ACTIVE OR PASSIVE?

When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does:

My grandmother was a dressmaker.
She made this jacket.

The Royal Bournemouth is a big hospital.
It has all the important specialities.
We are interested in the action and the person or object that does the action

ACTIVE OR PASSIVE?

When we uses a passive verb,we say what happens to the subject:

Somebody built this house in 1935 .
This house was built in 1935
Using the passive shifts the focus of attention onto the object of the active sentence

We use the passive when we are more interested in the person or the thing affected by an action , and not the person or the thing responsible for the action .
ACTIVE
Fiona cleans her car every week.
(we are interested in the action and the person who does it)
PASSIVE
The manager’s car is cleaned every week.
(We are interested only in the action.
Do we know who does the action?
Are we interested who does the action?)

PASSIVE without the agent
•
We do not know who the agent is.
E.g. -The wheel was invented about 3,500 years ago.
About 2,000 car radios are stolen every week in Britain.
-A bomb was left in the centre last night
•
We do not need to identify the agent .
E.g. – The robbers were arrested for stealing the money
- She was diagnosed with cancer.
•
We do not want to identify the agent.
E.g. – The director admitted that mistakes had been made .
I was told not to mention it.
•
We are not interested in the agent.
E.g. – The acid is then heated to 100 degrees …

If we want to say who or what does the action we use
“by”
(the agent).
Often the agent is not used in the passive but when it is we gain extra information and it is in a strong position in the sentence.
ACTIVE
A truck hit Fiona’s car.
(We are interested in the subject and what happened)
PASSIVE
Fiona’s car was hit by a truck.
(We are more interested in the thing that hit her car)

PASSIVE - FORMATION
Subject Verb-to be Main verb
I Am/was/will be/have been
He
SHE
IT
Is/ was/will be/ has been
WE
YOU
THEY
Are/were/ will be/ have been
Past participle

PASSIVE - FORMATION MODAL VERBS
Subject Modal + Verb-to be Main verb
I Must be/ must have been
Can be / could have been
He
SHE
IT
Must be/ must have been
Can be / could have been
Past participle
WE
YOU
THEY
Must be/ must have been
Can be / could have been

Passive FORMATION CONTINUOUS FORMS .

The construction of the Passive continuous forms is the same as the simple forms.
Subject + is/are being + past participle /main verb



Passive FORMATION CONTINUOUS FORMS .
In the active there is a difference between:
The same difference must be made in the Passive.

Subject + was/were being + past participle /main verb


This form does not exist in Italian, but at times it corresponds to the use of “venire” in the Italian passive:
Le finestre vengono pulite: Le finestre venivano pulite …

EXERCISE
Somebody is serving dinner now.
Somebody serves dinner at 8.p.m.
Somebody was cleaning the vegetables.
Somebody cleaned the vegetables yesterday.
They are building a new school.
They were searching the port.

EXERCISES
Write a new sentence in the passive :
Somebody has taken my keys
Somebody does the cleaning every day.
Somebody stole my car last week.
Somebody wants you on the phone.
Somebody will repair the machine.
Somebody must tell him.
Somebody has to buy the food.
Somebody had taken the book.
Somebody can do it.
Somebody would buy them if they were cheap.

Simple Present
Umbrellas are made in this factory
Rice is grown in
China
This jacket is made in
France

THE PAST
(time defined)
(time undefined)

Next year 10,000 cars will be produced
It is certain that Coca-
Cola will be drunk far into the 21st century

A passive construction is often used in English when Italian uses the active.
The impersonal form
ITALIAN
Qui si parla l’inglese
ENGLISH
English is spoken here.
I biglietti si possono comprare all’ingresso .
Non si mangiavano gli hamburgers 500 anni fa, ma La Coca si berrà per sempre.
Tickets can be bought at
The entrance
Hamburgers were not eaten
500 years ago, but Coke will be drunk for ever.

Passive report structures
The Italian impersonal forms “ Si dice, si pensa , si crede
” are usually transformed into a passive form in English in formal contexts e.g Scientific writing, news reports.
There are two constructions:
It was is is said believed that
(she is rich) thought (
She was rich
)
S/he is/was
They are/were said believed to (+infinitive) thought
(to be rich)

Si considera che questo farmaco sia utile…..
It is considered that this drug is useful……
This drug is considered to be useful ……
Si considerava che il farmaco fosse utile
 The drug was considered to be useful
 It was considered that the drug was useful

The DATIVE construction
Some verbs can have two objects. E.g. To give:
• Somebody gave the information to the police
 
Direct Indirect
• Somebody gave the police the information
 
Indirect Direct
So it is possible to make TWO passive sentences


The information was given to the police.

The police were given the information.
Other verbs which can have two objects are:
ASK OFFER SHOW TEACH TELL SEND
GIVE
Examples:
• I was offered the job but I refused it.
• You will be given plenty of time to decide.
• Have you been shown the new machine?
• I was told to come at midday.
• He has been sent many e-mails today.
• They must be taught by an expert.

COMPARE NO. 1 WITH NO. 2
The bed the window the T.V.
the glasses the drawers the bin the papers

EXERCISES

Exercises
1. There’s somebody behind us. I think we……….(follow)
2. A mystery is something that …………….(can’t/explain)
3. We didn’t play football yesterday.The match ……….(cancel).
4. The television………(repair). It’s working again.
5. In the middle of the village there’s a church which……(restore) at the moment. The work is almost finished.
1. The tower is the oldest part of the church. It ……..(believe) to be over 600 years old.
1. If I didn’t do my job properly, I ……..(sack).
2. I left a newspaper on the desk last night and it isn’t there now.
It ………(might/throw) away.
9. I learnt to swim at an early age. I …….(teach) by my mother.
10. After…….(arrest), I was taken to the police station.
11. ……..(you/ever/arrest)? No never.
12. Two people …….(report) to ……..(injure) in the explosion at the factory in Birmingham early this morning.

Exercise Active or Passive .
1. This house is quite old. It…….(build) over 200 years ago.
2. My grandfather was a builder.He ……(build) our house.
3. Is this car still for sale? No, I …..(sell) it.
4. Is that house still for sale? No, it …..(sell).
5. Sometimes mistakes ……(make). It happens.
6. I wouldn’t leave the car unlocked. It ….(might/steal).
7. My bag has disappeared. It …..(must/steal).
8. I can’t find my hat. Somebody ….(must/take) by mistake
9. It’s a serious problem. I don’t know how it ….(can/solve)
10.Mary ……(say) to be very rich.
11.Nearly every time I travel, my flight ……(delay).
12.A new bridge ……(build) across the river. Work started last year and the bridge ….(expect) to open next year.

Exercise. Think of a suitable answer to these questions.
What’s happened to the money?
What’s happening to those old buildings?
What happens to the theatre tickets the agencies can’t sell?
What will happen to those old newspapers?
What happens to patients when they first arrive at hospital?
What happens to letters delivered to the wrong address?
What’s happened to the rivers in this area?
What’s happened to that little dog?