Use of active voice:
- Active voice is used in a clause whose subject expresses the agent of the main verb.
- Subject can be easily identified by asking ‘who’ or ‘what’ to the verb.
- Sentences are short and easily understandable
2. In passive voice
sentences, the subject is acted upon by the verb
Use of passive voice
- When the result is more important than the action;
- When the person doing the action is unknown;
- When we want to avoid responsibility or blame.
An Important Result
In
the passive voice, the focus of the sentence is on the person or thing affected
by the action. We use the passive voice when the result of the action is more
important than the person doing the action.
Penicillin
was discovered by Alexander Fleming.
The
discovery of penicillin is the result. The focus of the sentence is on the
result, not the person who discovered it.
An Unknown Actor
When
we use the passive voivce, we don't need to say who did the action. We use the
passsive voice when we don't know who did the action.
My
car was stolen.
'My
car' is the subject, 'stolen' is the action. We don't know who stole the car.
Avoiding responsibility or blame
We
don't need to name the actor when we use the passive voice. We can say that
something happened without saying who did it.
In
the active voice we always know who did the action.
- Active Voice
James
has broken the window.
The
window is broken. James broke it.
- Passive Voice
The
window has been broken.
The
window is broken. We don't know who broke it.
Hints for Identifying the Passive Voice
- An active verb may or may not have a direct object, but the passive verb almost never does.
- "It is...That" construction (It is clear that... It is noted...)
- Use of the verbs To Be, Make, or Have
- Passive: Your exits should be made quickly.
- Active: Leave quickly.
- Endings that turn verbs into abstract nouns: -ion,-ing,-ment:
- Passive: When application of force is used, the lid will open.
- Active: Apply force to open the lid.
PATTERNS
Simple Present Tense
- Active: Subject + infinitive + object
- Passive: S + to be + past participle + by object
Present Continuous Tense
- Active: Subject + to be (is/am/are) being + present participle + object
- Passive: S + to be (is/am/are) + being + past participle + by object
A
rainbow cake is being made by them now
Present Perfect Tense
- Active: Subject + has/have + past participle + object
The manager has
interviewed some candidates
- Passive: S + have/has been + past participle + by object
Some
candidates have been interviewed by the manager.
Simple Past Tense
- Active: Subject + past participle + object
Fadhila watched the movie in the
theatre last night.
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- Passive: S + was/were + past participle + by object
Past Continuous Tense
- Active: S + was/were + being + past participle + object
She
was buying some books last night.
- Passive: S + was/were + being + past participle +by object
Some
books were being bought by her last night
Past Perfect Tense
- Active: Subject + had + past participle + object
- Passive: S + had been + past participle + by object
A
good decision had been made by Carroll to leave Liverpool
Simple Future Tense
- Active: Subject + will + infinitive + object
The
farmers are going to harvest the crops next week
- Passive: S + will + be + past participle + by object
The
crops are going to be harvested by the farmers next week.
Simple Future Continous Tense
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He will be meeting them.
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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
A verb can be either transitive or
intransitive. A transitive verb needs an object (in sentence) to give complete
meaning while intransitive verb does need an object (in sentence) to give complete
meaning.
For example,
Transitive verb.
For example,
Transitive verb.
He sent a letter.
(Send is a transitive verb and it needs an object i.e. letter to express full meaning.)
Intransitive Verb.
(Send is a transitive verb and it needs an object i.e. letter to express full meaning.)
Intransitive Verb.
He laughs.
(Laugh is an intransitive verb and it does not
need object for expressing full meaning.)
e.g. Sleep, go, reach, sit, die, are examples of intransitive verbs.
e.g. Sleep, go, reach, sit, die, are examples of intransitive verbs.
Intransitive
verb cannot be changed into passive voice
The sentences having intransitive
verbs (belonging to any tense) cannot be changed into passive voice. The reason
is that there is not any object in such sentences and without object of
sentence passive voice is not possible.
A sentence can be changed into passive voice if it has subject and object. Sometimes subject may not be written in passive voice but it does not mean that it has no subject. Such sentences have subject but the subject is so common or familiar or known that if even it is not written in passive voice, it gives full meaning.
A sentence can be changed into passive voice if it has subject and object. Sometimes subject may not be written in passive voice but it does not mean that it has no subject. Such sentences have subject but the subject is so common or familiar or known that if even it is not written in passive voice, it gives full meaning.
For example : Cloth is sold in yards.
Change the
following sentences into the passive voice.
Example :
The manager
is signing the cheques.
The
cheques are being signed by the manager.
1. The maid is sweeping the broken
pieces of glass.2. The police have solved most of the crimes this year.
3. Only a few of us attended the spiritual talk.
4. The gardener sweeps and mops the hall once a week
5. Mrs Lim is boiling the sweet potatoes at the moment
6. The authorities will launch a cleanliness campaign in the park.
7. We will work out the details of the agreement within a week.
8. No one responded to the call to donate blood.
9. The good Samaritan helped the blind man cross the road.
10. The salesman is driving Danny's new car out of the garage.
Do
the exercise below on transitive and intransitive verb
1. She was
crying all day long.
2. We
showed her the photo album
3. The doctor
advised me to exercise regularly.
4. It was
raining at that time.
5. She laughed
at the joke.
6. She gave a
cookie to the child.
7. They slept in the stree.
Answer.
1. The
broken pieces of glass are being swept by the maid.
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2. Most of
the crimes this year have been solved by the police.
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3. The
spiritual talk was attended by only a few of us.
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4. The hall
is swept and mopped by the gardener once a week.
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5. The
sweet potatoes are being boiled by Mrs Lim at the moment.
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6. A
cleanliness campaign will be launched by the authorities in the park.
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7. The
details of the agreement will be worked out by us within a week.
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8. The call
to donate blood was not responded to by anyone.
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9. The
blind man was helped by the good Samaritan to cross the road.
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10. Danny's
new car is being driven out of the garage by the salesman.
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Answer.
1. Intransitive
2. Transitive
3. Transitive
4. Intransitive
5. Intransitive
6. Transitive
7. Intransitive
8. Transitive
9. Transitive
10. Transitive
References :
http://www.englishdaily626.com/passive_voice.php?024
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