Passive voice is a negative form. What you didn't know about the passive voice in English. Passive voice formation rule
The Passive Voice shows that the person or thing designated by the subject are the objects of the action expressed by the predicate:
She was woken from her sleep by his singing. - She was awakened by his singing.
Education
The Passive Voice formed using an auxiliary verb to be in the appropriate tense, person and number and past participle of the semantic verb Participle II:
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Times table English verb in the passive voice is printed in the appendix on pp. 265-267.
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For example:
Negative and interrogative forms are formed according to the same rules as active voice forms:
In the negative form, the particle is substituted after the auxiliary verb:
John isn't helped by Mary. - Mary doesn't help John.
In the complex form of the auxiliary verb, the particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb:
John hasn't been helped by Mary. - Mary didn't help John.
Is John helped by Mary? - Does Mary help John?
Has John been helped by Mary? - Did Mary help John?
The predicate in the active voice, expressed by a combination of one of the modal verbs can (could), may (might), should, ought etc. with the infinitive of the active voice, in the passive voice there is a combination of the same modal verb with the passive infinitive:
We must finish our work as soon as possible. - We must finish the job as soon as possible.
Our work must be finished as soon as possible. - Our work must be completed as soon as possible.
You ought to translate this article at once. - You should translate this article right away.
This article ought to be translated at once. - This article should be translated immediately.
If a passive construction indicates the performer of an action, expressed by an animate noun or pronoun, it is preceded by a preposition by:
If the construction indicates the object or material with which the action is performed, the preposition is used with:
The room was filled with smoke. - The room was full of smoke.
The finger was cut with a knife. - My finger was cut with a knife.
IN English language There are verbs, the use of which in the passive is most often impossible without by-phrase, i.e. phrases indicating the actor of the action being performed: to follow, to overtake, to seize, to visit, to govern, to characterize, to attract, to control, to rule, to influence, to confront, to attend, to accompany, to join, to cause, to bring about, to mark etc.:
Not followed by the police. - The police are pursuing him.
The Passive Voice
Formation of the passive voice 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 active voice. For example, if the sentence is about an action happening at the present moment, then the verb will be used in the form of the present continuous tense Present Continuous in both the active and passive voice.
Forms of the passive voice depending on 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 Decembe r.
Reconstruction took place 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 that the contract would be signed tomorrow.
Future Perfect: will + have been + Past Participle
The food will be delivered by 10 o’clock. The products will be delivered by 10 o'clock.
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.
Perfect Continuous tenses are not used in the passive voice. They try 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 since theinvestigation of this murder.
The passive voice is used when the speaker's attention is concentrated on the person or thing on which the action is performed, and not on the person or thing that performs the 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)
It should be noted that the object of a verb in the active voice (the office, Tom) becomes the subject in the passive form.
Using the Passive Voice
- The passive voice is used when it is not known which person or thing 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.)
- 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 not of interest:
Them in eral water side livered to the hotel every morning.
Mineral water supplyto the hotel every morning.
(There is no need to mention who the mineral water supplier is).
- The passive voice is used when it is clear from the context who or what is performing the action:
Football is played allover 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 bothered.
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 can have two objects after them. 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)
- I was shown the way. They showed me the way.
- The way was shown to 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 a sentence a person or thing performing an action, then a preposition is used to introduce it into the sentence by:
‘Imagine’ was composed and sung by John Lennon.
Composed and sang the song “Imagine” John Lennon.
If there is a need to mention an object in a sentence, such as a tool necessary to perform an action or a material with which the action is performed, a preposition is used with:
He was hit with an umbrella. He was hit with an umbrella (weapon)
The safe was blown with dynamite. The safe was blown up with dynamite (gun)
The cake was made with dried fruit Cake 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, you can use two forms in the passive form. For example,
Active voice:
People say that Mr Ross is a good producer.
People
Passive 1: It + passive + that + 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 formal 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.
Expect that new law will be adopted 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.
It is 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.
They are building my garage now.
However, this construction can be used when no one is involved in performing 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.
One of grammatical categories verb, characteristic of both Russian and English languages, is voice (Voice). There are two such voices in English: and (active and passive, or passive voice). Almost every type of tense form can form a passive from itself, which will show that the action was not performed by the subject himself, the action is performed on him, hence the name Passive. Below we will consider cases of using the passive voice with the simplest tenses - Past, Present and Future Simple Passive.
To begin with, we can provide condensed information in the form of formulas on how the passive voice is formed in these three tenses.
Table of formation of Present Indefinite Passive, Past Indefinite Passive and Future Simple Passive:
| Indefinite | |
| Present | am/is/are + V(3) |
| Past | was/were + V(3) |
| Future | will be + V(3) |
General information about Passive Voice education
The basis of the form of any passive voice is the presence of two important elements in its construction:
1. Required form, depending on the tense in which the passive is used (in the past tense it was and were, in the present – am, is, are, and in the future – simply the auxiliary verb will and the original form of be).
2. The form of the semantic verb must have the form Past Participle, which is more simply called the third form of the verb. Without it, calling the voice passive simply won’t work.
Note: The passive rule prohibits its use in some tenses. These include the entire Perfect Continuous group, as well as the future continuous - Future Continuous.
Formation and use of Present Indefinite Passive
The use of the passive voice in the present simple tense is relevant for all those cases that are characteristic of this tense form, namely:
· to express regular action;
· for situations called well-known and natural facts and phenomena;
· to express the future (typically used to display actions according to a schedule);
· in subordinate parts of time that occur in conditional sentences;
· for verbs that cannot be used in Continuous.
Affirmative sentences in Present Simple Passive Voice
are formed simply: as mentioned earlier, the form of the verb to be is used here in the present tense (is, am or are), and the semantic verb is in the third form or, as it is called correctly, Participle II:
· The house looks very nice; its rooms are cleaned almost every day and its yard is swept daily – The house looks very beautiful; his rooms are cleaned almost every day, and the yard is swept daily
· When he is seen, I will be told
Questions in the Present Simple Passive
Interrogative sentences in the passive present simple form are no more difficult to form than in the active voice. The first position is occupied by am, are or is, followed by the subject, and then the sentence ends with the remaining passive structure and minor members.
Examples of questions in Present Passive Simple:
· Is each candidate questioned by turn or they are interviewed all together? – Are each candidate interviewed separately or are they asked questions together?
· Are their children taken good care of at home? – Are their children well looked after at home?
Negative sentences in Present Indefinite Passive
In the Passive Voice Present Simple form, the negation is formed as usual: the particle not is added to the form of the verb to be, and then the entire construction remains unchanged. Here are some examples of sentences with negation of the passive in the Present Simple:
· Books are not sent to him, he picks them up himself – Books are not sent to him, he picks them up himself
· These animals aren’t used to save men’s lives as their behavior is unpredictable – These animals are not used to save human lives, since their behavior is unpredictable
Formation and use of Past Indefinite Passive
The Past Simple Passive form is used to show that an action was performed on the subject in the past tense, and not that it itself was the performer. The usage cases here are the same as in the active voice. This is a fact from the past, the regularity and sequence of events, and also, of course, the use of this tense with those verbs that do not form a Continuous form.
The passive voice in the past tense is formed as follows: the verb to be is put in the past form - was or were (depending on the number), and the main verb takes the Past Participle form (third form). It looks like this:
· My friend was elected president of the new concern yesterday – Yesterday my friend was elected president of the new concern
· Three days ago new additions to the book were performed – Three days ago new additions to the book were presented
Interrogative sentences in Past Indefinite Passive
With questions in the Past Simple Passive the situation is the same as in any other tense. Here the auxiliary verb was/were takes the initial position in the sentence, followed by the subject, and then the rest of the passive. In speech it looks like this:
· Was the ceiling painted yesterday or the day before yesterday? – Was the ceiling painted yesterday or the day before?
· Were those letters sent last week? – Were those letters sent last week?
Negations with Past Simple Passive
In Past Simple Passive sentences, negation is achieved in the standard way, that is, by adding the particle not to the form was or were. You don't need to do anything else, and the example sentences prove it:
· He was not killed in 1945 and to everyone’s surprise he returned home – He was not killed in 1945 and to everyone’s surprise he returned home
· You were not invited to yesterday’s party because they forgot about you – You were not invited to yesterday’s party because they forgot about you
Construction and use of Future Indefinite Passive
The Future Simple Passive tense shows that the upcoming situation will not happen itself, but some action will be performed on it. Typical cases of using the simple future tense are spontaneous decisions, often made at the moment of dialogue, as well as forecasts that are not very accurate and are often preceded by verbs such as think, guess, suppose, consider, etc.
The passive form here is formed simply: will be + Participle II (V3):
· This decision will be thought over when everyone comes - This decision will be thought over when everyone comes
· I think, you will be informed about this vacancy next week - I think you will be informed about this vacancy next week
Questions in the Future Simple Passive
Interrogative sentences in the future tense in the passive voice are no more difficult to form than in any other Simple form. The auxiliary verb will is brought forward, followed by the subject, and then the verb be is used without the particle to and the form of the verb in the third form:
· Will you be allowed to attend tomorrow’s meeting? – Will you be allowed to attend tomorrow’s meeting?
· Will your photos be sold at an upcoming exhibition? – Will your paintings be sold at the upcoming exhibition?
Negative sentences in the passive simple future tense
The particle not is the main indicator of negation, and the Future Simple is no exception. This particle is added to will, and the entire sentence structure remains unchanged:
· I suppose that our business will not be taken over - I suppose our business will not be taken over
· He will not be told anything about it, I promise you - They won’t tell him anything about this, I promise you
We can say that the English passive voice is a quite popular phenomenon, including for Simple tenses, and its correct usage will make your speech richer and help you correctly describe those situations where the use of the active voice is not necessary.
Let's start with the active voice because it's simpler. The subject (subject) itself produces the action. A simple example: “Steve loves Amy.” Steve is the subject, and he performs the action: he loves Amy, who in this sentence is the object.
Another example is the title of Marvin Gaye's song "I Heard It through the Grapevine". “I” is the subject who performs the action, that is, hears “it”, the object of the action.
Passive voice
In passive voice. Instead of "Steve loves Amy", we can say "Amy is loved by Steve". Amy becomes the subject of the sentence, but she does not perform the action. She is Steve's crush. Thus the focus shifts from Steve to Amy.
If we put the title of the above-mentioned song in the passive, we would say “It was heard by me through the grapevine,” which would immediately lose expressiveness.
Is the verb "to be" a passive voice?
Many people think that any sentence containing , is in the passive voice, but this is not true. For example, the sentence “I am holding a pen” is in the active voice, even though it uses the verb “am,” which is a form of “to be.” The passive form of this sentence would be: "The pen is being held by me."
Notice that the subject (“pen”) does not perform any action, it is passive. This is a sign that the sentence is in the passive voice - the subject does not perform a direct action.
Is it always bad to use passive voice?
There is one important point - sentences in the passive voice are not always incorrect. It's just often not The best way express your thoughts. Sometimes the passive voice looks awkward, sometimes it looks too vague. Also, passive is usually the case, so if you replace passive sentences with active ones, you will make the text more concise.
When a sentence is in the passive voice, most often it is possible not to indicate the person or thing performing the action. For example, “Amy is loved.” The problem is that in this case we don't know who loves Amy.
Politicians often use the passive deliberately to avoid specifying who is doing the action. Famous words Ronald Reagan on the Iran-Contra scandal: “Mistakes were made.”
Other examples of using the passive voice for political reasons: “Bombs were dropped” or “Shots were fired.” Listen to the news in English and pay attention to the use of passive voice.
Another reader named Matthew adds that... He notes that it is much better to write “Your electricity will be shut off” than “We, the electric company, will be shutting off your power.”
Is it true that passive voice is more difficult to understand?
According to a recent study, less educated people are those who do not have higher education- It is more difficult to understand sentences written in the passive voice than in the active voice. Therefore, when you are writing for a general audience, it is better to stick to the active voice.
Is it okay to use passive voice in crime reports?
On the other hand, passive voice has its advantages. For example, if you really don't know who did the action, then you can't name that person. This is especially true for crime reports. For example, a security guard might write “The museum was robbed” because no one knows who the burglar was.
Is passive voice necessary in fiction?
Sometimes the passive voice is used in fiction. For example, if you are writing a detective story and want to focus the reader's attention on the stolen cookies, it is best to use the passive voice. It is much better to write “The cookies were stolen” than “Somebody stole the cookies.”
The difference is not that big, but in the sentence “The cookies were stolen” the emphasis is on the cookies. In the sentence “Somebody stole the cookies,” the emphasis will be on the faceless “someone.”
The passive voice can be useful when you want to create an atmosphere of mystery. But this is precisely why it should not be used when you are writing non-fiction text and want everything to be clear and understandable.
To give the text objectivity and separate the results of experiments from personal opinion.
Some reference books on scientific style allow limited use of the active voice. For example, you can write “We sequenced the DNA” instead of “The DNA was sequenced,” but it is still considered undesirable for scientists to write conclusions on their own behalf.
For example, “We believe the mutation causes cancer” looks unscientific. But here you can do without the passive voice. For example, you can write “The data suggests that the mutation causes cancer.” The voice remains active, but the sense of subjectivity disappears.
Is it true that Strunk and White's handbook gets the passive voice wrong?
Finally, I would like to mention how Strunk and White describe the passive voice in their classic reference book, The Elements of Style. Three of the four examples of passive voice they gave are not actually passive.
In general, try to avoid passive voice except in situations where it is absolutely necessary. Of course, he expresses the meaning of what was said too vaguely, but in fiction, and especially scientific literature, the passive voice can be very useful to you.
Did you know that passive voice is widely used in crime reports?
Passive voice
The passive voice shows that the action is directed towards the object or person expressed by the subject.
Formation
Note, Passive voice Voice) formed using an auxiliary verb to be in the appropriate tense, person and number and the past participle of the semantic verb – Participle II.
Forms
Interrogative form is formed by moving the first auxiliary verb to the place before the subject.
Negative form is formed by placing a negative particle not after the first auxiliary verb.
Use
The passive voice is used to:
— do without mentioning the performer of the action;
- specifically draw attention to who or what is carrying out the action. In this case, the noun or pronoun (in the objective case) is introduced by the preposition by after the predicate in Passive. If an action is performed with the help of some object, then the preposition is used with.
The passive voice is not used
Not used in passive voice:
- Intransitive verbs, tk. with them there is no object that would be affected, that is, there are no direct objects that could become subjects of a verb in the Passive form.
- Linking verbs: be - to be, become - to become, to become.
- Modal verbs.
- Some transitive verbs. In most cases, these are state verbs: to fit, to be appropriate, to have, to lack, to lack, to like, to resemble, to be similar, to suit, to suit, etc.
Present tense forms of passive voice
Examples of forms present time passive voice (Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect):
Future forms of the passive voice
Form examples future tense passive voice (Indefinite, Perfect):
Form Future Continuous in the Past Not used V Passive, Future Indefinite in the Past is used instead.
Exceptions
In Passive also no forms Perfect Continuous, therefore, in cases where it is necessary to convey into Passive an action that began before a certain moment and continues up to this moment, Perfect forms are used.
Modal verbs
In compound predicates consisting of modal verb (or its substitute) and the infinitive of the semantic verb, the form of the passive voice is taken by the infinitive that comes after the modal verb.
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