How to understand the passive voice in English. Passive voice in English - Passive Voice
Good afternoon Dear friends! Today I will tell you about the active voice in British speech.
Of course, it is easiest for us to perceive any information about foreign language in comparison with our native, Russian.
The active voice in English and the simple rules for composing a sentence are very easy to remember in such a comparison.
Only in order
In English great amount dialects and variations, and it is hard to imagine that the homeland of a language spoken by one and a half billion people is a small European country with an area of just over 240 thousand square kilometers.
And, despite such a huge distribution of British and its varieties in each of them, the rules for constructing a sentence and using 12 tenses of the active voice remain unchanged.
It is to such a scheme that one must lead one's speech to form an active voice.
It's not difficult at all, is it? Well, let's move on. Read about how to form a passive voice.
I went to London - three ways
Expressions with direct word order in English can stand in 12 tenses, just like in Russian, time is expressed by a verb - a predicate.
At first glance, it may seem that 12 tenses is a lot, but it is very easy to understand them.
The table of active voice times can help us with this:
On the left you see exactly the same groups of tenses as in Russian: , and (from top to bottom). Everything is very clear here.
Above - groups of tenses that are not similar to Russian ones: simple, continued, perfect and perfect-continued.
In order to easily remember these groups and the rules for their application, it is enough to compare the examples of sentences given in the table.
AT in general terms one can draw the following conclusion:
- Indefinite (or Simple) - simple, we use it when we talk about what happens sometime in the past or future, or in the present with some periodicity (often, always, sometimes). Pay attention to the rules for the formation of sentences in this tense - they are very simple: V is the initial form of the verb, Vs is the initial form + s.
- Continuous - or long. From the name it is clear that it lasts now, in the past or in the future at a certain time. It is also formed simply: the predicate will always have the ending ing, and the predicate will be preceded by to be in the right time and number.
- Perfect - perfect or. We use it when we talk about an action that took place in the past or future, BUT completed by the time of speech (in the present), by the exact time in the past or future. They say that the result of an action must be on the face by a certain time. We form with the help of the auxiliary verb have / has and the main one in the third form.
- Perfect Continuous is a mixture of the second and third, both in essence and in the name, and even in education. The action has already lasted for some time and continues to last at a certain point in time. Formed: have + been + predicate with the ending ing. Where has been is to be in the third form.
The simplest and effective way memorization and the correct use of all tenses in speech are exercises.
How to prepare for international exams and which type to choose, read.
Regular training on unique will give you the opportunity to pass any test for active voice times for the highest score. New technology memorization foreign words will help you quickly increase your vocabulary and easily apply new words in speech. You will learn how to memorize 100 foreign words in an hour.
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I was with you, Natalya Glukhova, I wish you a good day!
AT active pledge the subject denotes the performer of the action, the person or object performing the described action, and the one to whom the action is directed, the so-called. “action receiver” in a sentence is an object.
Most offers have a valid deposit.
Offers active voice in English
doer of action + I form of verb + receiver of action
For example:
The professor teaches the students.
The professor teaches students.
John washes the dishes.
John is washing the dishes.
Passive voice (Passive Voice)
AT passive voice the subject is a person or thing that is affected by another person or thing. In other words, the performer and recipient of the action are swapped, although the performer of the action may not be specified.
Offers passive voice in English are formed as follows:
action recipient + be + past participle
For example:
The students are taught.
Students are taught.
The dishes are washed.
The dishes are washed.
Passive voice used:
1. Mainly in cases where the performer of the action is not mentioned in the proposal; he is either unknown, or the speaker does not consider it necessary to report him.
For example:
Is English spoken in many countries?
Is English spoken in many countries?
That book was written a few years ago.
This book was written several years ago.
2. When the performer of the action, although mentioned in the sentence, is not in the center of the speaker's attention; a noun or pronoun expressing the given of the performer of the action is introduced by the preposition by. Please note that in the active voice the performer of the action was the subject, in the passive voice it becomes the object.
For example:
The students are taught by the professor.
Professor teaches students.
The dishes are washed by John.
John does the dishes.
Also, in the sentence of the passive voice, another object can be used, attached by the preposition with, and describing how the action is performed, for example:
The dishes are washed with a bar of soap.
Dishes are washed with a bar of soap.
In English, the scope of the use of verbs in the passive voice is much wider than in Russian. So, any verb that takes a direct or indirect object can be used in the passive voice.
For example:
I gave him a book. (I gave him the book.)
A book was given to him. (The book was given to him.) = He was given a book. (He was given a book.)
They showed me a beautiful picture. (They showed me a beautiful picture.)
A beautiful picture was shown to me. (A beautiful picture was shown to me.) = I was shown a beautiful picture. (I was shown a beautiful picture.)
In English, in the passive voice, verbs that take a prepositional object can be used (for example: to attend to, to send for, and etc.). The proposed object is used as the subject of the passive phrase, and the preposition comes directly after the verb.
For example:
She went after him. – He was gone after.
She followed him. - Follow him.
Ways to translate the passive voice into Russian
There are three ways to translate the passive voice into Russian:
1. With the help of the verb “ to be” + a short participle, for example:
Were his books translated into Russian?
Were whether his books translated into Russian?
2. Verbs ending in -sya, for example:
Letters are delivered by mailmen.
Letters delivered postmen.
3. Indefinitely personal turnover (this method of translation is possible in cases where, in English sentence the performer of the action is not mentioned), for example:
They were taught French last year.
Them taught French last year.
Examples of active and passive voice
The following table shows examples of active and passive voice in all possible times. Note that the passive voice is not used in tenses Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect Continuous and Future Continuous.
| Active voice | Passive voice | |
| present simple | Once a week, Tom cleans the house. | Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom. |
| Present Continuous | Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. | right now, the letter is being written by Sarah. |
| past simple | Sam repaired the car. | The car was repaired by Sam. |
| Past Continuous | The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. | The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. |
| Present Perfect | Many tourists have visited that castle. | That castle has been visited by many tourists. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Recently, John has been doing the work. | |
| past perfect | George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. | many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. | |
| Future Simple will | Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. | The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. |
| Future Simple be going to | Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. | A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. |
| Future Continuous | At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. | |
| Future Perfect | They will have completed the project before the deadline. | The project will have been completed before the deadline. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. | |
| used to | Jerry used to pay the bills. | The bills used to be paid by Jerry. |
| would always | my mother would always make the pies. | The pies would always be made by my mother. |
| Future in the Past | I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. | I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. |
The rules of the English language are such that at the beginning of a sentence there is usually a word indicating the object or person performing the action. For example:
I cook dinner every day.— I cook dinner every day.
The action is expressed in the active voice, i.e. the person, in this case "I", perform some action. The same idea can be expressed in another way:
Dinner is cooked every day. - Dinner is prepared every day.
As you can see, formally the place of the subject was taken by the word "lunch", although "lunch" does nothing by itself. This offer written in the passive voice, in other words Passive Voice. In such a sentence, it is important not who performs the action, but the action itself.
Rules for using the passive voice
When to use the passive voice?
- When it is not known who or what is doing the action.
- When the action itself is important, and not the one who performed it.
A passive voice is formed with the help of the verb to be in the required form and the third form of the semantic verb.
The passive voice has several forms. In this lesson, we will look at the forms of the simple present, past and future tenses. Let's present the forms of the passive voice in the table:
To ask a question in the passive voice, it is enough to remember how a question is asked in the tenses of Present Simple, Past Simple and Future Simple. In the first two cases, the verb to be is placed before the subject, in the second - the auxiliary verb will. For example:
Is the letter sent?
Was the car washed?
Will the house be bought?
Negation is formed using the particle "not": I won't be asked tomorrow.
If you want to emphasize by whom an action was performed, use a preposition by:
This book was written by Charles Dickens. This book was written by Charles Dickens.
If after by you use a pronoun, it will be in the indirect case:
The tickets were bought by me. The tickets were bought by me.
If it is important for you to indicate with what help the action is performed, use the preposition with:
Soup is eaten with a spoon. Soup is eaten with a spoon.
| By whom? | by |
| With what, with what? | with |
Important! The passive voice often uses modal verbs. The proposal is structured as follows:
modal verb +be + V3
For example: It must be done tomorrow.
Important! Not all verbs can be used in the passive voice. These verbs include:
- to fly, to arrive
- to be, to become
- to have, to possess, to belong
- to come, to go, to last
The logical question would be what to do if we want to express an action that has just ended or is continuing in this moment, using the passive voice. Everything is simple. The Present Perfect Passive and Present Continuous Passive forms will help you.
As you remember, with help. The Present Perfect expresses the result of an action, and the Present Continuous describes the action that is happening at the moment. The same can be expressed with the passive voice.
Compare a few offers:
| ACTIVE COLOR | PASSIVE VOICE | |
| Present Continuous | I am wash ing the car. | The car is being wash ed. |
| Present Perfect | I have wash ed the car. | The car has been wash ed. |
As shown in the table, in the active voice the agent is the person, "I", and in the passive voice, the place of the subject is occupied by the object - "machine". The passive form in both tenses is built using the verb to be and the verb in the third form, while the verb to be changes in accordance with the chosen tense form:
| Present Continuous Passive | am/is/are + being + V3 |
| Present Perfect Passive | have/has + been + V3 |
As you can see, in the passive voice, the Continuous form is expressed using the verb be with the ending ing, and the Perfect form is expressed with an auxiliary the verb have and the verb be in the third form.
Passive voice signal words
Important! The choice of the desired form of the passive voice will be prompted by the same signal words that are used with the forms of the active voice. Let's look at a few examples:
The windows are being clean ed at the moment.The football match is being play ed next Sunday.
the door has just been paint ed.
The cake hasn't been eaten yet.
As you can see, all signals are valid for both active and passive voices. And their place in the proposal is governed by the rules you already know.
To ask a question in the Present Perfect Passive or Present Continuous Passive, you need to change the word order in the sentence, for example:
Are you being followed?
What has it been made of?
Tasks for the lesson
Task 1. Expand the brackets using Passive Voice.
- The car (not/sell) yesterday.
- The ceiling (paint) next week.
- The paper (buy) by my father every week.
- A new house (build) here next year.
- much money (spend) yesterday in the shop?
- My clothes usually (iron) by my mother.
- Your article (publish) last month.
- The door (not/open).
Task 2. Translate.
- The store is closed.
- Everyone trusts him.
- When will the film be shown?
- Yesterday the children were taken to the zoo.
- The song was not sung.
- Has your bag been stolen?
- They didn't tell me anything.
- Museums are visited by many people.
Task 3. Open the brackets using Present Perfect Passive or Present Continuous Passive
- Jeanette usually goes to school, but this month she (teach) at home.
- The problem just (solve).
- I can't find my purse. I think it (steal).
- A very good job recently (offer) to my brother.
- You breakfast still (cook).
- The office (repair) at the moment.
- You ever (bite) by a dog?
- The new bridge (build) at the moment.
Task 4. Change the sentences using the passive voice.
- I have already sold my flat.
- She is writing a letter.
- I buy bread every day.
- He will repair the bike.
- Is she using a computer at the moment?
- Someone broke the window.
- Mom has ironed my shirt.
- You can buy cheese in any supermarket.
Answer 1.
- wasn't sold
- will be painted
- is bought
- will be built
- Was a lot of money spent…
- are usually ironed
- was published
- isn't open
Answer 2.
- The shop is closed.
- He is trusted by everyone.
- When will the film be shown?
- The children were taken to the Zoo yesterday.
- The song wasn't sung.
- Was you bag stolen?
- I was told nothing./I wasn't told anything.
- Museums are visited by many people.
Answer 3.
- is being taught
- has just been solved
- has been stolen
- has recently been offered
- is still being cooked
- is being repaired
- Have you ever been…
- is being built
Answer 4.
- My flat has already been sold.
- A letter is being written.
- Bread is bought every day.
- The bike will be repaired.
- Is the computer being used at the moment?
- The window has been broken.
- My shirt has been ironed.
- Cheese can be bought in any supermarket.
There is an active and passive voice - Active Voice and Passive Voice, respectively. In the first option, you do an action or someone else does it himself, that is, it is an active action. For example: Masha goes to school - Masha goes to school. Petya drives a car - Petya drives a car.
-
In the passive voice it would be different - Masha is taken to school. That is, an action is performed on a subject or an inanimate object. I was invited - I was invited - that is, I was not invited, but I was invited.
How Passive Voice Is Formed
Let's see how the Passive voice is formed according to the scheme: Creatures. + Be (am, is, are) + V3. That is, the verb to be and the third form of the verb are put.
Examples
affirmative sentences
-
I'm invited- action above animate object and present time simple. In English it will be like this: I am invited.
You are invited— You are invited.
She is invited— She is invited.
He is invited— He is invited.
Important to remember that only the third form, V3, is always used in Passive Voice. Or, the ending -ed is added to the verb if it falls into the category of regular ones. For convenience, we have a table of irregular verbs − Irregular verbs, which you can see here: . Just in the Participle II column is the third form - V3.
Also important that in the passive voice the pronouns do not change. For example, her invite - she is invited. That is, it is not HER, but SHE.
Interrogative sentences
To ask a question in the passive voice, you need to use the following formula:
To be + Creatures. +V3?
Are the houses built every year? Are houses built every year?
Are you invited everywhere? Are you invited everywhere?
Negative sentences
Creatures. + Be + not + V3
German is (to be) not spoken (V3) everywhere. German is not spoken everywhere.
It's important to know that Future Perfect Continuous Passive, Present Perfect Continuous Passive and Past Perfect Continuous Passive do not exist - Perfect forms are used instead. And instead of Future Continuous Passive, Future Simple is put.
Timestamp in Passive Voice
For convenience, we suggest that you look at the table using tenses in the passive voice.
Lots of examples to reinforce:
Present Simple Passive
He is called every day. They call him every day.
Homework is done. Homework done
Tickets are bought. Tickets are booked.
Present Progressive Passive: to be (is, are, am) + Ving + V3
A new big house is being built now. A new big house is being built now.
I am being given a glass of milk now. Now they give me a glass of milk.
Present Perfect Passive: Have/has + been + V3
This work has just been started - The work has just been started
I have just been invited - I have just been invited
Past Simple Passive: Was/were + V3
The book was written by Alisa. The book was written by Alice.
These apples were bought by Julia. These apples were bought by Julia.
Past Continuous Passive: Was/were + being + V3
I was being asked a question when you came home - I was asked a question just
when you came home.
The car was being washed when I arrived. The car was washed just when I arrived.
Past Perfect Passive: Had + Been + V3
When we came home breakfast had been cooked already. When we got home, tomorrow was already ready.
Had the song been sung by the time she returned? Was the song written by the time it came?
Future Passive: Will + have/has + V3
They will be met by me. They will be welcomed by me.
I will be wondered. I will be surprised.
Future Perfect Passive:
By the time we return the shop will have been opened yet. By the time we arrive, the store will already be open.
Will everything have been prepared by 7 p.m.? Will everything be ready by 7 pm?
To say that an action is being performed on an object or person, the English language uses the passive voice.
For example:
“The car has been repaired. The door is closed. Children are punished. The documents have been signed."
As you can see, in such sentences we focus on the action itself, and not on the one who performed it.
In English, the passive voice is used very often. I think you have seen such sentences more than once in films, books, news, newspapers in English.
In this article, we will look at when the passive voice is used, and how to form such sentences in all tenses.
From the article you will learn:
- General rules for using the passive voice in English
- Table of the use of the passive voice in all tenses
What is active and passive voice in English?
First, let's look at what a pledge is and why it is needed in English.
Pledge expresses attitude towards action, i.e. it shows:
- the person/object itself performs the action (I brought the letter)
- the person/object experiences the action of someone on itself (the letter was brought)
Accordingly, in English there are two types of collateral:
1. Active voice (Active voice) - actor takes action on its own.
For example:
Clients have signed a contract (clients are an actor and they have performed a certain action).
2. Passive voice- the actor experiences the action of another person.
For example:
The contract is signed (the contract was not signed by himself, the action was performed on him).
When do we use the passive voice?
3 cases of using the passive voice in English
As I said, the passive voice is used when something/someone is being acted upon. In such sentences, the main emphasis is always on the action itself.
These may be the following cases:
1. When we don't know who did the action.
For example: The bank was robbed (we don't know who did it).
2. When it is not important for us who performed the action, but the action itself is important.
For example: This house will be built next year (we don't care who does it, we care that it will be built).
3. When we don't want to say who exactly did it(if something bad happened and we don't want to blame anyone).
For example: The holiday is ruined (we don't want to say who ruined it).
Now let's look at the rules for constructing such sentences in English.
General rules for constructing the passive voice in English
I must say right away that it is not difficult to build such sentences in English. For this you need:
1. Put the object / person on which the action is performed in the first place in the sentence.
For example:
A letter….
Letter…
A car…
Car…
Children….
Children…
2. Put the verb to be in the right tense in second place.
Let's take a look at the three most used tenses in English:
- Present Simple (simple present) - am, are, is
- Past Simple (simple past tense) - was, were
- Future Simple (simple future tense) - will be
For example:
A letter is….
Letter….
A car was….
The car was...
Children will be….
Children will…
3. The action itself (verb), which is performed on the acting person, put in the past tense.
In English there are correct and Irregular Verbs. You can find out the correct verb or not by looking it up in a dictionary.
Depending on the verb, we:
- add the ending -ed if the verb is correct (prepare - prepared)
- put it in the 3rd form if the verb is not correct (send - sent)
For example:
A letter is delivered.
The letter is delivered.
A car was sold.
The car has been sold.
Children will be punished.
Children will be punished.
If we want to add that an action is performed by someone or with the help of something, we can use the prepositions by and with.
Usagebyandwithin the passive voice
1. We use by to say that the action will be performed by someone. We put it at the end of the sentence, and after it the character (by Tom, by Mary).
For example:
The documents were sent by his secretary.
Documents sent by his secretary
2. We use with to say that an action will be performed with some tool. We put with at the end of the sentence, and after it the instrument itself (with a knife, with a pen)
For example:
The picture will be painted with a pencil.
The picture will be drawn in pencil.
Details on how to build passive voice in 3 simple times we talked about in these articles:
- Future Simple Passive - simple future tense in the passive voice in English
However, in some cases, the passive voice is also used in other tenses.
Let's see what these offers look like.
Table of the use of the passive voice in all tenses of the English language
Since most often the passive voice is used in 3 simple tenses, we will not dwell on the rest in detail, but consider a general usage table.
As you can see from the example of three simple tenses, the principle of construction remains the same at all times.
All that changes is the verb to be. We put it at the right time for us.
Here's how it goes.
| Time | Use case | How the verb to be changes | Examples | |
| present simple Real simple |
We are talking about a regular action that takes place in the present tense. |
Dinner is cooked by mom. The rooms are cleaned every day. |
||
| Present Continuous Present continious |
We are talking about an action that is currently taking place and is a process. |
|
Dinner is being cooked. The rooms are being cleaned now. |
|
| Present Perfect present completed |
speak m about an action that happened in the past but is relevant now. At the same time, we can now see the result of this action. |
|
Dinner has been cooked. The rooms have been recently cleaned. |
|
| past simple Past simple |
We are talking about a fact that happened in the past. |
Dinner was cooked by mom. The rooms were cleaned yesterday. |
||
| Past Continuous past continuous |
We say that some process took place in the past (usually used when this process was interrupted by another action). |
|
Dinner was being cooked when he came. The rooms were being cleaned when they arrived. |
|
| past perfect past completed |
We say that the action was completed (we got the result) by a certain period in the past. Usually used when we show the order of actions in the past (one action was taken before the second). |
had been |
Dinner had been cooked before he came. The rooms had been cleaned before they arrived. |
|
| Future Simple Future Simple |
We are talking about a fact that will happen in the future. |
will be |
Dinner will be cooked. The rooms will be cleaned tomorrow. |
|
| Future Perfect The future is complete |
We are talking about an action that will end (we will get a result) by a certain moment in the future. | will have been | Dinner will have been cooked by 9 o'clock. Dinner will be cooked at 9 o'clock. The rooms will have been cleaned by morning. |
|
As you may have noticed, there are not some complex tenses in the table. Why? It's just that they are never used in the passive voice. We replace them with simpler tenses.
So, we have analyzed the use of the passive voice in English. Now let's move on to the practical task.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.
1. The door is open.
2. The letter will be delivered by evening.
3. Job done.
4. The car is being washed now.
5. The house will be for sale.
6. The fence was painted yesterday.
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