Passive Voice
Passive Voice
42
Passive 1 (is done / was
done)
A
Study this
example:
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B
C
1981
This house was built in 1981.
When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant:
A lot of money was stolen in the robbery. (somebody stole it, but we don't know who) Is
this room cleaned every day? (does somebody clean it? - it's not important who)
The past participle often ends in -ed (cleaned/damaged etc.), but many important
verbs are irregular (built/done/stolen etc.). See Appendix 1.
Present
simple
Past
simple
active:
cleaned/saw etc.
Exercises
42.1 Complete the sentences. Use these verbs in the correct form, present or past:
Unit
42
cause
make
damage
overtake
1 Many accidents
2 Cheese.
find
own
hold
send
injure show
from milk.
by
trees.
to the wrong address.
by a much larger company.
42.2 Write questions using the passive. Some are present and some are past.
42.3 Put the verb into the correct form, present or past, active or passive.
1
b Fortunately
everybody.
6 a Bill.
b Sue.
42.4 Instead of using somebody, they, people etc., write a passive sentence.
(they / call)? (you
/ call) them?
How
This
7 We don't use this office any more.
8 They invited five hundred people to the
wedding.
Five hundred
money.
used?
............. . . . . . . . . . . .
price.
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Unit
43
Passive 2 (be done / been done / being
done)
A
Infinitive
The situation is serious. Something must be done before it's too late. A mystery is
something that can't be explained.
The music was very loud and could be heard from a long way away. A new
supermarket is going to be built next year.
Please go away. I want to be left
alone.
B
Perfect infinitive
I haven't received the letter yet. It might have been sent to the wrong address.
If you had locked the car, it wouldn't have been stolen.
There were some problems at first, but they seem to have been solved.
C
Present
perfect
active:
have/has + done etc.
Past
perfect
active:
had + done etc.
O The vegetables didn't taste good. They had been cooked too
long. The car was three years old, but hadn't been used very much.
D
Present continuous
am/is/are + (do)ing
active:
There's somebody walking behind us. I think we are being followed. A new bridge is
being built across the river. It will be finished next year.
Past continuous
active:
was/were + (do)ing
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Passive 1, 3➜ Units 42, 44
Unit
Exercises
43.1 Complete these sentences. Use the following verbs in the passive:
43.2
by an electrical fault.
down. on Tuesday.
12 Last week they weren't speaking to one another. Now they're happy again. The problem seems to
Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive. 1 There's
somebody behind us. (We/follow) We're being followed...
2 This door is a different colour, isn't it? (you /
paint?)
3 My bike has disappeared. (It / steal!) It
Have you painted it?
10 I went into the room and saw that the table and chairs were not in the same place.
(The furniture / move) The
4 When I last visited, they were building some new houses here.
When I last visited, some
5 The meeting is now on 15 April. They have changed the date.
The date of
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Unit
44
Passive 3
A
I was offered .../ we were given ... etc.
When we use these verbs in the passive, most often we begin with the
person:
I've been offered the job, but I don't think I want it. (= somebody has offered me the job) You will be given
plenty of time to decide. (= we will give you plenty of time)
I didn't see the original document, but I was shown a copy. (somebody showed me a copy)
Tim has an easy job - he's paid a lot of money to do very little. (= somebody pays
him a lot)
but
I was born in
Chicago.
Where were you born? (not Where are you born?)
|
p
os
past
presen
t
O How many babies are born every
day?
D
get
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You can use get for the
passive:
There was a fight, but nobody got hurt. (= nobody was hurt)
I don't get invited to many parties. (I'm not invited)
O I'm surprised Liz didn't get offered the job. (= Liz wasn't offered the
job)
We use get only when things happen. For example, you cannot use get in these
sentences: Jessica is liked by everybody. (not gets liked - this is not a 'happening')
Peter was a mystery man. Very little was known about him. (not got known)
We use get mainly in informal spoken English. You can use be in all
situations.
We also use get in the following expressions (which are not passive in
meaning):
get married, get divorced
get lost (= not know where you are)
get dressed (= put on your clothes)
get changed (= change your
clothes)
Exercises
44.1 Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb.
1 I tried to contact Tom.
I called his office but I was told... (tell) that he was in a meeting.
2 Amy retired from her job recently.
She
(give) a present by her
colleagues.
3 I didn't know there was a meeting yesterday.
Have you
(not/tell) about it.
(pay) so
little.
44.2 Complete the sentences using being + the following verbs (in the correct form):
bite
give invite
keep
by mosquitoes?
like a child.
in a traffic jam.
44.3 Complete the sentences using get or got + the following verbs (in the correct form):
ask break
hurt
pay
steal
44
that question a lot. by the police as I was driving home. One of the lights
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