The Passive voice

· passive voice is used when the action is important than the agent. e.g. My bike was stolen. · when the person who carries out the action is known, unimportant or obvious. e.g. The shop was burgled. · when we want to emphasize the agent e.g. The city cathedral was built be my great great grandfather. · When we want to make statements more polite or formal. e.g. A mistake was made. Form of Passive Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Tense Subject Verb Object

Present Simple Active: Rita writes a letter.

Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Present Progressive Active: Rita is writing a letter.

Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita has written a letter.

Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Past Simple Active: Rita wrote a letter.

Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.

Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.

Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.

Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Modals Active: Rita can write a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.

Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.

Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.

Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.

Note: The present perfect continuous, the future continuous and the past perfect continuous are not normally used in the passive. In colloquial English, get is often used of be to express something happening by accident. e.g. John got hit by a taxi while he was cycling down the street.

· When changing the sentence from the active into the passive: the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive.

· The active verb changes into a passive form.

· The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent and is either introduced with the preposition by or omitted.

· Only transitive verbs can be changed into passive: e.g. She wrote an article. An article is written by her. But: He lives in Almaty. (the verb live is intransitive so the sentence cannot changed into the passive)

· By + agent is used to say who or what did the action. e.g. The baby was rescued by a firefighter.

· By + agent is omitted in the passive sentence when the agent is unknown, unimportant or obvious. e.g. Someone has broken the lock. The lock has been broken.

· With + instrument/material/ingredient is used to say what the agent used. e.g. The salad is made with tomatoes, cucumbers and anions.

· Verbs which take two objects can have two passive forms. e.g. Sara told tom a secret. A secret was told to Tom. Tom was told a secret.

· In the passive, the preposition that follows a verb is placed after the verb. e.g. Chris turned the radio on. The radio was turned on by Chris.

· Let changes to be allowed to in the passive. e.g. Mum let us watch TV. We were allowed to watch TV.