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UNIT 25
PASSIVE SENTENCES1
In order to form a passive2 sentence, we must bear in mind
the following:
The direct object of the active becomes the subject of
the passive.
Then, we add the verb be + the past participle of
the active verb.
When we have a direct object and an indirect object in
the active, both of them can be the subject of a passive
sentence, but the indirect object3 is usually preferred
as the subject of a passive sentence. If we wish to give
emphasis to the thing (DO) rather than the person (IO),
we make the direct object the subject of the passive
sentence:
Somebody gave her (indirect object) an ice lolly
(direct object). (active)
Somebody gave an ice lolly to her. (active)
She was given an ice lolly. (passiveindirect object)
An ice lolly was given to her. (passivedirect object)
My mother has bought me a cardigan. (active)
My mother has bought a cardigan for me. (active)
I have been bought a cardigan. (passiveindirect object)
A cardigan has been bought for me. (passivedirect
object)
If the information given by the subject of the active is
important, it must be mentioned in the passive by using
by4 + the subject of the active. This is called the
agent. An active sentence like Someone stole my car
becomes My car was stolen in the passive. We cannot say
My car was stolen by someone because someone does not
provide any useful information. Compare the following
example with the one just seen: Peter stole my carMy
car was stolen by Peter. In this case, the agent is
necessary because if we remove it, we omit some
important information. A sentence such as The police
arrested the thief becomes The thief was arrested in
the passive, as there is no need to mention the agent
here, since it is already implied by the context that
the job of the police is to do things of this sort.
Change the following sentences from the active voice to the
passive voice.
a
b
c
d
e
a
b
c
d
e
Examples: (infinitives7)
Theyll lend us THE MONEY WE NEED. (active)
Well be lent the money we need. (passive)
THE MONEY WE NEED will be lent TO us. (passive)
Theyre going to give her A BOX OF CHOCOLATES. (active)
a They would have signed the contract if you hadnt put your
foot
in it. (Leave the if-clause unchanged.)
b They must have redecorated their house.
c In two months time, this contagious disease will have
affected
all the population in the town.
d The town council would have contracted out the job of
cleaning
the streets to this firm if they were more efficient.
e Nobody can have kidnapped her.
7
a
b
c
Revision exercise.
They used to cut this fabric by hand, but now they use a
machine.
They showed me the door.
Id have opened the door if I had had the key.
The police have trapped two of the murderers so far.
My wife gives me a kiss every single morning.
Did Jane Green win the tournament?
Many people would not have contracted AIDS if they had been
more careful.
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
10 Example:
He saw an ice-cream van park in front of his house. (active)
11 Examples:
People say
He is said
It is said
People say
He is said
It is said
12 Examples:
She suggested breaking into the house by night. (active)
She suggested that they should break into the house by
night. (active)
She suggested that the house should be broken into12 by
night. (passive)
They advised us to buy a new tractor. (active)
They advised buying13 a new tractor. (active)
They advised that we should buy a new tractor. (active)
They advised that a new tractor should be bought. (passive)
We were advised to buy a new tractor. (passive)
They decided not to lend him ANY MONEY. (active)
They decided that they should not lend him ANY MONEY.
(active)
They decided that he should not be lent any money. (passive)
They decided that NO MONEY should be lent TO him. (passive)
After some verbs we can have two structures in the active: a
gerund or an infinitive and a should-construction; the latter
being more formal. In the passive, the should-construction is
required, unless we have a verb such as advise, in which
13 Examples:
People have demanded that the government should create more
jobs. (active)
It has been demanded that more jobs should be created.
(passive)
They decided15 not to lend him any money. (active)
They decided that they should not lend him ANY MONEY.
(active)
It was decided not to lend him any money. (passive)
It was decided that he should not be lent any money/that NO
MONEY should be lent TO him. (passive)
People suggested16 not demolishing the building.
(active)
People suggested that no-one should demolish the building.
(active)
It was suggested not demolishing the building. (passive)
It was suggested that the building should not be
demolished. (passive)
We can use it as a preparatory subject of a that-clause,
an infinitive construction or a gerund phrase to make a
passive sentence, as has just been seen above. Nonetheless,
you must take into account that this is only possible with
some verbs, such as demand, decide and suggest.
Compare this section with the previous one.
a They have recommended not to use dynamite in the mine.
b They have recommended that nobody should consume this
trademark
of cheese, as they say that some batches are off.
c One may well think that one should put a traitor to death.
d They have announced that they are going to cut down
public spending.
e People are demanding to know the whys and wherefores of
their decision.
14 Examples:
I had/got my fountain pen pinched. (= Somebody pinched my
fountain pen.)
5
6
7
10
11
Note also:
My heart filled with sadness.
Sadness filled my heart
My heart was filled with sadness. (not by sadness)
Note the word order.
Swear in is normally used in the passive.
Infinitives continuous are avoided in the passive:
They cant be cleaning the swimming-pool.
*The swimming-pool cant be being cleaned. (This structure
is not generally used so as to avoid the combination be
being.)
Perfect continuous infinitives are avoided in the passive:
They ought to have been fixing my car.
*My car ought to have been being fixed. (This construction
is not normally used so as to avoid using been being.)
In order to avoid saying been being, we do not usually
put perfect continuous tenses into the passive voice:
They have been attacking us for the last two days.
*We have been being attacked for the last two days. (Avoid
this.)
This object is singular.
The perfect infinitive refers to a previous action.
Another instance: The authorities reported (a later
action) that he was murdered/had been murdered (an
earlier action) with a knife.He was reported
to have been murdered with a knife/It was reported
that he was murdered/had been murdered with a knife.
Compare this with the following:
People said he was handsome.
He was said to be handsome. (to have been handsome
would imply that he was not handsome any more or that
he was already dead.)
16 A few, few, a lot, lots, a little, little, many, much, no and plenty (the key)
17 Enough, too, so and such (the key)
18 Comparative and superlative sentences (Page 2 and the key)
19 Adjective order (the key)
20 Relative clauses (Page 2 and the key)
21 Do and make (the key)
22 Modal verbs (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
23 Infinitives, gerunds and present participles (Page 2 and the key)
24 Conditional sentences (Page 2 and the key)
25 Passive sentences (the key)
26 Reported speech (Page 2 and the key)
27 Purpose (the key)
28 Word order (the key)
29 Inversion (the key)
30 Connectors (Page 2 and the key)
31 Prepositions (Page 2, Page 3 and the key)
32 Phrasal verbs (the key)
decided
41a will recognise (I think so.)/are going to recognise
(There are signs of this or I am convinced about this.) b
will have to resign (He has no other alternative.); is
going to resign (This is his intention.) c will believe d
will refuse e will perceive
42a had sprung b would not be here c will get d would not
have become e overflew
43a Arent you going to play/Arent you playing b
Will/Would you answer c Are they really going to decorate d
Will/Would you organize e Are you going to take/Are you
taking
44a do b went; was wearing c Will/Would you find d Have you
insured e do not keep f Will/Would you give g had never
strung; liked h Are you meeting; is waiting i Will/Would
you stand j had torn; (had) thrown k would not seek l are
you going; am going to buy; are m Is it raining n will take
o do not know; will ask p have censured; has been
handling/has handled q misunderstood; misunderstand; have;
learn; do; see; happens r did not want; had done s Did you
know; did it happen; heaved t have felt/have been feeling;
Have you been poisoning u Is you daughter coming/Is your
daughter going to come v disobey w will take x have not
brought; will lend y had not wrung z had rebound; would not
have come; would not be missing
45a will not come b will not use c will not eat d will not
hunt e will not make
46a were going to perish b are going to crash c is going to
be d is going to shoot e is going to beat
47a will watch b will release c will treat d will give;
will have e will root; (will) plant
48a invite b do not bid c will/shall stay d is not e
catches
49a will have b saw c is; will attack; bit; was going d
will/shall miss e will/shall have f wrung; congratulated;
was going g bellow h have been hoping/have hoped; left i
will get j will never be; works k had knelt/had kneeled;
(had) prayed l retold m studied n would not be/would not
have been; will take o had foretold p had already killed;
was q brings r entered; had abandoned s did not want t are
eating; will buy u likes/liked v sneezed w interwove x had
just spilt/had just spilled; had done y am just coming z
come tomorrow?)
I was wondering if/whether you could lend me a thousand
pounds. (I do not know what you will say about this, but
the fact is that I need that sum of money.)
2
If we use has come, we imply that it will take her a long
time to come. The same goes for exercises b and d.
3
For could, see unit 22, section 2.
4
The simple form is not impossible in some cases where we
have used the continuous form, but the continuous tense is
a much better alternative.
5
The simple present is also possible in this section.
6
In this section, will is also possible instead of shall.
7
In the following sections, I shall only give the first
alternative.
8
The first alternative in this section is far better than
the second. In the next sections, I have only included the
first one, usually.
Author: Miquel Molina i Diez