1. THE PASSIVE VOICE
Use
We use the passive when we are more interested in what happens tan in
who or what does the action: The meeting will be held in Norwich next
month.
Structure
Subject + be + past participle
We can use ‘by + the agent’ to say who does the action: The meeting will be held in
Norwich by the Ministers.
Active: Next year Pearl Jam will release a new album.
Adverbial Subject V DO
Passive: Next year a new album will be released by Pearl Jam.
Adverbial Subject V Agent
Tense Passive form
Present Simple am/are/is + pple
Present Continuous Am/are/is being + pple
Past Simple Was/were + pple
Past Continuous Was/were being + pple
Present Perfect Simple Have/has been + pple
Past Perfect Simple Had been + pple
Will future Will be + pple
Be going to Am/are/is going to be + pple
Would Would be + pple
Modals Can/may/should/must… be + pple
Have/get something done
We use this structure when we pay somebody else to do a job:
He’s having his hair cut (he’s at the hairdresser’s)
He’s cutting his hair himself (he’s in front of the mirror cutting his own hair)
Get something done is usually more informal than have something done.
Carmen Pérez Rodríguez