2. The passive is not another way of expressing the same sentence in
the active. We choose the active or the passive depending on what
we are more interested in.
By and the agent are often omitted in passive sentences if…
- The agent is not known.
- The agent is not important.
- The agent is obvious.
The passive is associated with an impersonal formal style. It is often
used in notices and announcements.
In informal language, we often use you, we, and they to refer to
people in general or to no person in particular. In this way, we can
avoid using the passive.
3. When the subject is who performs the
action expressed by the verb, it is said
that it is active voice.
When it is the subject who receives or
suffers the action expressed by the verb,
it is said that it is in the passive voice.
The examples are the page four
4. Form Active Passive
Present simple
They buy the house
Present continuous
They are buying the house
Past simple
They bought the house
Past continuous
They were buying the house
Present perfect simple
They have bought the house
Past perfect simple
They had bought the house
Future simple
They will buy the house
Future perfect simple
They will have bought the house
Be going to
They are going to buy the house
Modal
They can buy the house
Semi-modal
They has to buy the house
Modal perfect
They should have bought the house
The house is bought
the house is being bought
the house was bought
the house was being bought
the house has been bought
the house had been bought
the house will be bought
the house will have been bought
the house is going to be bought
the house can be bought
the house has to be bought
the house should have been bought
5. My boss sent me detailed instructions.
Detailed instructions were sent to my by my boss.
San´s friend solved the problem.
The problem was solved by San´s friend.
Paul is going to repair the car.
The car is going to be repaired by Paul.
The little girl is drawing her pet.
The pet is being drawn by the little girl.
The men bought the house in 1990.
The house in 1990 was bought by the men.
