English Grammar II, Semester III Daysi Suleyma Alvarado Nereyda Rodriguez Gavidia April, 10th 2012.

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What is the Passive Voice Rule of Passive Voice How use Passive Voice Where use Passive Voice Example of the structures in

Done for

passive with a direct and indirect

object. Voice

Past Participle form in Passive

Differences between Passive

Voice and Academic Writing

present simple. simple.

Passive Voice with Modal Verbs Present Progressive/Continuous

Example of the structures in past

Past Progressive/Continuous

What is the Passive Voice?

The passive voice it is an expression that involve a form of how we say something to other people in a sentence. But, what is a passive voice? Why and where we use the passive voice? And How its form in the sentences?

Passive Voice meaning

Passive voice is a voice that indicates that the subject is the patient or recipient of the action denoted by the verb.
Here is an example of a construction in passive voice: The man was nudged by a passer-by. (SIL International,2004)

How use Passive Voice

We use the passive voice when want to place more emphasis on the object or receiver of an action for the people. Example: Insulin was first discovered in 1921 by researchers at the University of Toronto. (English grammar online, 2010)

We also use the passive voice when we do not know who is performing action, or it is not apparent who is performing the action. An animal or an inanimate object could be performing the action as well. Example: We don't know who made them We are not interested in who is building it. (Bloomberg, 2005)

Where use the passive voice?

When the agent of the action is unknown:

Example: My wallet was stolen last night (Macromedia, Inc, 2009)

When the agent is unimportant:

Example: The new students center was completed last week. (Macromedia, Inc, 2009)

When the agent of the action is obvious from the context: Example: I was born in March of 1955. (Macromedia, Inc, 2009)

Sometimes passives can be formed with get or have. A passive formed with get is more common in informal, spoken English than in formal, written English. Example: He had his article published last month.

(Macromedia, Inc, 2009)

The passive voice can be used with modal verbs, too, following the patterns used with will.
Examples: The book can be taken by you. The rules must be obeyed by everybody. (Language Dynamics, 2010)

Example of the structures in present simple

The Passive Voice Formation (Present Simple) Subject + verb To Be + Past Participle Example: the apple is eaten. (English club.com guide to the passive voice for ESL students, 2001)

Example of the structures in past simple

The Passive Voice formation (Past Simple) Subject + Past of To Be + Past Participle Example: the apple was eaten (English club.com guide to the passive voice for ESL students, 2001

When a passive voice is possible with transitive verbsverbs such as paint, throw, eat, write-tense and aspect in the passive are shown by the form of the verb be + the participle of the main verb. Ex. Mary wrote that letter. (Active voice) That letter was written by Mary. (Passive voice) (Bartles, 1983)

Options are available to us when we use a passive with a direct and indirect object:
Ex. A long report has been given to the president.

The president is given prominence by being placed last. In second sentence, the report is given prominence by being placed last. Reimes, How English Work, 1998)

Ex. The president has been given a long report.

To help you decide, you will have to consider the whole context including what comes before and after. (Reimes, How English Work, 1998)

Rule of Passive Voice

The passive voice is built with a form of to be (tenses) and the past participle. Use by to add who or what is responsible for an action. (Smalzer r. M., 1980-2000)

A participle form can be used to describe a situation, not an action. In these cases, no agent is implied, and there is not equivalent active form denoting as passive voice.
(Smalzer r. M., 1980-2000)

Identifying Past Participle form in Passive Voice

Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs

Infinitive + ed Serve: Served

(Thornbury, How to Teach English, 1999)

3rd column Build: Built

Differences between Passive Voice and Academic Writing

Academic writing often focuses on differences between the ideas of different researchers, or between your own ideas and those of the researchers you are discussing. Too many passive sentences can create confusion. (English as 2nd Language, 2012)

When should avoid passive voice?

Passive sentences can get you into trouble in academic writing because they can be vague about who is responsible for the action: Example: Both Othello and Lake desire Desdemona. She is courted. Who courts Desdemona? Othello? Lake? Both of them? (Bloomberg, 2005)

Passive Voice with Modal Verbs

The passive voice can be used with modal verbs, too, following the patterns used with will. Examples: The house can be seen from the mountain. The roof must be repaired soon. (Language Dynamics, 2010)

Passive - Present Progressive/Continuous

Is/are being + past participle = present
Example: He was drinking coffee and listening to the news on the radio this morning.

Passive - Past Progressive/Continuous

Was/were + past participle = past Example: We will be talking about that next week. I really look forward Note: The progressive/continuous forms of the perfect aspects/tenses are hardly ever used in the passive voice.

Thank you for paying attention.

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Daysi Suleyma Alvarado Chvez. Nereyda Marlene Rodrguez Gavidia.

Passive - Past Progressive/Continuous

Was/were + past participle = past Example: We will be talking about that next week. I really look forward Note: The progressive/continuous forms of the perfect aspects/tenses are hardly ever used in the passive voice.