Its function

 The passive voice is used to show interest in

the person or object that experiences an action
rather than the person or object that performs the
action. In other words, the most important thing
or person becomes the subject of the sentence.
Example 1:
 The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are
interested in the passive voice, not in who uses it.)
 The house was built in 1654. (= we are interested in the
house, not in who built it.)
 The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the
road, not in the people who are doing the repairs.)
 Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't
know or do not want to express who performed the
action
Example 2:
 I noticed that a window had been left open.
 Every year thousands of people are killed on our
roads.
 All the cookies have been eaten.
 My car has been stolen!
 The passive voice is often used in formal texts.
Switching to the active voice will make your
writing clearer and easier to read.
Example 3:
Passive Active

A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a A few well-chosen words convey a great

few well-chosen words. deal of meaning.

Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases. A mass of gases wrap around our planet.

Waste materials are disposed of in a The city disposes of waste materials in a

variety of ways. variety of ways.
 If we want to say who or what performs the action while
using the passive voice, we use the preposition by. When
we know who performed the action and are interested in
him, it is always better to switch to the active voice instead.
Example 4:
Passive Active

"A Hard Day's Night" was written by the The Beatles wrote "A Hard Day's Night".
Beatles.

The movie ET was directed by Spielberg. Spielberg directed the movie ET.

This house was built by my father. My father built this house.

FORMING PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice in English is
composed of two elements:
the appropriate form of the verb
'to be' + past participle
Example:
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative
Interrogative

The house was The house wasn't Was Wasn't

built in 1899. built in 1899. the house built in the house built in
1899? 1899?

These houses were These houses Were these houses Weren't these
built in 1899. weren't built in built in 1899? houses built in
1899. 1899?
Forming Passive Voice With Tenses
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note
the following:
• the object of the active sentence becomes the
subject of the passive sentence
• the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past
participle)
• the subject of the active sentence becomes the
object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
TO CLEAN, PASSIVE VOICE

Subject + to be + past participle + rest of sentence

(conjugated)
Simple present
The house is cleaned every day.
Present continuous
The house is being cleaned at the moment.
Simple past
The house was cleaned yesterday.
Past continuous
The house was being cleaned last week.
Present perfect
The house has been cleaned since you left.
Past perfect

The house had been cleaned before they

arrived.
Future

The house will be cleaned next week.

Future continuous

The house will be being cleaned tomorrow.

Present conditional

The house would be cleaned if they had

visitors.
Past conditional

The house would have been cleaned if it had been

dirty.
Inifinitive

The house must be cleaned before we arrive.

 Verb With Two Objects
 Some verbs that have two objects can make two
different active sentences, and so two different
passive sentences too.
Example
Give
 Active: He gave me the book / He gave the book to me.
You can choose either of the two objects to be the subject of
the passive sentence.
• Passive: I was given the book (by him)/ The book was
given to me (by him).

Other verbs like this are: ask, offer, teach, tell, lend,
promise, sell, throw.
 PASSIVE VOICE WITH INFINITIVES
 The passive infitive is passive form of infinitive phrase
which can serve as subject, object, or modifier in a
sentence.

 It can use modals auxiliary as verb, but after modals can’t

use the word “to”

 There are two forms of passive with infinitive:

Simple present:
TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Perfect:
TO + HAVE + BEEN + PAST PARTICIPLE
Examples
 To be accompanied with him is an axpectation.
 Everyone needs to be loved.
 He is the man to be trusted for all the things.
 The book is said to have been translated into many
languages.
 You could have been fallen.
 It might be killed by giant.
PASSIVE VOICE WITH GERUNDS
Passive gerund is passive form of gerund which can serve
as subject, object, or object of the preposition.

 Forms:
Present:
BEING + PAST PARTICIPLE
Perfect:
HAVING + BEEN + PAST PARTICIPLE
EXAMPLES
 Being accompanied with him is a expectation.
 She enjoys being photographed.
 My brother is happy of being taken to the beach.
 I’m still angry about having been fired by her.
 He denied having been interviewed by the police.
 USING "TO BE BORN"
"To be born" is an passive form and is most commonly
used in the past tense. However, in some cases, the
present or future tense is appropriate.
 EXAMPLES
 I was born in 1976.
 Where were you born?
 Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every
week.
 We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be
born.