Passive Voice Theory for Bachillerato

1. Passive voice
1. The direct object becomes the subject
2. The active subject becomes the agent (by+ object)
3. The active verb becomes passive

2. PASSIVE VOICE
Active: S + V + O
Passive: S + Be + PP(V3
ed) + by O
(tense)
EX: My father planted this tree last year.
This tree was planted by my father last
year.

3. • The writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of
the action:
USES OF PASSIVE VOICE
Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever
possible.
• The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when the doer of the action
is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentences:

4. By agent
• We don’t use by+ agent in the following cases:
- When the action is more important than the person who did it.
All roads were closed due to the flood.
- When we don’t know who did the action or when it is obvious who did it.
They were arrested yesterday.
- When we are writing a formal, academic or scientific sentence.
The results will be published in next month’s magazine.

5. VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS
Some verbs can have both a direct and an indirect object: give, send, show, lend,
ask, tell, order, pay, bring, allow.
His mother bought him a wooden horse in Paris.
IO DO
Notes: Sentences in which the indirect object becomes the subject are more common.
If we begin the sentences with the direct object, the indirect object is
preceded by the preposition to, except for the verbs keep and make, where the
indirect object is preceded by the preposition for.
With these verbs changes into the passive can be done in two different ways. This
is called the double passive.
A wooden horse was bought to him by his mother
He was bought a wooden horse by his mother.

6. PASSIVE WITH REPORTING VERBS
Another type of sentence that has two possible forms in the passive is that
consisting of Subject+Verb expressing belief / feeling (say, feel, expect, know,
believe, think)+Noun clause Object:
a. They say that he knows some very influential people.
b. People felt that the social workers were doing valuable work.
c. Everyone thinks that the government showed scant regard for public opinion
One possible construction is that where the sentence is introduced by the
impersonal it:
a. It is said that he knows some very influential people.
b. It was felt that the social workers were doing valuable work.
c. It is thought that the Government showed scant regard for public opinion.
Another construction is possible: The subject of the noun clause may be made the
subject of the whole sentence in the passive. A special characteristic of this
construction is that the verb in the noun clause takes the infinitive form:
a. He is said to know very influential people.
b. Social workers were felt to be doing valuable work.
c. The government is thought to have shown scant regard for public opinion.

7. PASSIVE WITH REPORTING VERBS
Another type of sentence that has two possible forms in the passive is that
consisting of Subject+Verb expressing belief / feeling (say, feel, expect, know,
believe, think)+Noun clause Object:
a. They say that he knows some very influential people.
b. People felt that the social workers were doing valuable work.
c. Everyone thinks that the government showed scant regard for public opinion
One possible construction is that where the sentence is introduced by the
impersonal it:
a. It is said that he knows some very influential people.
b. It was felt that the social workers were doing valuable work.
c. It is thought that the Government showed scant regard for public opinion.
Another construction is possible: The subject of the noun clause may be made the
subject of the whole sentence in the passive. A special characteristic of this
construction is that the verb in the noun clause takes the infinitive form:
a. He is said to know very influential people.
b. Social workers were felt to be doing valuable work.
c. The government is thought to have shown scant regard for public opinion.