The passive
© Marc Hoefkens and Jan Pennings
How to construct a
passive sentence
Dangerous driving causes many accidents.
Subject
Verb
Direct Object
Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving
Rules
1. Direct object of the active sentence becomes subject of
the passive
Dangerous driving causes many accidents.
Direct Object
Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving.
Subject
Rules
2. The verb-form of the passive is
TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Dangerous driving causes many accidents.
Verb
Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving
Rules
3. The subject of the active sentence can become a
BY - PHRASE
Dangerous driving causes many accidents.
Subject
Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving
Passive and the tenses
ACTIVE
Simple Present
He cleans the room The room is cleaned
Present Continuous
Present Perfect
PASSIVE
He is cleaning the room The room is being cleaned
He has cleaned the room The room has been cleaned
Simple Future
He will clean the room The room will be cleaned
Future Perfect
He will have cleaned the room The room will have been cleaned
Simple Past
Past Continuous
Past Perfect
He cleaned the room The room was cleaned
He was cleaning the room The room was being cleaned
He had cleaned the room The room had been cleaned
Note: sentences with Indirect Object
Rule: the indirect object becomes subject of the passive!
The editor gives her a book every year.
Subject
Verb
IO
DO
She is given a book every year.
Note: sentences with Prepositional Object
Rule: the prepositional object becomes subject of the
passive!
They talked about her.
Subject Verb
Prep.object
She was talked about.
Idiomatic passive voice structures
1.
People believe that the Belgian girl will win the game.
They believe
It is believed that the Belgian girl will win.
The Belgian girl is believed to win the game.
2.
We are supposed to be present.
with “suppose” an obligation is expressed
3.
Don’ let people see you.
Don’t let yourself be seen.