Passive form in English examples. Passive (passive) voice in English

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?

We can say that the passive voice is when the person who performs the action suffers, since it is partially mentioned in the passive or does not affect him at all.

Let's look at a couple of characteristics. Passive rules voice:

  • 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 language 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

Perfect tenses that will be in this table: 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.

Comparing English with Russian, you can see that some grammatical features and structures have much in common and are used in the same situations. So, the language structure of English includes some grammatical phenomena and categories, in particular, the division into voices - active (Active) and passive (Passive) (they are also called active and passive voice, respectively). If the situation is clear with the active voice, then for the passive form it is necessary to give some explanations and describe why to use such a construction.

What is Passive Voice

If we define the active voice, then we can say that most of the sentences belong here, since the passive is used less often. - this is a situation where the subject in the sentence is an independent performer of the action. Unlike the asset, the passive voice in English is grammatical construction, associated primarily with the verb form and showing that the action is not performed by the subject himself; the subject is exposed to the action, but does not perform it. Simply put, the active and passive voices in English differ in that in the first one the performer does something himself, but in the second he does not.

To clearly demonstrate how this looks in the language, it is worth giving examples of sentences where these two types of voice are compared:

  • He buys meet at the market every Saturday - Every Saturday he buys meat at the market(subject, i.e. "he", is an independent performer of the action)
  • Meat is bought at the market every Sunday - Meat is bought at the market every Saturday(the subject, i.e. "meat", cannot be an independent performer, the action is performed not by him, but over him)

How Passive Voice Is Formed

Comparing Active and Passive Voice, you can notice the difference in the forms of the same time. The formation of a passive voice is impossible without the presence of two important grammatical factors:

1. Auxiliary verb to be, used in the form of the right tense - am, is, are, was, were, been, will be.

2. The form of the semantic verb in Passive Voice must necessarily be in, or, more simply, be the third one, if you do not refer to the table regular verbs(if the verb is regular, the ending will be just -ed).

This order is typical for almost all types of temporal forms.

Note: when forming any form of Continuous, the presence of the verb to be is also required, but here the form of the verb will be being, because otherwise it will not work to show the duration.

  • Finally his name was called and he stepped forward - In the end, his name was called and he stepped forward
  • She saw that the test had been changed and felt fear - She saw that the test had been changed and felt fear
  • He felt with satisfaction that he was being stared at - He noted with satisfaction that they were looking at him

Questions in Passive Voice

Questions in the passive voice are formed quite standardly. Here the rules are the same as in the active voice, where interrogative sentences: the auxiliary verb of the right tense will take the initial position in the sentence (if it is not there, then to be is brought forward in the appropriate form). Next, the subject should go, followed by the rest of the passive form and other secondary members of the sentence. Interrogative sentences in the passive voice look like this:

  • Have you already been asked to come? Have you been asked to come yet?
  • Was he invited to the party yesterday? Was he invited to the party yesterday?

Negative sentences in the passive voice

The negative Passive Voice is also simple in its formation: the standard particle not is added to the auxiliary verb (the verb to be if the main verb is absent), and this rule is true for all forms of the passive:

  • He will not be allowed to use this car without my permission - He will not be allowed to use this car without my permission
  • The juice hasn't been drunk yet, there is some more left - The juice has not been drunk yet, there is a little left

Verbs for Passive Voice

Despite its apparent simplicity, the passive voice in English can not be used with all verbs. As a rule, such a privilege is awarded to verbs in transitive or, as they are also called, causative form.

Transitivity English verb The explanation is simple: if you can put an addition, direct or indirect, from a word expressing an action, then it is called transitive. Examples of such verbs are bring, eat, open, come, call and many others. If this cannot be done, then the verb is called intransitive (intransitive) and usually does not stand in Passive Voice (sit, fly, jump, live, etc.).

Note: in some cases, the passive is formed even with intransitive verbs, but in this case, a preposition usually accompanies:

  • At last an agreement was come at - In the end, they came to an agreement
  • When a boy, he was often laughed at, but later everything changed - When he was a boy, he was often laughed at, but later everything changed
  • When he was called for, he didn't want to answer - When he was called, he did not want to answer

Modal Verbs and Passive Voice

With the passive voice, it is even easier to form than with all the others. Because the modal verbs can also have a passive form, then a special case there is also use with them, but it does not carry any complexity, because here after the modal it is enough to add be and put the main verb following it in the Participle II form. In practice, modal verbs in this form are used quite often, and for this use of Passive Voice, examples can be as follows:

  • The work must be done immediately - Work must be done immediately
  • This text can not be translated without your help - This text cannot be translated without your help

Features of some temporary forms in Passive Voice

As mentioned above, the system of tenses provides for passive constructions in English, which are used freely and much more often than in Russian. However, it is worth noting that not all tenses can be in the passive form, and this is important to consider when using this grammatical structure in speech and writing. To do this, Passive Voice has a table that lists the main Passive formulas and indicates those cases when their use is impossible.

Timestamp in Passive Voice:

Indefinite continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Past was/were + V(3) was/were + being + V(3) had + been + V(3)
present am/is/are + am/is/are + being + V(3) have/has + been + V(3)
Future will be + V(3) will have + been + V(3)

There is a completely logical explanation for this: the tenses of the Perfect Continuous category, and also do not form a passive voice in English, since their structure contradicts the norms for the formation of a passive, because they are already supplemented by the verb to be in its original or third form. This means that nothing can be added to the construction, since the grammar forbids it.

Prepositions for Passive Voice

Unlike Active Voice, Passive Voice is often used with prepositions, and this is typical not only for transitive verbs. Sometimes it becomes necessary to show who or with the help of which an action was performed. There are two standard prepositions here: by (expresses the performer, or agent) and with (expresses the instrument, which is called the instrument).

Note: the statement that by is used only with animate nouns, and with with inanimate nouns is erroneous, and several situations with examples can be cited to confirm this:

  • When he went for a walk to the mountains he was hit by a stone - When he went for a walk in the mountains, he was hit by a stone(the stone was not used as a tool or tool, everything happened by chance)
  • The police note that the murder victim was struck with a stone - The police note that the murder victim was hit with a stone(the stone was used as a tool, using it purposefully)

Following the above instructions will make it easy to distinguish between active and passive voice in English and will not cause inconvenience in the formation of the desired form.

They are used in the active form of the pledge - "the Active Voice" and in the passive ( passive) - "the Passive Voice". In the active voice, the subject performs the action indicated by the verb, and in the passive voice, the verb itself acts on the subject. She wrote a book (Active) - A book was written by her (Passive). So easy! But let's clarify some details just in case. C "mon.

What is passive voice?

Passive voice is widely used in both spoken and written modern English. Often, passive constructions are used when there is no need to name the performer of any action, and also, if there is no difference in who exactly performs this action, only the result is important.

The passive voice is used to show interest in the object that is experiencing the action, not the object that is performing it.

The book was written last Monday. The book was written last Monday.

In this sentence, the subject “the book” experiences the action of the subject, that is, the book did not write itself, but was written by someone. At the same time, most likely, it is known who wrote it, but the fact of the action itself is important here (the book was written, and it is ready), and not the performer. Therefore, the sentence is used in the passive voice.

When it is necessary to indicate the performer of the action in the passive voice, then we add the preposition " by» :

The book was written by me. - This book was written by me.

The formation of the passive voice in different tenses

The passive voice is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb " be» and forms Past Participle(of a semantic verb in form 3) and only transitive verbs (denoting an action that, in its meaning, passes to a certain object) can form forms of the passive voice.

Formation of the passive voice
Time Formula Example
present simple is/am/are + Ved (V3) Mails are sent every day. - Parcels are sent every day.
past simple was/were + Ved (V3) Mails were sent yesterday. - The parcels were sent yesterday.
Future Simple will/shall + be + Ved(V3) Mail will be sent tomorrow. - Parcels will be sent tomorrow.
Present Continuous is/am/are + being + Ved (V3) Mails are being sent now. - Parcels are being sent now.
Past continuous was/were + being + Ved (V3) Mails were being sent at 5 yesterday. - Parcels were sent yesterday at 5 o'clock.
Future Continuous
Present Perfect has/have + been + Ved (V3) Letters have already been sent. - The letters have already been sent.
past perfect had + been + Ved (V3) Letters had been sent before he phoned. - The letters were sent before he called.
Future Perfect will/shall + have/has+ been + Ved (V3) Letters will have been sent by 5 tomorrow. - Letters will be sent tomorrow by 5 o'clock.
Perfect Continuous
Attention: The Perfect Continuous is not used at all in the passive voice. And Continuous time has no future segment.

In addition, you can still form passive sentences with two objects. So an active sentence in the passive form of the pledge might look like this:

Active Voice:

Linda gave an apple to me.

Passive Voice:

An apple was given to me by Linda or
I was given an apple by Linda.

One of the two objects becomes the subject and the other remains the object. Which object turns into a subject depends on what you focus on.

Negative and interrogative forms of the verb in the passive voice

negative the form of the verb is formed using the particle " not”, which follows the auxiliary verb (if there are several auxiliary verbs, then “not” is placed after the first one):

The cat was not fed by him yesterday. - The cat was not fed it yesterday.
The cat was not often left hungry. - The cat was not often left hungry.

Nothing complicated and interrogative form. To form such in the passive voice first auxiliary verb put before the subject:

Are you often invited to the circle? - Are you often invited to the circus?
Has the book was written by her? - Was the book written by her?

to be born

This passive form is often used in the past tense, but in some cases the present or future tense is also appropriate.

We say "I was born" (was born) - I was born(not I am born). Action refers to the past:

I was born in Chicago. - I was born in Chicago.
Where were you born? - Where you were born?

But if we talk not about ourselves, but about the birth of children in a general sense, then Present can be used depending on the situation:

How many kids are born every day? - How many children are born every day?
Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week. - About 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be born.

Modal verbs

First you need to remember the most commonly used modal verbs:

  • can- to be able, to be able. I can do that. - I can do it;
  • should- verb adviser. When you need to advise or recommend something. You should be careful. - You should be careful;
  • must- a verb expressing the speaker's obligation or prohibition. Shows awareness of the speaker's obligation to do something or is used to indicate a prohibition, for example: You musn "t smoke here. - You can't smoke here. I must admit. - I must admit;
  • have to- a verb expressing present or future obligations that cannot be violated. You have to do that. - You must do it;
  • ought to- a synonym for the verb "should", a more polite version of it. You ought to stop smoking. - You should stop smoking;
  • be supposed to is a modal verb based on rules or expectations. That is, it is used when you need to say that someone needs to do according to certain rules or when something is expected. You were supposed to save him, Batman! - You should have saved him, Batman (because Batman saves people or puts them in jail).

To make a correct sentence with a modal verb in the passive voice, we need to put the verb "be" in combination with the modal. It will look like this:

  • must be(it should be);
  • have to be(it should be);
  • ought to be(should be);
  • can be(may be);
  • should be(should be);
  • be supposed to be(assume that; assume that).

In practice, "modal verbs" are used quite often. And since they can also have a passive form, there is a special case of use with them.

There is no difficulty here: after modal verb add "be" and put the main verb following it in the Participle II form. So, it's like: (to) be + past participle(3rd form of the verb).

The next step is to put the main verb into the third form:

The writer should write a book. - A writer should write a book.
The book should be written by the writer. - The book should be written by a writer.
He has to do this test. - He must pass this test.
This test has to be done by him. - This test must be performed by him.
They were supposed to leave the bed an hour ago. “They were supposed to have vacated the bed an hour ago.
The bed was supposed to be left by them an hour ago. “They were supposed to have vacated the bed an hour ago.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this English section. You just need to determine the role of the subject: whether it acts or is acted upon. Then indicate the time, the auxiliary verb, the ending of the predicate - and voila! In the bag. If anything, the Passive Voice education table will help you.

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

In this lesson, we will analyze a very complex grammar topic— Active and Passive Voice in English. Simply put, the pledge is an indicator of whether the subject performs an action or the action is performed on it.

There are two forms of voice in English: the active voice (the Active Voice) and the passive voice (the Passive Voice).

In the active voice, the verb denotes an action that is performed by the subject:

  • I read twenty pages yesterday.
  • Yesterday I read twenty pages.

In the passive voice, the verb denotes an action that is performed on the subject:

  • Twenty pages were read by me yesterday.
  • Yesterday I read twenty pages.

Compare the following examples:

  • They usually sing such songs in class. (Active Voice)
  • Usually they sing such songs in class.
  • Such songs are usually sang by them in class. (Passive voice)
  • Such songs are usually sung by them in the classroom.
  • Has the manager checked up your report? (Active Voice)
  • Did the manager check your report?
  • Has your report been checked up by the manager? (Passive voice)
  • Has your report been reviewed by a manager?

If you have reached the topic of pledges in English, then so far, you have already managed to learn tense forms of the verb in Active Voice. You already know that there are 12 main active voice tenses in English. Each tense is formed in its own way, with the help of endings and auxiliary verbs. What does the tense system look like in the passive voice?

The passive voice also has a system of tenses. But unlike the active voice, there are only 8 tense forms in it. All times of the Perfect Continuous group, as well as the time of Future Continuous in Passive Voice are not used.

To form the passive voice tenses, we need the auxiliary verb to be, which must have the corresponding form of the active voice, and the past participle of the semantic verb. You already know that the past participle is formed with the ending -ed for regular verbs, or the III form of irregular verbs from the table is used, which you need to know by heart.

The passive voice formation scheme for all tenses is as follows: How are temporary forms of the passive voice formed?

Below are examples of conjugation tables for the verbs to promote and to choose in the passive voice (affirmative form).

Simple Tenses in the Passive Voice −
Simple tenses in the passive voice

Present Simple Passive Past Simple Passive Future Simple Passive
I am promoted/chosen
You are promoted/chosen
He/ She/ It is promoted/ chosen
I was promoted/chosen
You were promoted/chosen
He/ She/ It was promoted/ chosen
I shall/ will be promoted/ chosen
You will be promoted/chosen
He/ She/ It will be promoted/ chosen
We are promoted / chosen
You are promoted/chosen
They are promoted/chosen
We were promoted / chosen
You were promoted/chosen
They were promoted/chosen
We shall/ will be promoted / chosen
You will be promoted/chosen
They will be promoted/chosen

Continuous Tenses in the Passive Voice
Continuous tenses in the passive voice

Present Continuous Passive Past Continuous Passive
I am being promoted/chosen

He/ She/ It is being promoted/ chosen
I was being promoted/chosen

He/ She/ It was being promoted/ chosen
We are being promoted / chosen
You are being promoted/chosen
They are being promoted/chosen
We were being promoted / chosen
You were being promoted/chosen
They were being promoted/chosen

Perfect Tenses in the Passive Voice
Perfect tenses in the passive voice

Present Perfect Passive Past Perfect Passive Future Perfect Passive
I have been promoted/chosen

He/ She/ It has been promoted/ chosen
I had been promoted/chosen

He/ She/ It had been promoted/ chosen
I shall/ will have been promoted/ chosen

He/ She/ It will have been promoted/ chosen
We have been promoted / chosen
You have been promoted/chosen
They have been promoted/chosen
We had been promoted / chosen
You had been promoted/chosen
They had been promoted/chosen
We shall/ will have been promoted / chosen
You will have been promoted/chosen
They will have been promoted/chosen

What verbs form Passive Voice forms?

All verbs in English have Active Voice forms. Passive Voice forms can form not all verbs, mostly only transitive verbs (Transitive Verbs).

Transitive verbs express an action directed at some object and take a direct, indirect or prepositional object.

Examples of transitive verbs in active and passive voices:

  • Active: The pioneers have done much useful work on the collective farm.
  • Passive: Much useful work has been done by the pioneers on the collective farm.
  • Active: Jane's friends gave her many gifts for her birthday.
  • Passive: Jane was given many gifts for her birthday.
  • Active: We shall build Communism in this country within the next twenty years.
  • Passive: Communism will be built in this country within the next twenty years.
  • Active: Everybody listened to the lecturer with great attention.
  • Passive: The lecturer was listened to with great attention.

Intransitive verbs express an action that characterizes the subject, but is not directed at any object. Intransitive verbs do not take objects. As a rule, they do not have forms of passive voice or have them only in some cases.

Examples with intransitive verbs:

  • We live in Russian Federation.
  • I am a teacher.

In English, there are verbs that, depending on the meaning, can be either transitive or intransitive. For example, the verb to grow in the meaning of "grow" is intransitive and does not form a passive form. In the meaning of "grow" it is transitive and forms forms of the passive voice. Compare:

  • Barley grows very fast - Barley grows very fast (intransitive, Active Voice)
  • We grow many beautiful flowers in our small garden - We grow many beautiful flowers in our small garden (transitional value, Active Voice)
  • Many beautiful flowers are grown in our garden - Many beautiful flowers are grown in our garden (transitional meaning, Passive Voice)
An example of a sentence in the form of active and passive voice

Verb constructions in Passive Voice

If a verb in Active Voice takes direct and indirect objects, then any of these objects can act as the subject in a sentence with a verb in Passive Voice.

Compare the following sentences:

  1. My parents told me many interesting facts about our family's past. (verb to tell in Active Voice; indirect object - me, direct object - facts)
  2. I was told many interesting facts about our family's past by my parents. (verb to tell in Passive Voice; subject in sentence 2 corresponds to indirect object in sentence 1 (I − me)
  3. Many interesting facts about our family's past were told to me by my parents. (verb to tell in Passive Voice; subject in sentence 3 corresponds to direct object in sentence 1 (facts - facts)

Type 2 sentences in Passive Voice use the following verbs: to allow - to allow, to ask - to ask, to award - to assign, to forbid - to forbid, to forgive - to forgive, to give - to give, to offer - to offer, to pay - to pay, to present - to give, to show - to show, to teach - to teach, to tell - to speak.

  • My big brother was given many gifts for his birthday - My older brother was given a lot of gifts for his birthday
  • They were asked some questions at the enter-exams - They were asked a couple of questions at the entrance exams
  • We will be taught Spanish next year - We will be taught Spanish next year
  • I was shown the way by a small girl - A little girl showed me the way

In Russian, sentences of type 2 are not used in Passive Voice. Instead, indefinitely personal sentences or personal sentences with a verb in Active Voice are used. Compare:

  • We were told many interesting stories - We were told many interesting stories (vaguely personal sentence)
  • We were told many stories by our teacher − Our teacher told us many stories (personal sentence with verb in Active Voice)

If a verb in Active Voice takes a prepositional object, then the prepositional object can act as a subject in a sentence with a verb in Passive Voice (and the preposition is placed after the verb). Compare:

  • People speak much about that film - People talk a lot about that film (Active Voice)
  • That film is much spoken about - There is a lot of talk about that film (Passive Voice)
  • Olga liked to wear very short dresses, and she was often made fun of by her classmates - Olga liked to wear very short dresses, which is why classmates often laughed at her

In Russian, sentences of this type are not found. Instead, indefinitely personal sentences or personal sentences with a verb in Active Voice are used:

  • He is waited for − They are waiting for him
  • He is waited for by his friends − Friends are waiting for him

Using Passive Voice Forms

Passive Voice predicate sentences are used in English when the main interest is the object undergoing the action (action object) rather than the action performer (action subject), as in Active Voice verb sentences.

In sentences with Passive Voice, the object of the action is the subject, and the subject of the action is either expressed by a prepositional object with the prepositions by/with, or not mentioned at all.

Examples of sentences with a verb in Passive Voice, in which the subject of the action is not mentioned:

  • Tennis is played all over the world − Tennis is played all over the world
  • The wounded were flown to hospital - The wounded were sent by plane to the hospital
  • I am told you're a bad player - I was told that you are a bad player
  • Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 - Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14
  • A new building is being built in my street - A new building is being built on my street

As you have probably already noticed, sentences of this type are translated into Russian as indefinitely personal sentences, or less often, sentences with a verb in the passive voice.

Examples of sentences with a verb in Passive Voice, in which the subject of the action is expressed by a prepositional object with the prepositions by / with:

  • Many flowers were planted by our children last spring - Our children grew many flowers last spring
  • The sky wasn't covered with dark clouds - The sky was not covered with dark clouds
  • The radio was invented by Popov In 1895 - Popov invented the radio in 1895

Tenses in the passive voice have the same meanings as the corresponding tenses in the active voice. The passive voice in English is used much more often than in Russian, where the same meaning is conveyed by indefinitely personal, impersonal or personal sentences with a verb in the active voice.

No matter how difficult the topic “Active and Passive Voice in English” seems to you, you simply have to learn it, because. the passive voice is very often used as in English oral speech as well as in writing.

Watch the following video lessons on the topic: "Active and Passive Voice in English" (9 Votes: 4,11 out of 5)

Time passive voice (Passive Voice) are formed using to be(in the appropriate tense form) and past participles: is locked/is being locked etc. The Past Participle of regular verbs is formed by adding the ending to the infinitive –ed: to invite-invite ed. When added to a verb –ed sometimes there are changes in its spelling: to stop - stopp ed. Past Participle of irregular verbs must be remembered: to tell-told-told. Additionally about.

Table of all tenses in the passive voice

present The present Past Past Future Future Future in the Past Future in the past
Simple (indefinite) indefinite The ball is taken every day. The ball was taken yesterday. The ball will be taken tomorrow. The ball would be taken the next day.
Continuous (Progressive) long The ball is being taken now. The ball was being taken at 7 o'clock yesterday. not used not used
Perfect Perfect The ball has already been taken. The ball had been taken by 7 o'clock yesterday. The ball will have been taken by 7 o'clock tomorrow. The ball would have been taken by 7 o'clock the next week.
Perfect Continuous Perfect continuous not used not used not used not used

When forming the interrogative form of the passive voice, the auxiliary verb is placed before the subject: Is the ball taken? Would the ball be taken?
In the formation of the negative form of the passive voice, the particle not placed after the auxiliary verb: The ball is not taken. The ball would not be taken.

Compare the active and passive sentences and notice that the object in the predicate verb in the active voice (the room) becomes the subject in the passive voice.

Examples:Active Voice:
Someone cleans the room every day.
Someone cleans the room every day.
Passive Voice:
The room is cleaned every day.
The room is cleaned every day.

The use of the passive voice

1. The passive voice is used when the focus of the speaker is on the person/object that is being acted upon.

Examples: He has been stolen my key. He stole my keys.

2. The passive voice is used if the person/thing that performed the action is unknown.

Examples: The shirts have just been ironed. – The shirts have just been ironed (it is not known who exactly ironed the shirts).

3. The passive voice is used if the character/object is not of interest.

Examples: She has been invited to the restaurant. She was invited to a restaurant. (we are not interested in who exactly invited her to the restaurant, but she is interested in herself)

4. Tenses in the passive voice are used according to the same rules as the corresponding tenses in the active voice. For example, when talking about an action that is currently in development, the form is used.

Examples: The room is being cleaned at that moment. - The room is being washed at this moment.

5. If the passive turnover indicates face by, and if specified instrument/instrument/means/substance performing an action, then the preposition is used with.