Passive forms

We use the passive:

1. To avoid mentioning the doer: (da izbegenemo da kazemo ko je vrsioc radnje)Before they go on sale most new drugs are tested extensively. The new design was registred in several European countries. We are not interested in who test the drugs or who registred the design so an active sentence cant be used . The egent with by is not expressed. 2. To emphasise the doer(da naglasimo vrsioca radnje): Quantas,the secon oldest international airline, is currently owned by the Australian government. You were recommended by the Hoteliers Association. In speech,we usually put the information to be emphasized at the end of a clause. So here the Australian government and the Hoteliers Association get more focus than Quantas or you. 3. To decsribe a process or a procedure. We are then less concerned with who does smth than with what is done : Many of the worlds diamonds are mined in South Africa. The stones are sent to Amsterdam where they are sold to international dealers. The stones are cut in Antwerp and then they are sold on to jewellers. In impersonal language and formal written announcments: Applicants are asked to send in their CVs. Smoking is not allowed. In bussines correspodence because it is less personal than the active: Peter Franks, who opens our post in this branch, received your letter yesterday. He has forwarded it to Head office.(Acitive form) Passsive form: Thank you for your letter which was received at this branch yesterday. It has been forwarded to Head Office as complaints are dealt with there. In impersonal style is achieved by using the passive and particurarly by beginning sentences with it: It wa recommended that considerably more money shoud be invested in market research. To describe changes: The present perfect passive is often uded when we are decribign changes that have taken place and we are more interested in tehe changes than who had made them: The factory is completely differnet. The whole place has been modernized and computerized,and a lot of people have been made redundant.

4.

5. 6. 7.

 The fotocopier machine has been repaired. 8. Some verbs such as give,tell,offer,get,write,pay,sell,make take two objects, one ussualy standing for a person the other for a thing. The word for a person is the indirect object(IO) and is the first of the 2 objects. The word for the thing is the direct object(DO). They offered us a contract. When this sentence is transformed into passive either of those objects may become the subject of the passiev sentence: We were offered a contract or a contract was offered to us.

Form
TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE ( THE ACTIVE OBJECT BECOMES THE PASSIVE SUBJECT) Only transitive verbs(verbs followed by an object ) can be used in the passive voice: Simple Present Tense Passive : am/is/are + past participle= Workers In China made this telephones. These telephones are made in China. Present Continious Tense Passive: am/is/are +being+ past participle= I can assure you that we are dealing with your complaint.I can assure you that your cpmplaint is being dealt with. Simple Past Tense Passive: was/were + past participle= We founded the company in 1854.Our copmany was founded in 1854. Past Continuous Tense Passive: was/were+ being+past participle=We only noticed the mistakes when we were printing the brochures.We only noticed the mistakes when the brochures were being printed. Present Perfect Tense Passive : have/hase + been +past participle= We have found a design fault on some of our washing machines.A design fault has found on some of our washing machines. Past Perfect Tense Passive: had+been+past participle=They faxed us to say that they had retained the shipment for inspectionThey faxed us to say that the shipment had been retained for inspection. Future Simple Tense Passive: will/shall+be+past participle= They will deliver the shipment next Tuesday.The shipment will be delivered next Tuesday. Present Infinitive Passive: to be + past participle=They are going to sent back a shipment The shipment is going to sent back. Pressent Perfest Infinitive passive: to have been + past participle= The Board must have cancelled the meetingThe meeting must have been cancelled.