your friend: Sounds like somebody broken in, no?

You: No, No. Nobody broke in. The door hadn't been broken or anything like that. It was still locked. But it turns out that my dog ​​had eaten some out of the trash and had opened the cabinets.

your friend: I hope next time you won't leave your puppy alone.

Dialogue 2

Author: Once upon a time a father went grocery shopping with his daughter. The whole time the girl had one thing on her mind.
Girl : Buy me biscuits.
Father: No.
Girl : Buy me biscuits.
Father: No way.
Girl : Buy me biscuits.
Father: They are too sugary.
Girl : Buy me biscuits.
Father: Nope! Would you stop asking me?
Girl: Please, please, please.
Father : Fine, go get your biscuits.
Author: When they got home, father put away the groceries and then went to do some work.
Leaving the little girl alone in the kitchen…with the biscuits. Realizing that her father was busy, she decided to go to town on the biscuits.
Girl : Yum, yum, yum….
Author: Meanwhile, her father was busy at work. All of a sudden, he heard the scariest noise a parent can hear….. THE SOUND OF SILENCE. So he decided to go and check on his daughter.
Father: Oh, My! What happened here?
Girl: Look dad, a big mess was made.
Father: I can see that, darling. Who made the mess?
Girl: I don't know. The biscuits were eaten.
Father : Who ate the biscuits?
Girl: I don't know. =)

Underline passive structures from the above examples and dialogues and share them in the comments.

Passive voice test

It's time to apply your knowledge and take a passive voice test in English.

There are two voices in English: active and passive. The passive voice (Passive Voice) in English is otherwise called passive, and the real voice (Active Voice) is called active.

When is it appropriate to use one or the other pledge? It is important to understand the difference between passive and active voice.

How to distinguish between passive and active voice?

If subject refers to the thing or person doing the action , then the verb is used in the active form.

🔊 I write letters to my friend in Moscow.
I writing letters to my friend in Moscow.

If action is performed on the subject , then the verb is used in the passive form.

Prepositions in the passive voice

Exist passive marker words, are suggestions by And with. See Table 1 below for details of their use.

It is worth noting that the passive voice in English is used more often than in Russian. Tenses in the passive voice are chosen according to the same principles as in the real voice.. We will consider the formation of tenses in the following articles.

In what other cases is the passive voice used?

1. If the narrator does not know or does not care who performed the action.

🔊 Some sculptures were stolen from an exhibition last weekend.
sculptures were stolen from the show last weekend.

1. If the subject matter or process is more important than actor.

🔊 The forest was destroyed by fire.
Forest was destroyed fire.

1. If you intentionally do not want to point out the one who performed the action.

🔊 The balloon has been burst.
The balloon burst.

Our speech in Russian is quite diverse. We use different designs: simple and complex, active and passive. And we don't even think about it. If you want to raise your English speech to the same "intuitive level", then you should definitely use our Passive Voice table.

When you started studying tenses, you probably came across such a grammatical phenomenon as active and passive voice. Let's remember what their difference is. Most time spans can be used in two ways. If the subject in the sentence itself performs the action (I am walking, he is drawing, we have bought, they will fly), then we need an active form. If something is done to the subject, it is exposed (trees are planted, water is poured, I was invited, they will lead us), then we use a passive construction. That's the last one we'll talk about.

Education

Each tense uses different auxiliary verbs and predicate forms. The Passive Voice table will tell us about this.

	present	Past	Future
Simple Formula	is/am/are + V ed (V 3)	was/were + V ed (V 3)	will/shall + be + V ed (V 3)
	Letters are sent every day. — Letters are sent every day.	Letters were sent yesterday. — The letters were sent yesterday.	Letters will be sent tomorrow. The letters will be sent tomorrow.
Continuous Formula	is/am/are + being + V ed (V 3)	was/were + being + V ed (V 3)	—————————
	Letters are being sent now. - Letters are being sent now.	Letters were being sent at 5 yesterday. Letters were sent yesterday at 5 o'clock.	—————————
Formula Perfect	has/have + been + V ed (V 3)	had + been + V ed (V 3)	will/shall + have/has+ been + V ed (V 3)
	Letters have already been sent. - The letters have already been sent.	Letters had been sent before he phoned. The letters were sent before he called.	Letters will have been sent by 5 tomorrow. The letters will be sent tomorrow by 5 o'clock.
Perfect Continuous	————————————	———————————-	—————————

Note that the Perfect Continuous is not used at all in the passive voice. A continuous time has no future segment. The interrogative and negative forms are identical at all times.

? — Reminder. verb + verb + predicate

- Subject + auxiliary. verb + not + predicate

Were you invited to the party yesterday? Were you invited to the party yesterday?

I wasn't invited to the party yesterday. I was not invited to the party yesterday.

Are the flowers being planted now? Are flowers being planted now?

The trees are not being planted now. Trees are not being planted now.

Comparing Active and Passive

The use of different tenses is fully consistent with their counterparts in the active voice. That is why it is recommended to study all the elements of this group, and then look in detail at. Let's look at a few examples to make it easier for you to understand everything and remember at the right time.

	Active	passive
present simple	She writes a new play for the theater every year. She writes a new play for the theater every year.	A new play for the theater is written by her every year. — New play for the theater written by her every year.
past simple	He stole food from the shop. — He stole food from the store.	Food was stolen from the shop by him. The food was stolen by him in the store.
Future Simple	They will show a new musical on TV next month. They will show a new musical on TV next month.	A new musical will be shown on TV next month. The new musical will be shown on television next month.
Present Continuous	My dad is repairing the car now. My dad is repairing the car now.	The car is being repaired by my dad now. The car is now being repaired by dad.
Past Continuous	At 9 my brother was loading the truck. At 9 o'clock my brother was unloading the truck.	At 9 o'clock the truck was being loaded by my brother. At 9 o'clock the truck was being unloaded by my brother.
Present Perfect	My daughter has already translated the whole text. My daughter has already translated the entire text.	The whole text has been already translated by my daughter. — The entire text has already been translated by my daughter.
past perfect	When we came to the kitchen, he had eaten the pie. When we entered the kitchen, he had already eaten the cake.	When we came to the kitchen, the pie had been eaten. When we entered the kitchen, the pie was already eaten.
Future Perfect	We will have finished the work by 6 tomorrow. We will have finished work by six tomorrow.	The work will have been finished by 6 tomorrow. The work will be finished by six tomorrow.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this element of the language. First of all, determine the role of the subject: it acts on or on him. Then determine the time (you can use hint words). If you need to use a passive construction, then our passive voice table is at your service. Choose the time, the auxiliary verb, the ending of the predicate, and you're done. It is better to consolidate all this in exercises that can be performed online on our website.

Greetings, my dear readers.

Doesn't it sound scary - "passive voice"? Questions immediately arise, what did he do that made him “suffer” so much? In reality, behind the proud name lies simply the grammatical phenomenon of "passive".

Okay, so be it, so that you better understand the topic and do not get confused in all these names - we will single out a separate lesson for it called the passive voice in English, or “passive” in the common people. Today we are waiting for the rules with examples and the education of this time. And then you can consolidate the theory and.

What it is

Let's immediately understand what a "passive voice" is with examples.

I cooked the dinner.- I cooked dinner.

From this sentence, it becomes clear that the action is performed by a certain person, that is, me. It turns out that this is a valid voice, or all those sentences and that we usually use.

The passive voice in our case will look like this:

The dinner was cooked.- Dinner is ready.

Notice that now in the first place we have the very fact that dinner was prepared. That is, there is no need to mention who did it.

This is the phenomenon when you completely no need to specify who is doing the action, or it is necessary to put the action itself in the first place, and the passive is used.

How to translate

Of course, many immediately have a question: how to translate such sentences. And my answer to you is - like the usual ones, we just do not indicate the actor.

The walls were painted yesterday.- The walls were painted yesterday.

New sports center will be opened next month.- A new sports center will open next month.

The dinner hadn't been made by the time I got home. By the time I got home, dinner wasn't ready yet.

How is formed

• In short, the structure of the passive voice is as follows:

Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + third form verb (V3) + object.

Depending on the time in which the sentence is built, the verb “to be” will change its form. The table below shows how this is done.

The car was broken in an accident.- The car crashed.

The meeting is being held in room 13.- The meeting is in room 13.

The car had been repaired.- They fixed the car.

• In the structure of a negative sentence, a particle is added not to the auxiliary verb.

Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + not + third form verb (V3) + object.

The room wasn't (was not) cleaned.- The room was not cleaned.

The house wasn't (was not) decorated yet. The house hasn't been decorated yet.

The thieves weren't (were not) caught yet.- The thieves haven't been caught yet.

• In interrogative sentences, the auxiliary verb and subject are reversed.

Auxiliary verb (to be) + subject + third form verb (V3) + object?

Was the television repaired?- Did you fix the TV?

Was the report written?- Have you written a report?

Have the photos been printed?- Have the photos been printed?

You may have noticed that even in the passive voice they must be used correctly, so I have a table for you that will help you remember and quickly navigate the use of tenses (click on the image to enlarge).

I think you noticed that the Future Continuous form of the passive does not exist. If, nevertheless, it becomes necessary to express the duration in the future, then the usual Future Simple will be used.

The same goes for compound tenses: Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous. There are no passive constructions in them! Use Perfect tenses instead!

Usage rules and examples

The use of passives can be characterized by the following rules:

• When the person performing the action is not known to us, not important or obvious.

Mr. Samson's jewelry was stolen last night.- Mrs. Samson's jewelry was stolen yesterday.

Feel the difference:

The thieves stole Samson's jewelry last night. Thieves stole Mrs. Samson's jewelry last night.

In the passive, it is already obvious to us who did it, and there is no need to say obvious things. Let's see one more example.

The brakes of the car were tested.- The brakes of the car were checked.

Compare:

The mechanic tested the brakes of the car.- The mechanic checked the brakes of the car.

After all, it was already obvious that the brakes of the car were checked by a mechanic. That is why the passive looks much more relevant here.

Mercedes cars are made in Germany. - Mercedes cars are made in Germany.

Mercedes Benz make their cars in Germany.- Mercedes Benz manufactures its cars in Germany.

A completely similar situation, when naming a character, does not make any sense.

If you like to learn English in a fun and effective way, then register with Lingualeo - there is a lot of interesting and free material (simulators, dictionaries, lessons). By the way, there you can take paid specialized courses for different needs. For example, the course « Irregular Verbs» will help you quickly and spontaneously memorize the forms of basic and frequently used irregular verbs in English and learn about some of the features of their use.

• When the action itself is more important than the one who performs it.

Two families were seriously injured in a car accident last night.-Last night, two families were seriously injured in a car accident.

Besides, the passive voice is very often used in formal English, but the real voice is in both variants.

If you want to learn more about the grammatical aspects of the English language in theory and practice, go to mine - there you will find the basic rules and a practical part for each of them.

On this, my dear, we will end our lesson. You can find more information in the video tutorial. But still remember that the best tactic for memorizing new topics is lots and lots of practice. Therefore, we have ahead of us, as well as even more materials and usefulness.

See you soon my loves ;)