{"id":5984,"date":"2017-02-17T14:42:15","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T12:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/?p=5984"},"modified":"2021-10-11T09:28:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T07:28:08","slug":"simple-passive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2017\/02\/simple-passive\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple Passive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Passive<\/h3>\n

In passive sentences<\/strong><\/span>, the thing or person receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the person doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence.<\/p>\n

You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.<\/p>\n

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]<\/p>\n

Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Tense<\/td>\nSubject<\/td>\nVerb<\/td>\nObject<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simple Present<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nwrites<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nis written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simple Past<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nwrote<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nwas written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Present Perfect<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nhas written<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nhas been written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Future\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nwill write<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nwill be written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Modal<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\ncan write<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\ncan be written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Present Continuous<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nis writing<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nis being written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Past Continuous<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nwas writing<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nwas being written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Past Perfect<\/strong><\/td>\nActive:<\/td>\nMaria<\/td>\nhad written<\/td>\na letter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Passive:<\/td>\nA letter<\/td>\nhad been written<\/td>\nby Maria.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nWhen and why do we use passive voice?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are several times when the passive voice is useful, and usually the decision has to do with the “doer” (agent) or the “receiver” of the action. For example, we use the passive when:<\/p>\n

1. We want to emphasize the receiver of the action:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Mona Lisa\u00a0was painted<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0by Leonardo da Vinci.
    \nActive:\u00a0Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    2. We don’t know who did the action (the agent):<\/p>\n

      \n
    • My bike\u00a0has been stolen<\/strong><\/span>.
      \nActive: Somebody has stolen my bike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      3. We think the agent is not important or interesting:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • The apartment building is\u00a0being<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0renovated.
        \nActive: \u00a0R&L Company is painting the apartment building.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        4. The agent is obvious:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • I am paid<\/strong><\/span> weekly.
          \nActive:\u00a0My company pays me weekly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          5. We are making general statements or announcements:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Passengers are reminded<\/strong><\/span> to fasten their seat belts.
            \nActive: The Captain reminds passengers to fasten their seat belts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            6. The agent is everyone:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • The emergency services can be called<\/strong><\/span> by dialing 999.
              \nActive:\u00a0The public can call the emergency services by dialing 999.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              7. We are writing formal or scientific texts:<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Potassium was added<\/strong><\/span> and mixed<\/strong><\/span> in. The solution was heated<\/strong><\/span> to 80\u00b0C and then allowed<\/strong><\/span> to cool.
                \nActive:\u00a0The technician added potassium and mixed it in. The technician heated the solution to 80\u00b0C and then allowed it to cool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                8. We want to avoid responsibility for our own actions (typically found in government reports) :<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Mistakes were made<\/strong><\/span> and unfortunately never rectified.
                  \nActive: The President made mistakes and unfortunately never rectified them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Passive In passive sentences, the thing or person receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the person doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[309],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grammar"],"yoast_head":"\nSimple Passive | phone english blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoneenglish.es\/blog\/2017\/02\/simple-passive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Simple Passive | phone english blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Passive In passive sentences, the thing or person receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the person doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. 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