2. Practice
He is a teacher.
• No voice because there is no action.
He teaches English.
• Active voice because the subject does the action, and the verb is in base form.
She is speaking but is not understood well.
• Active because of the –ing verb
• Passive because there is to be + 3rd form of verb.
I was invited but did not go.
• Passive because there is to be + 3rd form.
• Active because there is the 2nd form of verb.
I was invited but not picked up.
• Passive because both are in 3rd form without to have.
3. Voice
It is the form of a verb that shows whether a subject does or receives
an action.
Example:
- I learn English. (The subject is I, and it does the action.)
- I am invited to a party. (The subject is I, and it receives the action.)
4. Active Voice
When the subject does an action, the verb is in active voice.
Example:
I teach English. (The subject is I, and it does the action of teaching.)
You look at my screen. (The subject is you, and it does looking.)
How do we know if the subject does the action?
Look at these verb forms:
1) Base form of verb; I teach. You study. I want to go. They wish to study.
2) -ing form of verb; I am teaching. You are learning. He was speaking.
3) 2nd form of verb; They came. You saw him. They knew it.
4) Have + 3rd form of verb; He has arrived. You have come. They have gone.
5. Passive Voice
When the subject receives an action, the verb is in passive voice.
Example:
I was taught the right manner. (The subject is I, and it receives the action.)
How do we know if the verb is in passive form?
Look at these forms of verbs:
1) 3rd form of verb alone: A broken heart is hard to fix. I want a broken vase.
2) Be + 3rd form of verb: He was fired.
6. Tenses in Passive Voice
1) The passive begins where the tense ends.
1) She has been invited to the party.
2) They were being fired.
2) The tense in passive voice is formed by to be verbs.
1) He asked me. = I was asked.
2) She saw me. = I was seen.
3) They will call you. = You will be called.
7. Changing Active Verbs to Passive Verbs
Use 2 rules only:
1) Use a to be verb instead of the verb. (It forms the tense)
2) Change the main verb to third form
Wrote = was/were written
Writing = being written
Written = been written
Writes = is written
8. To Be Verbs
Present Tense: is/am/are
Past tenes: was/were
Perfect tense: been
Continuous tense: being
to + verb / modal + verb; be
Is/am/are/was/were/been/being/be
He will be speaking English.
Will be being spoken
To study = to be studied
9. Goes
Is speaking = is being spoken
Speaks
Wrote
Spoke
Calls= IS CALLED
calling
Has called
Will try
Shall buy
Will have bought
Will be speaking = WILL BE BEING SPOKEN
Had spoken = HAD BEEN SPOKEN
10. Changing Active to Passive
1) The object of the verb becomes subject of the verb.
2) Use a to be verb instead of the verb. (It forms the tense)
3) Change the main verb to third form
4) If there is a modal auxiliary, it stays put.
5) The doer of the action becomes an agent at the end of the sentence
in by phrase.
You must learn English.
English must be learned by you.
11. What does not change?
• Transitive verbs have objects, and they change to passive.
• Nouns
• Pronouns
• Infinitives (to + verb)
• Gerunds (verb-ing)
• I love ice cream. Ice cream is loved.
• He saw someone. Someone was seen.
• He enjoys speaking.
• I love to go.
• Intransitive verbs have no objects, and they never change to passive.
• He came late.
• She goes to school.
