EL172 RW U5: Grammar Focus

The Passive and its Use Form

We form the passive by using the verb to be followed by the past participle:
be + past participle (v. 3)
Active: My grandfather planted this tree.
Passive: This tree was planted by my grandfather.

PASSIVE VERB TENSES

Present Simple
Past Simple
Future Simple
Present Continuous
Past Continuous
Going to
Present Perfect
Past Perfect
Infinitive
Modals

He delivers the parcels.

He delivered the parcels.
He will deliver the parcels.
He is delivering the parcels.
He was delivering the parcels.
He is going to deliver the parcels.
He has delivered the parcels.
He had delivered the parcels.
He has to deliver the parcels.
He must deliver the parcels.

The parcels are delivered.

The parcels were delivered.
The parcels will be delivered.
The parcels are being delivered.
The parcels were being delivered.
The parcels are going to be delivered.
The parcels have been delivered.
The parcels had been delivered.
The parcels have to be delivered.
The parcels must be delivered.

Use
Passive is frequently used when we want to describe processes and when we want to write
academic texts or reports. There are a number of reasons why the use of passive voice is
preferred. Some of them include:
- we want to focus more on the action
- we sometimes dont know who performed the action
- we want to distance ourselves from the action
- we want to make generalisations about the action

Adapted from: http://unienglish.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/RW_usingpassive.pdf

http://inglescarmelitaslb.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/the-passive-voice1.pdf

Exercise 1: Choose the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

FIAT
Fiat 0 was started (started/was started) by a group of Italian businessmen in 1899. In 1903, Fiat,
1_________________ (produced/was produced) 132 cars. Some of these cars 2_____________
(exported/were exported) by the company to the United States and Britain. In 1920, Fiat
3_________________ (started/was started) making cars at a new factory at Lingotto, near Turin.
There was a track on the roof where the cars 4____________________ (tested/were tested) by

technicians. In 1936, Fiat launched the Fiat 500. This car 5____________________ (called/was
called) the Topolino the Italian name for Mickey Mouse. The company grew, and in 1963 Fiat
6_____________________ (exported/was exported) more than 300,000 vehicles. Today, Fiat is
based in Turin, and its cars 7_________________ (sold/are sold) all over the world.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the following passage in the Passive.

1. Somebody has stolen a bus from outside the school. Some children saw the thief. The
police are searching for the bus now. They will use the childrens descriptions to catch the
thief.
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2. My uncle painted this picture. Someone has offered him a lot of money for it. He will deliver
the painting tomorrow. When they give him the money, he will tell them the truth. He
painted it one night while he was sleepwalking!

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3. Our school is organizing a contest. The teachers will choose the best project about the
environment. The students must include pictures and drawings in their projects. The
students will also have to do all the writing themselves. The school will give the winner a set
of encyclopaedias
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