PASSIVE VOICE

• VOZES VERBAIS

As vozes de um verbo estabelecem a relação entre o sujeito e a ação expressa por este verbo. O
sujeito pratica ou sofre a ação, isto é, o sujeito é agente ou paciente. Quando o sujeito é o agente,
temos a voz ativa (active voice) e, quando o sujeito é o paciente, temos a voz passiva (passive voice).

Para formar a voz passiva em inglês, usamos o verbo to be seguido do particípio passado do verbo
principal. Quando necessário, o agente da passiva é precedido pela preposição by.

Exemplo:

Active voice: Shakespeare (sujeito) wrote Hamlet (objeto).

Passive voice: Hamlet (sujeito) was written by Shakespeare (agente da passiva).

- Quando se passa uma frase da voz ativa para a voz passiva:

a) o objeto da voz ativa torna-se sujeito da voz passiva;

b) o sujeito da voz ativa torna-se agente da passiva precedido por by quando for necessário;

c) o verbo to be na voz passiva é conjugado sempre no mesmo tempo verbal do verbo principal da
voz ativa;

d) o verbo principal da voz ativa passa para o particípio passado na voz passiva.

• VOZ PASSIVA - AGENTE DA PASSIVA

Há dois casos em que o agente da passiva pode ser omitido:

1º) Quando o sujeito da voz ativa não for importante ou for desconhecido ou indeterminado:

Active Voice: Somebody (sujeito indeterminado) planted peas (obj. direto) yesterday.

Passive Voice: Peas (Sujeito) were planted yesterday.

2º) Quando for óbvio:

Japanese is spoken in Japan.

(Who speaks a language? Japanese people do.)

- O agente da passiva deve ser mencionado quando for importante para a compreensão do que é
dito:

Ex.: Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare (agente da passiva).

- USOS

1. A voz passiva é empregada para enfatizar mais a ação ou o seu resultado do que a pessoa que
pratica a ação. Assim é enfatizado o que acontece a alguém ou a algo.
2. Em situações formais, na linguagem jornalística, acadêmica e em descrições técnicas e/ou
científicas.

Ex.: Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in the United States.

3. Usa-se a voz passiva quando o sujeito é indefinido.

Ex.: They play baseball everywhere in the United States. (active voice)

(Jogam beisebol por toda parte nos Estados Unidos.)

Baseball is played everywhere in the United States. (passive voice)

(O beisebol é jogado em toda parte nos Estados Unidos.)

4. Em estruturas ativas, os verbos hear, see, make e help podem ser seguidos por objeto + verbo no
infinitivo sem to, já em estruturas passivas, estes verbos devem ser seguidos pelo verbo com o to.

Ex.: I saw him (to) come out of the house. (active structure)

He was seen to come out of the house. (passive structure)

5. Alguns verbos como say, believe, consider, expect, know, report, think, understand, allege
admitem duas formas para a voz passiva.

Ex.: The strike is expected to end soon. ou It is expected that it will end soon.

6. Para formar a interrogativa, antepomos ao sujeito o verbo auxiliar que compõe o tempo verbal da
voz passiva. Para a negativa, basta acrescentar not ao auxiliar.

The office is cleaned every day. (affirmative form)

Is the office cleaned every day? (interrogative form)

The office is not cleaned every day. (negative form)

!!! Os tempos verbais Present Perfect Progressive, Past Perfect Progressive, Future Progressive e
Future Perfect Progressive não são comuns na voz passiva.

• FORMAÇÃO DA VOZ PASSIVA EM CADA UM DOS TEMPOS VERBAIS

- SIMPLE PRESENT: am/is/are + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul paints the house every year.

Passive Voice:

The house is painted by Paul every year. (Affirmative)

The house isn't painted by Paul every year. (Negative)

Is the house painted by Paul every year? (Interrogative)

- PRESENT PROGRESSIVE: am/is/are being + particípio

Active Voice:
Paul is painting the house

Passive Voice:

The house is being painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house isn't being painted by Paul. (Negative)

Is the house being painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- SIMPLE PAST: was/were + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul painted the house.

Passive Voice:

The house was painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house wasn't painted by Paul. (Negative)

Was the house painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- PAST PROGRESSIVE: was/were being + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul was painting the house

Passive Voice:

The house was being painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house wasn't being painted by Paul. (Negative)

Was the house being painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- SIMPLE FUTURE: will be + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul will paint the house

Passive Voice:

The house will be painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house won't be painted by Paul. (Negative)

Will the house be painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- FUTURE WITH "BE GOING TO": am/is/are going to be + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul is going to paint the house.

Passive Voice:

The house is going to be painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house isn't going to be painted by Paul. (Negative)

Is the house going to be painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- PRESENT PERFECT: has/have been + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul has painted the house

Passive Voice:

The house has been painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house hasn't been painted by Paul. (Negative)

Has the house been painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- PAST PERFECT: had been + particípio

Active Voice:

Paul had painted the house

Passive Voice:

The house had been painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

The house hadn't been painted by Paul. (Negative)

Had the house been painted by Paul? (Interrogative)

- FUTURE PERFECT: will have been + particípio

Active Voice:

By next week, Paul will have painted the house.

Passive Voice:

By next week, the house will have been painted by Paul. (Affirmative)

By next week, the house won't have been painted by Paul. (Negative)

Will the house have been painted by next week by Paul? (Interrogative)

→ Can, could, could have, would e would have podem ser usados na voz passiva:

Exemplos:

This bird can be seen in the tropics.

This painting could be sold for a high price.

The house would be painted this year.

The cake would have been made if we had all the ingredients.