‫‪ACTIVE‬‬
‫‪AND‬‬
‫‪PASSIVE VOICE‬‬
‫المبني للمعلوم والمبني للمجهول‬
Subject verb object
(active)
object verb subject (passive)
Study this example:
Everybody drinks water. (active)
Water is drunk by everybody. (passive)
SOME IMPORTANT HINTS
In sentences written in active
voice, the subject performs the
action expressed in the verb; the
subject acts.
‫في الجمل المبنية للمعلوم يقوم الفاعل بالفعل‬
I saw a good film .
In sentences written in passive voice,
the subject receives the action
expressed in the verb; the subject is
acted upon. The agent performing the
action may appear in a "by the . . ."
phrase or may be omitted.
‫في الجمل المبنية للمجهول يتقدم المفعول به‬
) ‫ليصبح نائب فاعل ( الذي قام بالفعل محذوف‬
The car was painted yesterday.
You can recognize passive-voice expressions
because the verb phrase will always include a form
of be, such as
am, is, was, were, are, or been. + P.P.
The presence of a be-verb, however, does not
necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive
voice. Another way to recognize passive-voice
sentences is that they may include a
"by the...“
phrase after the verb;
The agent performing the action, if named, is the
object of the preposition in this phrase.
Choosing Active Voice
In most nonscientific writing situations,
active voice is preferable to passive for
the majority of your sentences.
‫يستحسن استخدام الجمل المبنية للمجهول في‬
‫الكتابات العلمية والجمل المبنية للمعلوم في‬
‫غيرها‬
1. The message was written by Ahmed.
(passive)
Ahmed wrote the message . (active)
2. The ball has been pumped. (passive)
I have pumped the ball. (active)
Choosing Passive Voice
Passive voice makes sense when the agent
performing the action is obvious, unimportant,
or unknown or when a writer wishes to
postpone mentioning the agent until the last
part of the sentence or to avoid mentioning the
agent at all. The passive voice is effective in
such circumstances because it highlights the
action and what is acted upon rather than the
agent performing the action.
‫يصبح استخدام المبني للمجهول الزاميا عندما‬
‫يكون الفاعل مجهوال او غير مهم‬
Cotton is grown in Egypt.
Changing active to passive
If you want to change an active-voice
sentence to passive voice, consider carefully
who or what is performing the action
expressed in the verb, and then make that
agent the object of a "by the..." phrase.
Make what is acted upon the subject of the
sentence, and change the verb to
a form of be + past participle.
‫في حالة تغيير الجملة من المبني للمعلوم الى‬
‫المبني للمجهول يجب تعيين المفعول به ليصبح‬
+ ‫احد افعال الكينونة‬: ‫نائب فاعل ثم يصاغ الفعل من‬
.‫التصريف الثالث للفعل‬
‫في حالة تغيير الجملة من المبني للمجهول الى‬
‫المبني للمعلوم يجب تعيين الفاعل ثم تغيير ما يلزم‬
‫تغييره في الفعل حسب الزمن مع استنتاج الفاعل‬
‫االصلي للفعل ‪.‬‬
‫‪1. The book is being read by my sister.‬‬
‫‪My sister is reading the book.‬‬
‫‪2. The papers will be corrected.‬‬
‫‪Our teacher will correct the papers.‬‬
Active or Passive Quiz
Click on Active or Passive.
1
I ate a piece of chocolate cake.
Active
Passive
2
The teacher read the book to the students.
Active
Passive
3
The car was stolen.
Active
Passive
4
They are paid on Fridays.
Active
Passive
5
The movie is being made in Algeria.
Active
Passive
6
I washed my car three weeks ago.
Active
Passive
7
His hair was cut by a professional.
Active
Passive
8
I will introduce you to him this week.
Active
Passive
9
He has been paid on the weekend.
Active
Passive
10
It is being painted by our teacher.
Active
Passive
Examples
from the Baccalaureate
Complete sentence (b) so that it means the
same as sentence (a).
a. Everyday we see something new in the papers.
b. Something ……………………
new is seen in the papers every day.
a. Some parents teach their
children at home.
b. Some children ………………
are taught at home by some parents.
a. People gain knowlege from
various sources.
b. Knowlege………………
is gained from various sources by people.
a. Athletic shoes have driven
teenagers mad.
b. Teenagers ………………………
have been driven mad by athletic shoes.
a. Manufacturers often spend large
sums of money on advertisements.
b. Large sums of money .................
are often spent on advertisements.
a. Medical research will eradicate
many diseases.
b. Many diseases …
will be eradicated by researchers.