THE PASSIVE VOICE

-indicates that the person or thing denoted by the subject is the receiver or the sufferer of the action

-in the passive voice we make the object (direct object, indirect object, prepositional object) of the action the subject of the sentence

e.g. He cleared the table. The table was cleared.

She gave me a book. I was given a book./ A book was given to me.

They bought him a present.- He was bought a present./ A present was bought for him.

They sent for the doctor. - The doctor was sent for.

-the doer of the action is usually not expressed in the passive constructions

e.g. This novel was written before the war.

He was educated in Cambridge.

Forms:

to be (appropriate tense) + past participle

Present Simple: I am given a book/ you are given a book/ he is given a book

Present Continuous: I am being given a book/ you are being given a book/ he is being

given a book

Present Perfect: I have been given a book/ you have been given a book/ he has been given

a book

Past Simple: I was given a book/ you were given a book/ he was given a book

Past Continuous: I was being given a book/ you were being given a book/ he was being

given a book

Past Perfect: I had been given a book/ you had been given a book/ he had been given a

book

Future Simple: I shall be given a book/ you will be given a book/ he will be given a book

Future Continuous: I shall be being given a book/ you will be being given a book/ he will

be being given a book

Future Perfect: I shall have been given a book/ you will have been given a book/ he will

have been given a book

Modal verbs: I may/might/can/could/must/should be given a book

I may/might/can/could/must/should have been given a book

-the doer can be expressed by a prepositional phrase (by + noun phrase)

e.g. She was brought up by her grandparents.

It has been taken over by a new company.

Use:

-when it is more convenient or interesting to emphasize the thing done than the doer of it

e.g. These books have been found in the classroom.

This picture was painted by Turner.

-when the doer of the action is unknown or cannot easily be stated

e.g. My money has been stolen.

The bridge was built ten years ago.

-when the doer is not mentioned for some reason (unimportant or irrelevant, tact or delicacy of feeling)

e.g. We were told to go away.

The light was left on all night.

Exercises

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      One uses chalk for writing on the blackboard.

b)      We turn on the light when it is dark.

c)      People speak English in many parts of the world.

d)      Does anyone play football in Japan?

e)      People do not play cricket in winter in England.

f)       Buses take them home in the evening.

g)      They make cars and bicycles in this town.

h)      Many people read his books.

i)        Mr. White does the cleaning in our house.

j)       They contribute many articles to this magazine.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      They built this hospital two years ago.

b)      One of his friends took him to the pictures yesterday.

c)      The waitress brought in the coffee.

d)      They didnt invite us to the birthday party.

e)      He promised me a book.

f)       They didnt turn off the light.

g)      Did they leave the dog in the garden?

h)      They made fun of him.

i)        Did they turn down your offer?

j)       They didnt take any notice of us.

k)      We lost sight of the boat.

l)        Who took care of little Joe?

m)    Did they agree upon the time of our meeting?

n)      Who discovered the South Pole?

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      They will meet you at the station.

b)      We shall finish this work in time.

c)      I shall send the letter to my father.

d)      They will hand in the homework tomorrow.

e)      People will forget it soon.

f)       They will tell you when to come.

g)      Where will they build the new school?

h)      Someone will ask her about it.

i)        They will look after the dog well.

j)       We wont touch upon this subject today.

k)      They will take great care of him.

l)        Will they send all these cars abroad?

m)    They will paint this door green.

n)      A good teacher will give these lessons.

o)      A car will take you home after the party.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      Someone has opened the door.

b)      Have you ironed your dress yet?

c)      She has told me a lot of interesting things.

d)      The students have translated the article without any mistakes.

e)      They have done all the exercises in written form.

f)       No one has seen her anywhere today.

g)      The children have made a snowman.

h)      Have you done the washing?

i)        They have made my friend captain of the team.

j)       Nobody has made any mistakes in that work.

k)      They have brought up their children very well.

l)        Somebody has left the door open.

m)    Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before.

n)      Bad weather has put off our trip.

o)      Who has given you this book?

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      She had baked the cakes by dinner-time.

b)      She had done the ironing before her mother came home.

c)      He had sent the telegram before his brother returned.

d)      They had taken down the curtains before they left for the summer.

e)      We had closed the balcony door before the thunderstorm broke out.

f)       He had repaired the tape-recorder by the New Year.

g)      Had he whitewashed the rooms before you returned?

h)      They had set all the things right by the time I got back.

i)        I couldnt enter the house as they had locked it.

j)       I couldnt use my pen as my brother had broken it.

k)      It surprised us to hear that they had given her the first prize.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      They will have read the book by then.

b)      They will have discussed your proposal by that time.

c)      They will have packed all the things by then.

d)      The teacher will have returned our papers by then.

e)      She will have finished the report by noon.

f)       She will have written all the letters by tomorrow.

g)      The doctor will have examined the children by noon.

h)      They will have built ten houses by the end of the year.

i)        He will have mended it by tomorrow.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      People are reading his novels all over the world.

b)      The dentist is filling his tooth.

c)      They are trying a new medicine at the hospital.

d)      The shop is selling hundreds of toys.

e)      The firemen are putting the fire out.

f)       They are still asking questions about it.

g)      They are building a new road outside my house.

h)      Are they calling Mary?

i)        Are they selling oranges?

j)       Is anyone teaching these children English.

k)      They are cleaning the rooms.

l)        They are making arrangements for departure.

m)    Someone is waiting for you at the entrance of the college.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice.

a)      When we came, they were tidying up the whole house.

b)      When I left the meeting, people were still asking questions.

c)      When I entered the room, they were watering the plants.

d)      When we came here, they were building a new theatre.

e)      They were cleaning all the carpets.

f)       Someone was selling all the houses in this street.

g)      They are teaching the boys English.

h)      She was washing the baby.

Change these sentences from the active into the passive voice making the words in italics the subject of the passive construction.

a)      She gave Tom an interesting book.

b)      They answered me nothing.

c)      She showed the lady the way to the station.

d)      They teach us English and German.

e)      He has offered them the job.

f)       They asked him some questions.

g)      They excused me the entrance fee.

h)      They promised the child a new ball.

Change these sentences from the passive into the active voice.

a)      The museum is visited by thousands of people every day.

b)      She was promised a new dress.

c)      The children were left at home.

d)      I was asked to come at three.

e)      The work has been finished at last.

f)       The teacher is surrounded by the children after the lessons.

g)      By whom has the letter been brought?

h)      Have you been asked about it?

i)        The key was lost yesterday.

j)       The doctor will be sent for at once.

k)      The delegation was met at the station.

l)        You will be told everything about it.

m)    My question hasnt been answered yet.

n)      The text is being typed.

o)      Each student was spoken to.

p)      The problem has just been discussed.

q)      This book is often asked for by students.

r)       You were being waited for all afternoon.

s)       He was not expected to say that.

t)        What has been done about it?

(Budai Lszl: English Grammar)

Complete the text with the verbs in the passive voice:

Trouble in store from the travelling spiders

Supermarkets in Britain (alert) ------ yesterday after a number of black widow spiders (discover) ------ in boxes of grapes which (ship) ------- from the USA. The spiders, which have a deadly bite, had crept into the boxes while the grapes (pack) ------ in Arizona. The alarm (raise) ------ last week when two spiders (spot) ------ by a worker who was inspecting the grapes. The spiders (immediately/ put) ------ into a box and later identified as black widow spiders. An expert from Bristol Zoo said If a spider (find) ------ in a box of fruit, the box (should/ reseal) ------ and the authorities (must/ notify) ------ straightaway. Anyone who (bite) ------ by one of these spiders should see a doctor as soon as possible.

(Snapshot Intermediate)