The correct form of the verb in the passive voice. Passive voice

They are used in the active form of the pledge - "the Active Voice" and in the passive ( passive) - "the Passive Voice". In the active voice, the subject performs the action indicated by the verb, and in the passive voice, the verb itself acts on the subject. She wrote a book (Active) - A book was written by her (Passive). So easy! But let's clarify some details just in case. C "mon.

What is passive voice?

Passive voice is widely used in both spoken and written modern English. Often, passive constructions are used when there is no need to name the performer of any action, and also, if there is no difference in who exactly performs this action, only the result is important.

The passive voice is used to show interest in the object that is experiencing the action, not the object that is performing it.

The book was written last Monday. The book was written last Monday.

In this sentence, the subject “the book” experiences the action of the subject, that is, the book did not write itself, but was written by someone. At the same time, most likely, it is known who wrote it, but the fact of the action itself is important here (the book was written, and it is ready), and not the performer. Therefore, the sentence is used in the passive voice.

When it is necessary to indicate the performer of the action in the passive voice, then we add the preposition " by» :

The book was written by me. - This book was written by me.

The formation of the passive voice in different tenses

The passive voice is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb " be» and forms Past Participle(of a semantic verb in form 3) and only transitive verbs (denoting an action that, in its meaning, passes to a certain object) can form forms of the passive voice.

Attention: The Perfect Continuous is not used at all in the passive voice. And Continuous time has no future segment.

In addition, you can still form passive sentences with two objects. So an active sentence in the passive form of the pledge might look like this:

Active Voice:

Linda gave an apple to me.

Passive Voice:

An apple was given to me by Linda or
I was given an apple by Linda.

One of the two objects becomes the subject and the other remains the object. Which object turns into a subject depends on what you focus on.

Negative and interrogative forms of the verb in the passive voice

negative the form of the verb is formed using the particle " not”, which follows the auxiliary verb (if there are several auxiliary verbs, then “not” is placed after the first one):

The cat was not fed by him yesterday. - The cat was not fed it yesterday.
The cat was not often left hungry. - The cat was not often left hungry.

Nothing complicated and interrogative form. To form such in the passive voice first auxiliary verb put before the subject:

Are you often invited to the circle? - Are you often invited to the circus?
Has the book was written by her? - Was the book written by her?

to be born

This passive form is often used in the past tense, but in some cases the present or future tense is also appropriate.

We say "I was born" (was born) - I was born(not I am born). Action refers to the past:

I was born in Chicago. - I was born in Chicago.
Where were you born? - Where you were born?

But if we talk not about ourselves, but about the birth of children in a general sense, then Present can be used depending on the situation:

How many kids are born every day? - How many children are born every day?
Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week. - About 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.

We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be born.

Modal verbs

First you need to remember the most commonly used modal verbs:

• can- to be able, to be able. I can do that. - I can do it;
• should- verb adviser. When you need to advise or recommend something. You should be careful. - You should be careful;
• must- a verb expressing the speaker's obligation or prohibition. Shows awareness of the speaker's obligation to do something or is used to indicate a prohibition, for example: You musn "t smoke here. - You can't smoke here. I must admit. - I must admit;
• have to- a verb expressing present or future obligations that cannot be violated. You have to do that. - You must do it;
• ought to- a synonym for the verb "should", a more polite version of it. You ought to stop smoking. - You should stop smoking;
• be supposed to - modal verb based on rules or expectations. That is, it is used when you need to say that someone needs to do according to certain rules or when something is expected. You were supposed to save him, Batman! - You should have saved him, Batman (because Batman saves people or puts them in jail).

To make a correct sentence with a modal verb in the passive voice, we need to put the verb "be" in combination with the modal. It will look like this:

• must be(it should be);
• have to be(it should be);
• ought to be(should be);
• can be(May be);
• should be(should be);
• be supposed to be(assume that; assume that).

In practice, "modal verbs" are used quite often. And since they can also have a passive form, there is a special case of use with them.

There is no difficulty here: after the modal verb, add "be" and put the main verb following it in the Participle II form. So, it's like: (to) be + past participle(3rd form of the verb).

The next step is to put the main verb into the third form:

The writer should write a book. - A writer should write a book.
The book should be written by the writer. - The book should be written by a writer.

He has to do this test. - He must pass this test.
This test has to be done by him. - This test must be performed by him.

They were supposed to leave the bed an hour ago. “They were supposed to have vacated the bed an hour ago.
The bed was supposed to be left by them an hour ago. “They were supposed to have vacated the bed an hour ago.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this English section. You just need to determine the role of the subject: whether it acts or is acted upon. Then indicate the time, the auxiliary verb, the ending of the predicate - and voila! In the bag. If anything, the Passive Voice education table will help you.

Big and Friendly family EnglishDom

The very presence of the passive voice form (sometimes called the passive voice) is not a peculiar feature characteristic only of English syntax. However, the passive voice English language 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 is 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

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

IN 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

English sentences in the passive do not always "lose" the subject performing the action. At the request of the speaker, he can be named, the language provides for this necessary funds. 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 offers 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, you have to use impersonal sentences without naming the person performing 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.

Passive voice in English (passive voice or passive voice), as a rule, is used when the speaker's attention is focused on the action itself. At the same time, the very structure of the sentence changes: tense, word order changes, an auxiliary verb is added in one form or another, and the main verb changes its form. In this case, it does not matter or even it is not known who performs this action:

My bike was stolen- My motorcycle was stolen.

In this example, the emphasis is on the fact that the motorcycle was stolen. The speaker either does not know who exactly did this, or does not attach any importance to this, so the sentence is built in the passive voice - you may notice that in addition to the main verb, put in the third form, the verb to be appeared in the form of the past tense.

Sometimes passive voice is used to smooth out the emotional overtones:

A mistake was made- It was a mistake.

In this case, with the help of a passive voice (passive voice or passive voice), the speaker emphasizes only the fact of making a mistake, without saying who made it. The verb to be also appeared here in the past tense.

The formation of the passive voice (passive voice)

The English passive voice is formed like this (basic rule):

noun (subject) + verb form to be + verb in the 3rd form (past participle).

The girl was deceived The girl was deceived.
A building was burnt by John The building was set on fire by John.
My sandwich is eaten- My sandwich is being eaten.
The theater will be built The theater will be built.
This island will be explored This island will be explored.
The children will be met at the railway station– Children will be met at the railway station.

The construction is going to + verb, which expresses intention or simply talks about the future tense, changes to is going to be + verb:

The project is going to be done by Friday The project will be done by Friday.
The pie is going to be baked in the evening The pie will be baked in the evening.
My beard is going to be cut- Moz beard will be cut.

In some passive voices, additional verbs have, will, etc. (in their various forms and forms) are placed before or after the form of the verb to be. More details about the occurrence of several verbs in a row are analyzed in the table below.

When translating the active voice (active voice) into the passive, remember:

• present simple (present simpl) and passive voice are not compatible;
• the noun that was the object in the active voice becomes the subject in the passive (passive voice);
• the final form of the verb in the passive voice changes to "the form of the verb to be" + "the verb in the third form";
• a noun that was a subject in the active voice becomes an object or is completely dropped from the sentence in the passive voice (passive voice).

The use of prepositions in the passive voice

When it is necessary to specify by whom or by what an action was performed, the prepositions by and with are used:

The cat is caught by the boy- The cat was caught by the boy.
We were warned by a fireman We were alerted by the firemen.

The preposition by is needed to clarify who performed the action:

The cat is caught by the boy- The cat was caught by the boy.

The with preposition is needed to specify how the action was performed:

The paper is cut with the scissors- Paper cut with scissors.

In interrogative constructions that begin with who and what, the preposition by is always present.

Who was the Moby-Dick written by? Who painted the Mona Lisa?
What was the earthquake caused by?- What caused the earthquake?

Temporary forms

We emphasize once again: all temporary forms of the passive voice consist of two parts: to be in a certain tense form and the third form of the verb. As in the active voice, there are different tenses and forms in the passive voice.

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The third form of the verb is always present in the tense forms of the passive voice and the tense of the utterance is determined by the form of the verb to be.

In the Continuous tenses, the passive voice is not used. If you need to use one of these tenses, then it must be replaced with an active voice or another tense. Further, we will consolidate these rules with the help of additional tables with examples.

Table of tenses in the passive voice (passive voice)

Examples of sentences in the passive voice in simple English tenses:

Examples in sentences in the passive voice (passive voice) in more complex English tenses:

Formation of the negative form

The English passive voice (passive voice) in the negative form is formed by adding the particle not after the verb to be in the appropriate form or another additional verb (have, will, should, etc.) if it is used:

English textbook was not bought in 2007 The English textbook was not purchased in 2007.
Their promises shouldn't be kept“Their promises should not be kept.
The flowers are not watered- Flowers are not watered.
This car is not washed- This car is not washed.
I am not invited- I'm not invited.

Formation of the interrogative form

IN interrogative sentences, put in a passive form (passive voice), the verb to be is taken out at the very beginning:

Was the rabbit caught? Has the rabbit been caught?
Were you told to come in the morning? Did they tell you to come in the morning?
Ware they injured?- Were they hurt?
Is the fence painted? Is the fence painted?

If there are additional verbs in the passive voice that are conditioned by a special tense (for example, the present perfect or the future simple), they are already taken to the beginning, and the verb to be in desired form stays in place:

Will the message be written by Mike? Will the message be written by Mike?
Will she be invited to the birthday? Will she be invited to her birthday party?
Is my beard going to be cut? Will my beard be trimmed?

Verbs not used in the passive voice

In English, it is impossible to translate into a passive voice (passive voice). Recall that intransitive verbs differ in that they cannot have a direct object. They usually denote movement or state.

Examples of intransitive verbs:

Cry- cry
Work- work
Laugh- laugh
start- start
move- move
Run- run away

Translating a sentence from active to passive

Let's sum up. To turn a sentence into a passive one, the following steps are required:

• The object in the sentence must be put in place of the subject.
• It is necessary to translate the verb into the third form or add the ending -ed and add the verb to be to it in the right tense and form. At the same time, the time itself does not change, with the exception of those tenses that are not used in the passive voice.
• The subject in the active sentence takes the place of the passive object and is used with the prepositions by (if the action is performed by a person) or with (if the action is “performed” by a tool or object).

Example:

Video about the passive voice in English:

There is an active and passive voice - Active Voice and Passive Voice, respectively. In the first option, you do an action or someone else does it himself, that is, it is an active action. For example: Masha goes to school - Masha goes to school. Petya drives a car - Petya drives a car.
-
In the passive voice it would be different - Masha is taken to school. That is, an action is performed on a subject or an inanimate object. I was invited - I was invited - that is, I was not invited, but I was invited.

How Passive Voice Is Formed

Let's see how the Passive voice is formed according to the scheme: Creatures. + Be (am, is, are) + V3. That is, the verb to be and the third form of the verb are put.

Examples

affirmative sentences

-
I'm invited- action above animate object and time Present Simple. In English it will be like this: I am invited.
You are invited— You are invited.
She is invited— She is invited.
He is invited— He is invited.
Important to remember that only the third form, V3, is always used in Passive Voice. Or, the ending -ed is added to the verb if it falls into the category of regular ones. For convenience, we have a table of irregular verbs - Irregular Verbs, which you can see here:. Just in the Participle II column is the third form - V3.
Also important that in the passive voice the pronouns do not change. For example, her invite - she is invited. That is, it is not HER, but SHE.

Interrogative sentences

To ask a question in the passive voice, you need to use the following formula:
To be + Creatures. +V3?
Are the houses built every year? Are houses built every year?
Are you invited everywhere? Are you invited everywhere?

Negative sentences

Creatures. + Be + not + V3
German is (to be) not spoken (V3) everywhere. German is not spoken everywhere.

It is important to know that Future Perfect Continuous Passive, Present Perfect Continuous Passive and Past Perfect Continuous Passive do not exist - Perfect forms are used instead. And instead of Future Continuous Passive, Future Simple is put.
Timestamp in Passive Voice
For convenience, we suggest that you look at the table using tenses in the passive voice.

Lots of examples to reinforce:

Present Simple Passive

He is called every day. They call him every day.
Homework is done. Homework done
Tickets are bought. Tickets are booked.

Present Progressive Passive: to be (is, are, am) + Ving + V3

A new big house is being built now. A new big house is being built now.
I am being given a glass of milk now. Now they give me a glass of milk.

Present Perfect Passive: Have/has + been + V3

This work has just been started - The work has just been started
I have just been invited - I have just been invited

Past Simple Passive: Was/were + V3

The book was written by Alisa. The book was written by Alice.
These apples were bought by Julia. These apples were bought by Julia.

Past Continuous Passive: Was/were + being + V3

I was being asked a question when you came home - I was asked a question just
when you came home.
The car was being washed when I arrived. The car was washed just when I arrived.

Past Perfect Passive: Had + Been + V3

When we came home breakfast had been cooked already. When we got home, tomorrow was already ready.
Had the song been sung by the time she returned? Was the song written by the time it came?

Future Passive: Will + have/has + V3

They will be met by me. They will be welcomed by me.
I will be wondered. I will be surprised.

Future Perfect Passive:

By the time we return the shop will have been opened yet. By the time we arrive, the store will already be open.
Will everything have been prepared by 7 p.m.? Will everything be ready by 7 pm?

We would like to start this article by telling you that the passive voice in English is not as difficult to understand as you might think. We actually sympathize with this poor passive structure, as many people hate it.
All you need is a good command and knowledge of the past participle in order to build a beautiful sentence using Passive voice in English.

In this article, you can independently study the passive voice in English (passive voice). You will also learn how the passive voice is formed in English and how to use it. Understand the difference between active and passive voice. Consider a table to compare the active voice and the passive voice, using the appropriate tense.

Active Voice in English

Let's first find out what is a pledge in English?

Pledge is a form of the verb that indicates whether the subject action performs (= active voice) or affects it (= passive voice).

The active voice is the most commonly used in English. And when you think about it, it tends to be much simpler than passive sentences.
We must see the characteristics of this form.

active voice:

• The active subject is at the beginning of the sentence.
• The subject is followed by a verb and an object.
• We can say that the verb is active.
• Active voice clearly tells us who performed the action.

Active voice sentence structure:

Subject + Verb + Object

Example with explanation:

- My daughter has won the prize - My daughter won the prize.

In the above sentence we have subject(my daughter) verb(has won't), addition(prize).

What sentence would you use in everyday speech?

- I ate breakfast / the breakfast was eaten by me - I ate breakfast / breakfast was eaten by me.

- They will buy a yacht / the yacht will be bought - They will buy a yacht / the yacht will be bought.

The answer is obvious. However, in some cases it is better to use passive voice. A little later, you will learn exactly when to use the passive voice in English.

What is the passive voice in English?

The passive voice in English is used when the person or thing taking the action is more important than the person or thing doing the action.

Simply put, when we say what a person or thing does, we use Active verb forms. When we say what happened to a person or thing, we often use passive verb forms.

Let's start with how the passive voice is formed.

Formation of the passive voice

The passive voice is formed with the verb in the right tense to be + past participle(past participle or regular verb with -ed ending). Let's look again at how the passive voice is formed.

The passive voice formula in English:

Passive voice — Table

The table shows the active and passive voice in English. Compare the two examples, paying attention to the underlined words.

The windows have been broken Not(the windows have broken).

• 3. Use Present Participle instead of Past Participle

— Someone has broken the windows —>
- The windows have been broken NOT (the windows has been breaking).

• 4. Confuse the plural and singular.

Someone- unit h so after it comes the verb has reported.
The windows – plural so we have to say have been broken Not(the windows has been...).

Verbs that cannot be used in the passive

Not all verbs are used in the passive voice. Passive structures are not possible with such as die, cry, arrive which do not have padding (object).

- She died last year - She died last year.
- My baby cried - My baby cried.

Some are also rarely used in the passive. Most of these verbs express a state, not an action.

Examples: have, resemble, lack, etc.:

- I have a flat in the countryside - I have an apartment in the countryside. ( Not A flat is had by me).
- My jacket doesn't fit me - My jacket doesn't fit me. ( Not I'm not fitted by my jacket).

Some prepositional verbs are more commonly used in the asset.

Examples: agree with and walk into:

- I walked into the room Not The room was walked into by me).
- He agreed with his mother ( Not He was agreed with his mother).

When not to use Passive voice in English?

Many students of the passive begin to ‘abuse’ the passive. Here is the important point:

Don't use the passive voice unless you have a reason to.
Here, for example, if you use a passive, especially when writing, think about why you will use passive. Do you need to use it to highlight the beginning of a sentence? Or sound polite and formal? Do you want to highlight the action, and no one performed it? If not, then don't use Passive Voice.
By using the passive, your sentences will be long and complex.

Watch the passive voice video and listen to how the passive voice is used in TV shows.

We have analyzed what the real and passive voice is in English and when exactly to use it in speech. As you understand, the active and passive voice in English has its own characteristics.
Of course, active voice is more common, but having learned the rules of the passive voice, now you can easily understand any text. Learning the passive voice will be difficult if you leave it aside for a long time. But if you repeat the table from time to time and use this rule in speech, then the rule will have no choice but to obey you and stay with you forever!

Passive voice exercises

Do passive voice exercises. Your task will be to open the brackets in the passive voice, if you find it difficult to answer, do not hesitate to look at the table.

P.S.
Since many people may forget to put dots in the test, we did not use them, so they do not need to be put. If you put a dot, then the score will not be counted.