A brief explanation about how to use Passive Voice

1. PASSIVE VOICE
Cecilia Olivas

3. USE OF PASSIVE
VOICE

5. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

6. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
subject verb object

7. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare
verb the agent

8. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare
the agent
be
past
participle+

9. Why do we use the passive?

10. Reasons to use the Passive
1) The passive voice focuses on “the receiver”
of the action.
ACTIVE:Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
PASSIVE: Hamlet was written by
Shakespeare

11. John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola
in 1886
Coca-Cola was invented by John
Pemberton in 1886.

12. Coca-Cola was invented in 1886.

13. We need sentence variety

14. Pablo Picasso
painted Guernica in
1937.

15. Guernica was painted by
Picasso in 1937.

16. Leonardo da Vinci
painted Mona Lisa.
• Who is he?
Leonardo Da vinci
Mona Lisa
•What painting is it?

17. Mona Lisa
was painted by
Leonardo da Vinci.

18. David was sculpted
by Michelangelo.

19. Michelangelo
sculpted David.
• Who is he?
• What sculpture
is it?
Michelangelo
David

20. USE OF PASSIVE FORM
We use the passive form of a verb when it is not
important who does the action, or when we don't know who
does it.
The letter was delivered at 9 a.m.
(The identity of the person who delivered
the letter is unknown or unimportant.)
The thief was arrested yesterday.
(It is obvious that he was arrested by
the police)

21. Reasons to use the Passive
2) When the performer or the subject is
obvious, not known or not important.
The airplane was invented in the early
20th century.

22. a) Las Meninas was painted by Velasquez.
b) Velasquez painted Las Meninas.
1. Do the sentences have the same meaning?
2. Do the sentences have the same emphasis?
3. Which sentence is in the passive?
Yes.
No.
a)
Las Meninas was painted by Velasquez.
Velasquez painted Las Meninas.
be past participle
=
(ACTIVE)
(PASSIVE)
subject object

23. PEOPLE SPEAK BOTH FRENCH AND
ENGLISH IN CANADA.

24. BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH
ARE SPOKEN IN CANADA.

25. Someone made the cave
paintings of Lascaux in the
Upper Old Stone Age.

26. The cave paintings of Lascaux
were made in the Upper Old
Stone Age.
(We don’t know who made them.)

27. Online Exercises
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/sentences_g

28. CHANGE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES
FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE. DO IT ORALLY.
1. PICASSO PAINTED GUERNICA.