Nama :Monika Mulin Aulina

No Absen : 12

Kelas : XI APHP 1

Understanding Passive Voice

Passive voice is a form of sentence where the subject of the sentence receives the action, not taking
action. Unlike active voice that focuses on doer of action, this form is more focused on the party or
object that receives the results of the action (receiver of action).

example of passive voice

Passive voice is a form of sentence where the subject of the sentence receives the action, not taking
action. Unlike active voice that focuses on doer of action, this form is more focused on the party or
object that receives the results of the action (receiver of action).

Active My parents plant some flowers

(Actor)

Passive Some flowers are planted by my parents

(Action recipient)

Generally, active sentences that can be transformed into passive sentences are active sentences
containing transitive verbs (verbs that require direct objects) such as make, bring, buy, write and so on.
Conversely, passive sentences containing intransitive verbs (verbs that do not require direct objects)
such as cry, swim, go, arrive, and die cannot be converted into passive sentences.

However, if the intransitive verbs is followed by a preposition, it is possible that the sentence can be
converted into a passive sentence but the passive sentence formed will be very rigid.

Passive Voice Formula

To form passive sentences, the following simple formula is usually used but still has to be adjusted to
the tense of the sentence.

Subject + to be (am / is / are) + past participle (pp)

Tense Formula Passive Voice Example Passive Voice

Simple Present am / is / are + pp is created

The present continuous is / is being + pp is being created

Simple Past was / were + pp was created

Past Continuous Was Being + pp was being created

The Present Perfect has / has been + pp has been created

Past Perfect has been + pp has been created

Simple Future will be + pp will be created

Future Continuous am / is / is going to be + pp is going to be created

The Future Perfect will have been + pp. Will have been created
The use of passive sentences with perfect continuous tenses is usually rarely done because it produces
a sentence structure that is too complex and difficult to understand. Therefore, this should be avoided
even though it is grammatically correct.

Usage & Example of Passive Voice

Passive sentences are generally used in the following conditions:

a) When a doer of action is unknown

My money has been stolen.

In this passive voice example, the speaker does not know who stole his wallet.

b) When the doer of action is clear and does not need to be mentioned

Wheat is grown in Karawang.

In this example, it is very clear that farmers are perpetrators or people who grow wheat.

c) When not wanting to tell who doers of action Mistakes were made.

In this example, the speaker does not want to tell who made the mistake.

d) When doers of action are all people (people in general) Transjakarta is an alternative means of
transportation to avoid traffic hours.

In this example, the perpetrators are all people because Transjakarta can be used by the wider
community.

e) When the perpetrator of the action is mentioned in the previous sentence (if there is a paragraph)
Han caught Ari cheating on the test. Ari was given punishment immediately.

In this example of passive voice, Mr. Han as the perpetrator of the action has been mentioned before so
there is no need to add to the second sentence.

Actors in Passive Voice

In some conditions the use of passive voice, by-phrase (the phrase that states the perpetrator of the
action) is not used for several reasons as stated above. However, in fact we can include actors if the
information is very important or under the following conditions:

a) When there is new information (second sentence). Bottled water comes from mountain water. It is
produced by water company.

b) When knowing the clear name of the perpetrator or the perpetrator of the action is a famous person.
Siti Nurbaya was written by Marah Roesli.

c) When the identity of the perpetrator is very surprising or unexpected. It is hard to believe that this
beautiful jazz melody was composed by an eight-year-old.

Passive Voice with Get

The get word can also be used in passive sentences to replace to be (am / is / are). Usually passive
sentences with the word get are used in informal conversations. Just like when using to be (am / is /
are), the get form used must also be adjusted to the sentence tense.