This document discusses the passive voice in English. It covers preliminary considerations about which verbs can be passive, how the passive is used more in English than Spanish. It then discusses the different uses of the passive voice, including when the action is more important than the agent, the agent is obvious/unknown/not important, or to avoid mentioning who did the action. Finally, it discusses tense formation in the passive voice and the use of the preposition "by" as well as direct and indirect objects.

1. The Passive Voice
a) Preliminary considerations
b) Uses
c) Tense formation
d) Tense forms
e) The use of -by
f) Direct and Indirect objects.

2. The Passive Voice
a) Preliminary considerations
b) Uses
c) Tense formation
d) Tense forms
e) The use of -by
f) Direct and Indirect objects.

3. Preliminary considerations
► Only transitive verbs (those which may take an
object) can be used in the passive voice.
► In English the passive voice is much more
used than in Spanish.
Spanish uses a kind of “passive” with “se” while
English uses a normal passive voice.
When the subject is unknown, English – unlike
Spanish – uses the passive voice.
When an active verb may take a direct and an
indirect object, English uses a passive which is
never heard in Spanish. Menu

4. Uses of the Passive in English
When the action is more important than the
agent.
When the agent is obvious, unknown, or
simply not important.
When we don’t want to mention who did the
action.
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5. When the action
is more important than
the agent,
so that it looks more impersonal.

6. • The room must be cleaned.
• The tickects were sold.
• Sugar is added after the water has been
boiled.
• The bridge was eventually built.

7. When the agent is
obvious,
unknown
or simply
not important

8. My house has been painted.(obviously by a
painter)
My purse was stolen. (I don’t know who did
it)
The letters were typed. (No matter who did
it, what matters is that they finally were typed)

9. When, for some reason,
we don’t want to mention
who did the action;
like, for example,
to avoid pointing out
who is responsible for it.

10. The boys were punished. (for some
reason, what is important is the action, not who
punished them)
Our tickets were lost. (like this I avoid saying
who lost them)
New ideas have been presented with
great success. (By using the passive, the
speaker avoids mentioning the author, mainly if
it is the speaker himself)

11. 1) Simple Tense
(Simple Past)
Shakespeare wrote Hamlet
The main verb
Aux. Be in the
always in the Past
same tense
Participle
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare
(Simple Past)

12. 2) Perfect Tense
(Present Perfect)
The Council has invested a lot of money
The main verb
Aux. Be in the always in the Past
same tense Participle
A lot of money has been invested by the Council
(Present Perfect)

13. 3) With a Modal Auxiliary
Modal (Perfect Infinitive)
I should have done the homework
Aux. Be in the
same tense
The homework should have been done (by me)
(Perfect Infinitive)
Modals remain
The main verb
invariable
always in the Past
Participle
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14. FORM ACTIVE PASSIVE FORM ACTIVE PASSIVE
VOICE VOICE VOICE VOICE
Simple keeps is kept Conditional would keep would be kept
present present
Present is keeping is being kept
Conditional would have would have been
continuous
past kept kept
Simple past kept was kept
present to keep to be kept
infinitive
Past was keeping was being kept
continuous
perfect to have kept to have been
Present have kept have been kept infinitive kept
perfect
gerund keeping being kept
Past perfect had kept had been kept
perfect having kept having been kept
participle
future will keep will be kept
Examples

15. She keeps her room tidy.
► Her room is kept tidy.
He is keeping the change in his pocket
► The change is being kept in his pocket.
She kept her money in the wallet.
► The money was kept in the wallet.
When the thief came in she was keeping the
money in her wallet.
► When the thief came in the money was
being kept in her wallet.

16. He has kept all his money in a big hole.
► All his money has been kept in a big hole.
By the time the thieves arrived he had already
kept all his money safely.
► Bythe time the thieves arrived all his
money had already been kept safely.
She has promised her mother she will keep
her room tidy at all times.
► She has promised her mother her room will
be kept tidy at all times.

17. He promised her he would keep her savings
untouched.
► Hepromised her her savings would be kept
untouched.
He said he would have kept her savings
untouched if he hadn’t been going to the
casino.
► Hesaid her savings would have been kept
untouched if he hadn’t been going to the
casino.

18. She now says she can keep her money
herself.
► She now says her money can be kept by
herself.
If she had known that, she could have kept it.
► Ifshe had known that, it could have been
kept.
___________________________________
► Most film stars hate being interviewed.
► He didn’t like having been told about what
to do.
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19. THE USE OF by
a) When the person who does the action, the agent, is
important. For example: an inventor, a writer, an
artist, etc…
Shakespeare wrote these poems.
These poems were written by Shakespeare.
b) To introduce new information that had been omitted
previously.
While we were studying, we were bothered by
several students
c) To talk about a plan or method.
These exercises can be improved by adding
more information.
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20. Direct & Indirect objects
give, lend, offer,
Some verbs, like
send, promise, show are usually
followed by two objects, one is a person –
indirect – and the other is a thing – direct.
In these cases, the passive in English takes the
indirect object as its new subject.
The same pattern follow the verbs: tell, ask.

21. Direct & Indirect objects
They gave John a warm welcome.
John was given a warm welcome.
My parents have promised me a holiday by the
beach if I don’t fail any subjects.
I have been promised a holiday by the ...
They told me not to move or they would kill me.
I was told not to move or I would be killed.
They asked me if I would like to go with them.
I was asked if I …
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