PASSIVE VOICE

PASSIVE VOICE

ACTIVE:      Subject + Verb + Object (Direct / Indirect)         

PASSIVE:     Patient Subject + Verb + BY Agent        

   APPROPRIATE FORM OF TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE

Peter writes a book     ------------------------------   A book is written by Peter

1. VERBAL TENSES: 
   PRESENT SIMPLE PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      Bank robbers generally wear masks        
   PASSIVE:     Masks are generally worn by bank robbers
                           Masks are not generally worn by bank robbers
                           Are masks generally worn by bank robbers?
   PAST SIMPLE PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      The judge sentenced the murderer to prison
   PASSIVE:     The murderer was sentenced to prison by the judge
                           The murderer was not sentenced to prison by the judge
                           Was the murderer sentenced to prison by the judge?
   FUTURE SIMPLE PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      Parliament will pass a new law
   PASSIVE:     A new law will be passed by Parliament
                           A new law will not be passed by Parliament
                           Will a new law be passed by Parliament?
   PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      The police have caught the prisoner
   PASSIVE:     The prisoner has been caught by the police
                           The prisoner has not been caught by the police
                           Has the prisoner been caught by the pólice 
   PAST PERFECT SIMPLE PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      The pickpocket had stolen the wallet
   PASSIVE:     The wallet had been stolen by the pickpocket
                           The wallet had not been stolen by the pickpocket
                           Had the wallet been stolen by the pickpocket?
   PRESENT SIMPLE CONTINUOUS PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      The police are searching every car        
   PASSIVE:     Every car is being searched by the police
                           Every car is not being searched by the police
                           Is every car being searched by the pólice?
   PAST SIMPLE CONTINUOUS PASSIVE:
   ACTIVE:      The police were watching the house        
   PASSIVE:     The house was being watched by the police
                           The house was not being watched by the police     
                           Was the house being watched by the pólice? 
   PASSIVE GERUND:
   None of the other Continuous Passive forms are used, but notice the Passive Gerund which looks like a continuous form. Also, when two objects are employed, only one passive is produced.
   ACTIVE:      I remember the thief taking my wallet        
   PASSIVE:     I remember my wallet being taken by the thief
    
2. AUXILIARIES PASSIVE:
   MUST
   ACTIVE:      You mustn't park your car here        
   PASSIVE:     Your car mustn't be parked here 
   MAY
   ACTIVE:      The fog may delay the trains        
   PASSIVE:     The trains may be delayed by the fog 
   SHOULD
   ACTIVE:      You should give him a book        
   PASSIVE:     He should be given a book / A book should be given to him 
   MIGHT
   ACTIVE:      He might pass his test        
   PASSIVE:     The test might be passed by him
   CAN
   ACTIVE:      Violent behaviour can cause many problems        
   PASSIVE:     Many problems can be used by violent behaviour
   COULD
   ACTIVE:      The police couldn't catch the criminal        
   PASSIVE:     The criminal couldn't be caught by the police
    OUGHT T
   ACTIVE:      People ought to obey traffic lights        
   PASSIVE:     Traffic lights ought to be obeyed by people 
   HAVE TO
   ACTIVE:      Parents have to control their children        
   PASSIVE:     Children ought to be controlled by their parents
    
   NEED TO
   ACTIVE:      I need to mend my car        
   PASSIVE:     My car needs to be mended  
   USED TO
   ACTIVE:      I used to write books        
   PASSIVE:     Books used to be written by me
     
3. PAST PARTICIPLES used as ADJECTIVES within PASSIVE VOICE
   She is worried about her family
   He is interested in his job
   
   
4. INTRODUCTORY IT (PASIVA REFLEJA)
   We use the Passive Construction with certain verbs such as BELIEVE, CONSIDER, THINK, EXPECT, FEEL, FIND, GUESS, KNOW, SAY, TELL, UNDERSTAND, etc after the introduction of Impersonal IT.  
   ACTIVE:      They say that John is very rich        
   PASSIVE:     It is said that John is very rich 
   ACTIVE:      They thought that the boy painted the wall        
   PASSIVE:     It was thought that the boy painted the wall
    
   But a PASSIVE with an INFINITIVE CONSTRUCTION is more common:
   PASSIVE:     John is said to be very rich
   PASSIVE:     The boy was thought to have painted the wall

• USES

• When the agent (the person doing the action) is unknown or needn't to be specified, it is usually omitted in the passive.
  ACTIVE:      Someone stole my handbag yesterday
  PASSIVE:     My handbag was stolen yesterday
   
• If a sentence has both Indirect and Direct Object, it is possible to have two passive forms.
  ACTIVE:      I gave Mary a book
  PASSIVE:     Mary was given a book / A book was given to Mary
   
• When the agent is known but the action seems more important than the person who does it, the agent, if mentioned, is placed after the subject and verb preceded by BY.
  ACTIVE:      A gunman shot my friend last week
  PASSIVE:     My friend was shot by a gunman last week
   
• If the action is done by SOMETHING rather than SOMEONE, other prepositions may be used (WITH, IN,… )
  ACTIVE:      This key can lock the door
  PASSIVE:     The door can be locked WITH this key
  ACTIVE:      The food contained arsenic
  PASSIVE:     Arsenic was contained IN the food
    
  CAUSATIVE CONSTRUCTION
  The verb TO HAVE (or TO GET) and the Past Participle of the main verb can be used when someone has the action done by another person instead of doing it himself.

• A kind of passive construction
• Instead of TO BE we employ TO HAVE (it is also possible with TO GET)
• TO HAVE is in the same tense than the Active sentence
• The Lexical verb is In Past Participle
• The Object is between HAVE / GET and the Past Participle
• The Agent Complement is usually omitted
• The subject is called BENEFICIARY
   
  ACTIVE:      Subject + Verb + Object (Direct / Indirect)        
  PASSIVE:     Beneficiary Subject + APPROPRIATE FORM OF TO HAVE / TO GET + OBJECT + PAST PARTICIPLE + (BY Agent)        
                         
  We have painted the house    -------------------------- We have had / got our house painted
   
  EXAMPLES:
  I have had / got a house built on the beach (by someone).
  Susan has / gets her flat cleaned twice a week (by someone).
  I will have / get a book bought tomorrow.
  He has / gets his alarm tested every year.
  They will have had / got their TV repaired by Saturday 

• As the passive with TO BE, the Causative Construction can be used with Auxiliary verbs 

• You ought to have had / got the ladder repaired
• She may have had / got her dress modified