1. PASSIVE VOICE
VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS
HAVE/GET SOMETHING DONE
OTHER COMPLEX STRUCTURES
2. CONSTRUCTION
BE (Right tense) + PAST PARTICIPLE
EXAMPLE:
THE POSTMAN DELIVERED THE LETTERS VERY LATE
THE LETTERS WERE DELIVERED VERY LATE
3. USE (It is used more frequently in English)
When the emphasis is on the action or the object
of the action.
Ex: The food was cooked quickly
The agent may be omitted:
When it is clear who we are referring to.
Ex: The thief was arrested last night
When it is unknown or unimportant
Ex: My dog was found two days ago
4. Verbs with TWO objects
The indirect object usually becomes the subject of the
passive sentence.
Example: We gave the police the information
The police were given the information
But also: The information was given TO the police
MOST COMMON VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS: give, send, show,
lend, ask, tell, offer, order, pay…
5. GET/HAVE SOMETHING DONE
(CAUSATIVE FORM)
It is used to describe when someone does something for
us.
Example: We are going to have our house painted
It is used when something not very nice happens.
Example: George had his nose broken
SUBJECT + HAVE/ GET (right tense) + OBJECT+PARTICIPLE
6. OTHER COMPLEX STRUCTURES
When we don’t know the doer of the action (Se dice, se piensa, se cree…).
Verbs like: believe, know, think, report…
There are two different constructions for those verbs:
1) IT + BE (right tense) + PAST PARTICIPLE+ (THAT):
Example: It is said (that) he is very ill
2) SUBJECT+ BE (right tense)+ PAST PARTICIPLE+ TO+ INFINITIVE:
Example: He is said to be very ill
