Passive
voice
Themes :
1.
Simple present passive.
2.
Simple past passive.
3.
Present continuous passive.
4.
Past continuous passive.
5.
Future passive with will.
6.
Future passive with be
going to.
7.
Present perfect passive.
8.
Modal passive.
9.
Phrasal modal passive.
Tip # 1
How to use the Passive
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.
The
passive is used when:
We are interested in the
passive, not who uses it.
- The house was built in 1654
We are interested in the house, not the builder.
- The road is being repaired
We are interested in the
road, not the people repairing it.
In other words, the most important thing or
person becomes the subject of the sentence.
Sometimes we use the passive voice because we
don't know or cannot express who or what performed the action:
- I noticed that a window had been left open.
- Every year people are killed on our roads.
If we want to say who or what performs the
action, we use the preposition by:
- "A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles.
- ET was directed by Spielberg.
The passive voice is often used in formal or
scientific texts:
- A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words.
- Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.
- Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways.
The passive
is a favourite grammar area to use for quizzes. In coursebooks, these are often
'general knowledge quizzes'. A variation on this would be to design a 'themed'
quiz. For example:
Entertainment Quiz: Books, Movies,
Music and Art
a) Who was … written
by?
b) Who was …directed
by?
c)
Which film was
awarded the Oscar for best picture in…?
d)
Who was… played by
in the movie…?
e) Who was … composed
by?
f) Who was … sung by?
g) Who was … painted
by?
h)
This will generate
lots of examples of the past passive.
i) Geography Quiz or
History Quiz
j)
Where
is…grown/cultivated/harvested?
k)
What country is
surrounded by…?
l) Where is … made?
m) Who was …
discovered by?
n)
In which country
was … invented?
o) When was …
invented?
A geography quiz
will generate lots of examples of the present passive, while the history quiz
will generate examples of the past passive.
The natural
follow-up to any quiz like those above would be to ask the students to make a
quiz themselves.
1. Simple present passive.
Tip
# 2 form:
1. Affirmative statements.
2.
Negative statements.
3.
Yes/No questions.
5.
Information questions.
Link practice 2:http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises
2. Simple past passive.
Tip
# 3 form:
1. Affirmative statements.
4.
Short answers.
5.
Information questions.
Link practice 3: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?02
3.
Present continuous passive.
Tip
# 4 form:
1. Affirmative statements.
2.
Negative statements.
3.
Yes/No questions.
4.
Short answers.
5.
Information questions.
4. Past continuous passive.
1. Affirmative statements.
2.
Negative statements.
3.
Yes/No questions.
4.
Short answers.
Link practice 5: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?past-progressive
The Future passive
Future passive with will.
Form: will + be + past participle (+by +noun)
- Affirmative statements:
The teacher will be fired.
- Negative statements:
The job center won't be built.
- Yes/No questions:
Will the program be cut?
Yes,they will/ No, they won't
- Information questions:
Why will the teachers be fired?
Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.
- Jane will buy a new computer. -
- Her boyfriend will install it. -
- Millions of people will visit the museum. -
Future passive with be going to.
Form: be going to + be + past participle + (+ by + noun)
- Affirmative statements:
The teacher is going to be fired.
- Negative statements:
The job center isn't going to built.
- Yes/No questions:
Are the programs going to be cut?
Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
- Information questions:
Why are the teachers going to be fired?
Complete each statement with the verb in the "going to" future tense, passive voice.
1. He _____________is going to be hurt_____________________________ if he's not careful. (hurt)
2. I __________________________________________ this Friday. (pay)
3. The students _____________________________________ more time to finish their work. (give)
4. My computer ____________________________________________ until tomorrow. (fix -- negative)
The present perfect passive.
Form: has / have + been + past participle ( + by + noun )
- Affirmative statements:
The teacher has been fired.
- Negative statements:
The job center hasn't been built.
- Yes / No questions:
Have the programs been cut?
Yes, they have. / No, they haven't.
- Information questions:
Why have the teachers been fired.
Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.
- Kerrie has paid the bill. -
- I have eaten a hamburger. -
- We have cycled five miles. -
- I have opened the present. -
Modal Passive.
Form: modal + be + past participle + ( by + noun )
- Affirmative statements:
The teacher must be fired.
- Negative statements:
The job center should not be built.
- Yes / No questions:
Could the programs be cut?
Yes, they could be. / No, they couldn't be.
- Information questions:
Why should the teachers be fired?
Complete each statement or question with the modal verb "can" in the passive voice. The main verb is in parentheses.
1. Some interesting animals _____________could be found_______________________ at the zoo. (find)
2. This recipe _________________________________________ very quickly. (make)
3. The building __________________________________________ from the side. (enter)
4. This old car ____________________________________________ safely anymore. (drive--negative)
Phrasal modal passive.
Modal + be + past participle ( + by + noun )
- Affirmative statements:
The teacher has (got) to be fired.
- Negative statements:
The job center ought to be buillt.
- Yes / No questions:
Yes, they do. / No, they don't.
- Information questions:
Why do teachers have to be fired?
Link practice: http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal1.htm
