Verbs in the passive voice of English. Active and passive voice in English

06.11.2013

The very existence of the passive form (sometimes called passive) is not a peculiar feature characteristic only of English syntax. However, the passive voice in English is more widespread than in Russian, and the models for constructing a sentence with it are somewhat more diverse.

When is the use of the passive voice preferable? When it is not very important for the speaker who exactly performs the action, but it is important that it is performed and to what object it is directed.

What is the difference between active and passive voices

To understand this issue, let's start with the native language.

Consider the difference between "I keep the rings in this box" and "The rings are kept in this box"? In the first case, in the center of attention and in the role of the subject, the one who acts is me. In the second case, the speaker is only interested in the fact itself: the rings are here, in this box. And who put them there - it doesn't matter, it's not worth even mentioning this subject, because he is insignificant. This sentence is built in the passive voice, and its subject was a word that names not the subject of the action, but its object - rings.

In English, this semantic difference between the examples is preserved:

• I keep my rings in this jewelry-box.
• The rings are kept in the jewelry-box.

The active voice focuses on the subject of the action, while the passive voice focuses on the action itself and the object with which it is performed.

Building a sentence in the passive voice

To “flip” an active structure into a passive one, you need to follow a few steps:

1. make the object subject: in our example it is rings,
2. to be omitted (or translated in addition),
3. formulate the verb-predicate in the passive: instead of keep - are kept.

Considering how many verb tenses there are in English, it is very useful to learn the very principle of forming a passive form. It consists of several words: an auxiliary verb to be in the appropriate tense, person and number (in our example it is are), followed by the main verb in the form Participle II (kept) . For some times, rather heavy combinations are obtained, this is clearly seen in the summary table.

Formation of forms of passive voice

	present	Past	Future	Future in the Past
Simple	The ring is kept.	The ring was kept.	The ring will be kept.	The ring would be kept.
Continuous	The ring is being kept.	The ring was being kept.
Perfect	The ring has been kept.	The ring had been kept.	The ring will have been kept.	The ring would have been kept.

The semantic verb remains unchanged, all grammatical information (person, number, tense) is carried by the auxiliary verb to be: it is he who gives such cumbersome forms. The table also shows that Future Continuous, Future Continuous in the Past and all tenses of the Perfect Continuous group do not have a passive voice at all.

If a modal verb is used in the passive voice, then the model on which the sentence is built is greatly simplified: modal verb + be + main verb. For example, The rings can be kept in the jewelry-box.

To form a negative sentence, we place the particle not in its usual place after the auxiliary verb: The ring is not kept. If it itself consists of several words, then after the first: The ring is not being kept. As always, the abbreviation is acceptable: The ring isn't being kept.

Negative passive sentences

	present	Past	Future	Future in the Past
Simple	The ring is not kept.	The ring was not kept.	The ring will not be kept.	The ring would not be kept.
Continuous	The ring is not kept.	The ring was not being kept.
Perfect	The ring has not been kept.	The ring had not been kept.	The ring will not have been kept.	The ring would not have been kept.

In a general question, we put the auxiliary verb (or only its first part) in the first place: Is the ring kept? Is the ring being kept?

In a special question, this structure remains intact, and we place a question word in front of it: Where is the ring kept?

General questions with passive voice

	present	Past	Future	Future in the Past
Simple	Is the ring kept?	Was the ring kept?	Will the ring be kept?	Would the ring be kept?
Continuous	Is the ring being kept?	Was the ring being kept?
Perfect	Has the ring been kept?	Has the ring been kept?	Will the ring have been kept?	Would the ring have been kept?

English sentences in the passive do not always "lose" the subject performing the action. At the request of the speaker, it can be named, the language provides the necessary means for this. Let's go back to our example and add a little clarification to it: The rings are kept in the jewelry-box by me. Object with the preposition by indicates the one who performs the action(keeps the rings in the box): in the active voice it was the subject of I, now it is a prepositional object used in the instrumental case: by me.

Additions in passive sentences

In such sentences, additions are often used that name the tools or means by which the action is performed. They use the preposition with: The rings are cleaned with toothpaste.
Pretext of in such cases, they are used to designate the material: The rings are made of silver.

Features of the use of the passive voice

1. In different languages, the prevalence of passive and active voice is not the same. In particular, a number of English verbs can be used in the passive as a predicate with a direct object, although similar Russian words cannot.

For example, a proposal I shown Maria the ring transforms into two different sentences in the passive:

• The ring was shown to Maria (The ring was shown to Maria).
• Maria was shown the rings (Maria was shown the rings).

To translate such sentences into Russian, one has to use impersonal sentences without naming the person who performs the action. If the subject is known, you can translate in the active voice: Tom was told by his teacher to sit down (The teacher told Tom to sit down).

2. Another difficulty is English verbs with so-called postpositions used in the passive. Postpositions retain their place after the verb: The rings were sent for (They sent for the rings). In translation, we put the word for (for the Russian language this is a preposition) before the noun - the subject.

“Passivity is a hidden form of despair,” says Exupery. And for many English learners, the passive voice is even an open form of desperation.

Before we talk about the passive voice in English in detail, let's test your language sense (or how well you remember the topic). Do a little exercise:

If your answer is 2, congratulations! You did everything right. If 1, 3 or 4 - then somewhere there is an error. But I congratulate you too - the article is just for you!

Passive Voice - passive voice. In Russian, it is called passive (but the English term, in my opinion, reflects the meaning more). In the active, or active, voice, someone or something that is the subject of the sentence itself performs the action, in the passive voice - the object is passive, does nothing, waits for an action to be performed on it.

Compare:

I knitted a scarf. (I did it myself). - The scarf is tied. (The scarf didn't do anything, someone else tied it up).

He translated the article. (He did it himself). - The article has been translated (It is important that the action was performed on the article, the article did nothing, it experienced the action).

Why is Passive Collateral needed?

It is needed when the performer of the action (agent) is unknown, unimportant or obvious, and the focus of attention is on the action. If we mention the performer, then through the preposition by.

Look at examples in the passive voice:

These cameras are made in China. - the performer is unimportant.

I was born in 1986. - the performer is obvious (all mothers give birth).

His wallet was stolen. - the performer is unknown.

The structure of the passive voice

S +BE+Ved/V3

S- it is the subject. The main thing to remember is that the passive voice ALWAYS has (which changes depending on the time) and the semantic verb always ends in -ed if it is correct or in the 3rd form (past participle - Past Participle) if it is.

Let's compare the sentences of the active (actual) voice with the corresponding sentences of the passive (passive) voice in different tenses.

Active Voice	Passive Voice
PRESENT SIMPLE（occurs regularly）S + am/is/are +Ved/V3
I wash my car every week. I wash my car every week. She often buys clothes here. She often buys clothes here.	my car is washed every week. My car is washed every week. Clothes are often bought here (by her). Clothing is often purchased here. (by her)
PAST SIMPLE (completed action in the past, fact) S + was/were + Ved/V3
I washed my car 3 days ago. I washed my car 3 days ago. She ate Italian pizza yesterday. She ate Italian pizza yesterday.	my car was washed 3 days ago. My car was washed (my car was washed) 3 days ago. Italian pizza was eaten yesterday. Italian pizza was eaten yesterday.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS (ongoing now) S + am/is/are+ BEING + Ved/V3
I am washing my car now. I am washing my car now. A thief is stealing your money! The thief is stealing your money!	my car is being washed now. My car is being washed now (it is “washed”). your money is being stolen(by a thief) Your money is being stolen! ("steal")
PAST CONTINUOUS (lasted in the past) S + was/were + BEING + Ved/V3
I was washing my car yesterday at 5. Yesterday at 5 I washed the car. Someone was reading the article. Someone read the article.	my car was being washed yesterday at 5. Yesterday at 5 my car was washed. The article was being read. The article was read.
FUTURE SIMPLE (spontaneous decision in the future, order, request, promise) S+will+BE+ Ved/V3
I will wash my car tomorrow. I will wash my car tomorrow! I will do my homework! I'll do my homework.	my car will be washed tomorrow. Tomorrow my car will be washed! my homework will be done. My homework will be done.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS (will last in the future) DOES NOT EXIST - HOORAY ^_^
PRESENT PERFECT (something Done to the present, result) S + have / has + BEEN + Ved / V3
I have already washed my car. I already washed the car. I' ve just made an announcement. I just made an announcement.	my car has been washed. My car has already been washed. An announcement has just been made. The announcement has just been made.
PAST PERFECT (result to the past, happened BEFORE another past action) S+had+BEEN+Ved/V3
By the time you called me, I had already washed my car. By the time you called me, I had already washed the car. I had sold my car before you called me. I sold the car before you called me.	my car had already were washed. The car has already been washed. my car had been sold before you called me. The car was sold before you called me.
FUTURE PERFECT (will happen Sometime in the future) S + will + have + BEEN + Ved/V3
I will have washed my car by the end of the week. I will have washed the car by the end of the week. I will have completed this task by tomorrow. I will finish this assignment by tomorrow.	my car will have been washed. My car will be washed by the end of the week. This task will have been completed. This task will be completed.
MODAL VERBS S + can/must/should/may…+ BE + Ved/V3
I should wash my car. I should wash my car. She can understand it. She can understand it.	my car should be washed. My car needs to be washed. It can be understood. This can be understood.
BE GOING TO S + am/is/are/was/were + going to + BE + Ved/V3
I' m going to wash my car. I'm going to wash my car. They are going to tell the truth. They are going to tell the truth.	my car is going to be washed. My car is about to be washed (my car is "about to be washed") The truth is going to be told. The truth will soon be revealed. ("The truth is about to be told")

What prepositions are used in the passive voice

If the performer of the action is indicated, then the preposition is used BY:

It was done by Mike. This was done by Mike.

If the material or tool with which the action is performed is indicated, then the preposition is with.

It has been cut with a knife. It's cut with a knife.

If the performer is someone indefinite (people, somebody, someone, they), then he is not indicated in the passive voice.

People believe that it brings bad luck. - it is believed that it brings bad luck.

Phrasal verbs in the passive voice

Please note that prepositions are preserved.

She looked after him when he was sick. - He looked after when he was sick.

Questionsinpassivebail

The construction rule is the same in English - reverse word order.

Where was it done?

When should it be sent?

What is it made of?

What are you congratulating on?

Passive designs

When we do some services (hair cut, TV repair, nails painted, etc.), the HAVE SMTH DONE construction is used. In such a construction, the verb HAVE will change in accordance with the time, and the semantic verb, as elsewhere in the passive voice, will always be in the third form.

For example,

I always have my car washed here.

I' m having my TV fixed now.

I' ve already had hair done.

There are also passive constructions with the verbs want, require, etc.

I want it to be delivered.

Get insteadbe

Sometimes you can find passive constructions that use get instead of be (mostly in colloquial speech):

The wallet got stolen.

He got fired.

Stable combinations withget:

• Get married - get married
• Get divorced - get divorced
• Get dressed - dress up
• Get lost - get lost

I wish you to make friends with the passive voice, but lead an active life! Forward to action!

Best regards, Polina 4kang.

Take the test to reinforce the material.

Test

The test is under development

Also watch our video tutorial on the passive voice in English, shot against the backdrop of a miniature of the Taj Mahal in Shenzhen, China.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

To say that an action is being performed on an object or person, the English language uses the passive voice.

For example:

“The car has been repaired. The door is closed. Children are punished. The documents have been signed."

As you can see, in such sentences we focus on the action itself, and not on the one who performed it.

In English, the passive voice is used very often. I think you have seen such sentences more than once in films, books, news, newspapers in English.

In this article, we will look at when the passive voice is used, and how to form such sentences in all tenses.

From the article you will learn:

• General rules for using the passive voice in English
• Table of the use of the passive voice in all tenses

What is active and passive voice in English?

First, let's look at what a pledge is and why it is needed in English.

Pledge expresses attitude towards action, i.e. it shows:

• the person/object itself performs the action (I brought the letter)
• the person/object experiences the action of someone on itself (the letter was brought)

Accordingly, in English there are two types of collateral:

1. Active voice (Active voice)- the actor himself performs actions.

For example:

Clients have signed a contract (clients are an actor and they have performed a certain action).

2. Passive voice- the actor experiences the action of another person.

For example:

The contract is signed (the contract was not signed by himself, the action was performed on him).

When do we use the passive voice?

3 cases of using the passive voice in English

As I said, the passive voice is used when something/someone is being acted upon. In such sentences, the main emphasis is always on the action itself.

These may be the following cases:

1. When we don't know who did the action.
For example: The bank was robbed (we don't know who did it).

2. When it is not important for us who performed the action, but the action itself is important.
For example: This house will be built next year (we don't care who does it, we care that it will be built).

3. When we don't want to say who exactly did it(if something bad happened and we don't want to blame anyone).
For example: The holiday is ruined (we don't want to say who ruined it).

Now let's look at the rules for constructing such sentences in English.

General rules for constructing the passive voice in English

I must say right away that it is not difficult to build such sentences in English. For this you need:

1. Put the object / person on which the action is performed in the first place in the sentence.

For example:

A letter….
Letter…

A car…
The car…

Children….
Children…

2. Put the verb to be in the right tense in second place.

Let's take a look at the three most used tenses in English:

• Present Simple (simple present) - am, are, is
• Past Simple (simple past tense) - was, were
• Future Simple (simple future tense) - will be

For example:

A letter is….
Letter….

A car was….
The car was...

Children will be….
Children will…

3. The action itself (verb), which is performed on the acting person, put in the past tense.

There are regular and irregular verbs in English. You can find out the correct verb or not by looking it up in a dictionary.

Depending on the verb, we:

• add the ending -ed if the verb is correct (prepare - prepared)
• put it in the 3rd form if the verb is not correct (send - sent)

For example:

A letter is delivered.
The letter is delivered.

A car was sold.
The car has been sold.

Children will be punished.
Children will be punished.

If we want to add that an action is performed by someone or with the help of something, we can use the prepositions by and with.

Usagebyandwithin the passive voice

1. We use by to say that the action will be performed by someone. We put it at the end of the sentence, and after it the character (by Tom, by Mary).

For example:

The documents were sent by his secretary.
Documents sent by his secretary

2. We use with to say that an action will be performed with some tool. We put with at the end of the sentence, and after it the instrument itself (with a knife, with a pen)

For example:

The picture will be painted with a pencil.
The picture will be drawn in pencil.

We talked in detail about how to build a passive voice in 3 simple tenses in these articles:

• Future Simple Passive - simple future tense in the passive voice in English

However, in some cases, the passive voice is also used in other tenses.

Let's see what these offers look like.

Table of the use of the passive voice in all tenses of the English language

Since the passive voice is most often used in 3 simple tenses, we will not dwell on the rest in detail, but consider a general usage table.

As you can see from the example of three simple tenses, the principle of construction remains the same at all times.

All that changes is the verb to be. We put it at the right time for us.

Here's how it goes.

Time	Use Case	How the verb to be changes	Examples
present simple Real simple	We are talking about a regular action that takes place in the present tense.		Dinner is cooked by mom. Mom cooks dinner. The rooms are cleaned every day. The rooms are cleaned every day.
Present Continuous Present continious	We are talking about an action that is currently taking place and is a process.	am being is being are being	Dinner is being cooked. Dinner is being prepared. The rooms are being cleaned now. The rooms are being cleaned now.
Present Perfect present completed	speak m about an action that happened in the past but is relevant now. At the same time, we can now see the result of this action.	has been have been	Dinner has been cooked. Dinner is ready (right now it is ready, you can go eat). The rooms have been recently cleaned. The rooms have been cleaned recently (they are still clean).
past simple Past simple	We are talking about a fact that happened in the past.		Dinner was cooked by mom. Dinner was cooked by mom (just the fact that mom cooked and not someone else). The rooms were cleaned yesterday. The rooms were cleaned yesterday (just the fact that they were cleaned yesterday may already be dirty by now).
Past Continuous past continuous	We say that some process took place in the past (usually used when this process was interrupted by another action).	was being were being	Dinner was being cooked when he came. Dinner was being prepared when he arrived. The rooms were being cleaned when they arrived. The rooms were being cleaned when they arrived.
past perfect past completed	We say that the action was completed (we got the result) by a certain period in the past. Usually used when we show the order of actions in the past (one action was taken before the second).	had been	Dinner had been cooked before he came. Dinner had been prepared before he arrived. The rooms had been cleaned before they arrived. The rooms were cleaned before they arrived.
Future Simple Future Simple	We are talking about a fact that will happen in the future.	will be	Dinner will be cooked. Dinner will be prepared. The rooms will be cleaned tomorrow. The rooms will be cleaned tomorrow.
Future Perfect The future is complete	We are talking about an action that will end (we will get a result) by a certain moment in the future.	will have been	Dinner will have been cooked by 9 o'clock. Dinner will be cooked at 9 o'clock. The rooms will have been cleaned by morning. The rooms will be cleaned by morning.

As you may have noticed, there are not some complex tenses in the table. Why? It's just that they are never used in the passive voice. We replace them with simpler tenses.

So, we have analyzed the use of the passive voice in English. Now let's move on to the practical task.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.

1. The door is open.
2. The letter will be delivered by evening.
3. Job done.
4. The car is being washed now.
5. The house will be for sale.
6. The fence was painted yesterday.

The active and passive voices in English are similar in meaning to Russian. They also show how the action is related (or not related) to its performer.

Meaning

Active and Passive Voice(English names of the active and passive voice) show, respectively, that a person (object) performs an action or an action happens to a person (object) and it does not matter who performs this action.

active voice
Emphasis on the performer of the action

We built the well last year. We built a well last year.

passive voice
Focus on the action itself

The well was built last year. - The well was built last year.

Education

The active and passive tenses are formed in almost the same way. If you are fluent in the tense system of the active voice, then you probably already noticed that if you put the passive auxiliary verb (to be) at the right time and add the semantic verb in the third form, you will get a passive voice grammatically.

For example:

He is drinking juice. - The juice is being drunk. (Present Continuous).

Other times are formed similarly.

Note! The entire group of Perfect Continuous tenses and Future Perfect tenses do not have passive voice forms.

Active and Passive Voice Rule

Active voice used when it is important to show who (or what) is performing the action. For example, Tourists visit the UK. - Tourists come to the United Kingdom. In this proposal, the emphasis is on the fact that it is tourists who come (not businessmen, not politicians, but tourists).

Passive voice is used in cases where it is not important who performs the action, and attention is focused on the action itself. For example, London is visited every year. - People come to London all year round. The point of this proposal is that London is a very visited city by visitors. And it doesn't matter who comes - tourists, politicians, athletes or scientists.

Active and passive voice in English: table

If you have not yet learned how to translate the active and passive voice in English in your head, use the pivot table. It gives examples of the formation of all tenses in two voices.

		Present Simple Passive
present simple		Cards are printed.
Present Continuous	I am printing cards.	Cards are being printed.
Present Perfect	I have printed cards.	Cards have been printed.
past simple	I printed cards.	Cards were printed.
Past Continuous	I was printing cards.	Cards were being printed.
past perfect	I had printed cards.	Cards had been printed.
Future Simple	I will print cards.	Cards will be printed.
Future Continuous	I will be printing cards.
Future Perfect	I will have printed cards.	Cards will have been printed.

Active and passive voice in English are widely used both in structure and in writing. At the same time, in communication there is a tendency to use the active voice more widely, and when writing (especially in an official style) - the passive voice.

Let's start with the active voice because it's easier. The subject (subject) performs the action itself. A simple example: "Steve loves Amy". Steve is the subject, and he does the action: he loves Amy, who in this sentence is the object.

Another example is the title of Marvin Gaye's song "I Heard It through the Grapevine". "I" is the subject that performs the action, that is, hears "it", the object of the action.

Passive voice

In the passive voice. Instead of "Steve loves Amy", we can say "Amy is loved by Steve". Amy becomes the subject of the proposal, but she does not perform the action. She is the subject of Steve's love. So the focus shifts from Steve to Amy.

If we put the name of the aforementioned song in the passive, we would say “It was heard by me through the grapevine”, which would immediately lose its expressiveness.

Is the verb "to be" a sign of the passive voice?

Many people think that any sentence containing is in the passive voice, but this is not so. For example, the sentence "I am holding a pen" is in the active voice, even though it uses the verb "am", which is a form of "to be". The passive form of this sentence would be: "The pen is being held by me".

Note that the subject ("pen") does not perform any action, it is passive. This is a sign that the sentence is in the passive voice - the subject does not perform a direct action.

Is it always bad to use the passive voice?

There is one important point - sentences in the passive voice are not always incorrect. It's just that it's often not the best way to express your thoughts. Sometimes the passive voice looks awkward, sometimes it looks too vague. In addition, it is usually passive, so if you replace passive sentences with active ones, you will make the text more concise.

When the sentence is in the passive voice, most often, you can not indicate the person or thing that performs the action. For example, "Amy is loved". The problem is, in this case, we don't know who loves Amy.

Politicians often use the passive deliberately so as not to specify who is doing the action. Ronald Reagan's famous words about the Iran-Contra scandal: "Mistakes were made."

Other examples of using the passive voice for political reasons are "Bombs were dropped" or "Shots were fired". Listen to the news in English and pay attention to the use of the passive voice.

Another of our readers named Matthew adds that . He notes that it is much better to write "Your electricity will be shut off" than "We, the electric company, will be shutting off your power".

Is it true that the passive voice is more difficult to understand?

According to a recent study, less educated people—those without a college degree—have a harder time understanding sentences written in the passive voice than those in the active voice. So when you're writing for a wide audience, it's best to stick to the active voice.

Can passive voice be used in crime reports?

On the other hand, passive voice has its advantages. For example, if you really don't know who did the action, then you can't name that person. This is especially true for reports of crimes. For example, a security guard might write "The museum was robbed" because no one knows who the burglar was.

Is passive voice necessary in fiction?

Sometimes the passive voice is used in fiction. For example, if you're writing a detective story and want to draw the reader's attention to a stolen cookie, it's best to use the passive voice. It is much better to write "The cookies were stolen" than "Somebody stole the cookies".

The difference is not so big, but in the sentence "The cookies were stolen" the emphasis is on the cookies. In the sentence "Somebody stole the cookies", the emphasis will be on the faceless "someone".

The passive voice can be useful when you want to create an air of mystery. But that is why it should not be used when you are writing non-fiction and want everything to be clear and understandable.

To give the text objectivity and to separate the results of experiments from personal opinion.

Some scientific style guides allow limited use of the active voice. For example, it is possible to write "We sequenced the DNA" instead of "The DNA was sequenced", but it is still considered undesirable when scientists write conclusions on their behalf.

For example, "We believe the mutation causes cancer" looks unscientific. But here you can do without passive voice. For example, you could write "The data suggests that the mutation causes cancer". The pledge remains active, but the sense of subjectivity disappears.

Is it true that Strunk and White's handbook incorrectly describes the passive voice?

Finally, I would like to mention how Strunk and White, in their classic reference book The Elements of Style, describe the passive voice. Three of the four examples of passive voice they cited are not, in fact, passive.

In general, try to avoid the passive voice, except in situations where it is indispensable. Of course, he expresses the meaning of what was said too vaguely, but in fiction, and especially scientific literature, the passive voice can be very useful to you.

Did you know that passive voice is widely used in crime reports?