This document discusses the passive voice and its uses. It provides examples of passive structures with verbs followed by infinitives like "be asked to send" and impersonal passives using "be" and past participles like "it is believed that...". Finally, it discusses causative verbs like "have" and "get" followed by a past participle to indicate something being done by another.

1. Passive sentence
Year 2019-20

2. Passive Voice

3. IS SAID TO BE
• PASSIVE STRUCTURES WITH FOLLOWING INFINITIVE
• Many verbs are followed by object + infinitive (ask, believe, choose…)
• He asked me to send a letter
• In most cases these structures can be made passive
• I was asked to send a letter
• He is believed to be dangerous
• He is known to be a criminal
• With “said” this structure is only possible in the passive
• His company is said to be in trouble

4. The passive (affir. / neg. / interrog)
• Affirmative
• A letter is written
• A letter will be written
• Negative
• A letter isn’t written
• A letter will not be written
• Interrogative
• Is a letter written?
• Will a letter be written?
Els modals és
mantenen igual
i el verb to be es
posa en forma
bàsica

5. Impersonal passive
(Believe, say, think, know, report, expect, expect, consider)
• It+be (en el temps de la frase activa+past participle+that clause
• It is believed that technology is crucial for a successful business
• It is expected that the Queen of England will abdicate soon
• Subject+be+past participle+infinitive
• Technology is believed to be crucial for a successful business.
• The Queen of England is expected to abdicate soon

6. The first sentence of a great novel
• “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in
possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”
Jane Austen

7. Causative verbs: Have / Get
Something somene asks someone else to do for him/her
• Have/get + object +past participle
• I will have my hair done tomorrow
• She will get her nails manicured this afternoon
• (Get is slightly more informal that have)

8. PRESENT SIMPLE PASSIVE +PERFECT
INFINITIVE (with think, believe, know…)
• Used in formal register
• To refer to something that people believe, think, know about a past
event.
• He is known to have been the leader of the revolt.
• Steve is believed to have stolen the money

9. PASSIVE SENTENCES 1
Is said to be
You need to
change an
active sentence
into a passive
one
Will have finished by
Be said to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoS
2EiCnRCo
By – No later than
At the beginning – is specific, and so it
does not apply to this context

10. PASSIVE SENTENCES 2
Help was urgently needed in the flooded area of the country.
need
They were ……...........................…………...........................…… in the
flooded area of the country.
They are moving our oral examination to an earlier date.
forward
Our oral examination ……...........................…………...........................……
to an earlier date.
10
in urgent need of help
Is being brought / moved forward

11. PASSIVE SENTENCES 3
• Many people think Steve stole the money.
believed
Steve __________________ the money.
• 2. The strong winds blew down the two ancient trees during the
storm.
blown
The two ancient trees _________________ the storm.
11
IS BELIEVED TO HAVE STOLEN
WERE BLOWN DOWN DURING

12. The man suddenly realised that the neighbour was watching him.
watched
The man suddenly realised that he ______________ the neighbour.
The Queen is opening the new school tomorrow afternoon.
opened
The new school _________________ Queen tomorrow afternoon.
12
WAS BEING WATCHED BY
IS BEING OPENED BY THE
PASSIVE SENTENCES 4

13. PASSIVE SENTENCES 5
They started the Company in 1997
SET
The Company ______________________ 1997
was set up in
There will be no more oil available in this area in 2030.
run
Oil supplies in this area ……...........................………….............. by
the year 2031.
Will (have) run out by