Thursday, August 9, 2012

Passive Voice

There are two voices in English, the active and the passive. 
The active tells us what the subject does, for example :
  • He writes a letter
The passive tells us what is done to the subject. For example :
  • A letter is written by him
Definition the passive voice :
A passive contruction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. That is, whoever or whatever is performing the action is not the grammatical subject of the sentence.

The generic structure :
  • Active : S + V active + O
  • Passive : O + to be + V3 + by + S
Active to passive voice :
1. Simple present : Noun + am/is/are + V3
  • Active : I write a letter
  • Passive : A letter is written by me
2. Present Continuous : Noun + is/am/are + being + V3
  • Active : He is buying a car
  • Passive : A car is being bought by him
3. Simple Past : Noun + was/were + V3
  • Active : The judge sentenced the convicted 5 years imprisonment
  • Passive : The convicted was sentenced 5 years imprisonment by the judge
4. Past continuous : Noun + was/were + being + V3
  • Active : the officer was investigating the case
  • Passive : the case was being investigated by the officer
5. Simple Future : Noun + Shall/will + be + V3
  • Active : The judge will issue a verdict against the accused
  • Passive : A verdict against the accused will be issued by the judges
6. Past Future : Noun + should/would + be + V3
  • Active : The investigator would hand in the file
  • Passive : The file would be handed in by the investigator
7. Simple Present Perfect : Noun + has/have + been + V3
  • Active : They have committed another crime
  • Passive : another crime has been committed by them
8. Past perfect : Noun + had + been + V3
  • Active : We had found your watch
  • Passive : your watch had been found by us
9. Simple Future Perfect : Noun + shall/will + had + been + V3
  • Active : the witness shall have shown the evidence
  • Passive : The evidence will have been shown by the witness
10. Past future Perfect : Noun + should/would + have + been + V3
  • Active : the major should have been invited the president
  • Passive : the president should have been invited by the major
11. Modals : Noun + must/shall/will/have to/has to + be +V3
  • Active : Sugiarto must report his attendance to the police once a week
  • Passive : His attendance must be reported by to the police once a week

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