Level: beginner
Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:
| active | passive | |
|---|---|---|
| The hunter killed the lion. | > | The lion was killed by the hunter. |
| Someone has cleaned the windows. | > | The windows have been cleaned. |
Passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:
| be | past participle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| English | is | spoken | all over the world. |
| The windows | have been | cleaned. | |
| Lunch | was being | served. | |
| The work | will be | finished | soon. |
| They | might have been | invited | to the party. |
If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by:
She was attacked by a dangerous dog.
The money was stolen by her husband.
- Active and passive voice 1
- Active and passive voice 2
- Active and passive voice 3
Level: intermediate
The passive infinitive is made up of to be with a past participle:
The doors are going to be locked at ten o'clock.
You shouldn't have done that. You ought to be punished.
We sometimes use the verb get with a past participle to form the passive:
Be careful with that glass. It might get broken.
Peter got hurt in a crash.
We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:
| active | passive | |
|---|---|---|
| I gave him a book for his birthday. | > | He was given a book for his birthday. |
| Someone sent her a cheque for a thousand euros. | > |
She was sent a cheque for a thousand euros. |
We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:
| active | passive | |
|---|---|---|
| They called off the meeting. | > | The meeting was called off. |
| His grandmother looked after him. | > | He was looked after by his grandmother. |
| They will send him away to school. | > | He will be sent away to school. |
- Active and passive voice 4
- Active and passive voice 5
Level: advanced
Some verbs which are very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-infinitive:
| be supposed to | be expected to | be asked to | be told to |
| be scheduled to | be allowed to | be invited to | be ordered to |
John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.
You are supposed to wear a uniform.
The meeting is scheduled to start at seven.
- Active and passive voice 6
- Active and passive voice 7
Comments
Hello.
How can I write these sentences in the active voice?
1. A lot of coffee is grown in Brazil.
2. The world's highest mountains are found in the Himalayas.
Can I say?
1. It grows a lot of coffee in Brazil.
2. It finds the world's highest mountains in the Himalayas.
If yes, are these phrases often used?
Thank you for the help!
Hello Juliana,
No, you can't rephrase in that way. You need to introduce the implied subject:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Is "love" as in "I love this" a stative verb?
Can a stative verb be transitive?
In "I love this", is love a transitive verb and "this" the object of the transitive verb "love"?
Hello magnuslin,
Yes, 'love' is a stative verb here, and it is also transitive (with 'this' as its object), as are many other stative verbs.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sir,
Sir I have a great confusion regarding the use of HOW word before an infinitive( specially the verbs after to like "learn, swim, know, teach etc.. ")
For example
1) He don't know to swim.
2) He don't know how to swim.
We know that the 1st one is incorrect and the 2nd one is correct.
I want to know why we use "HOW" before an infinitive. What type of meaning does it convey.
Please.
Hello Kapil Kabir
We use 'how' + infinitive to speak about skills. So you can say, for example, 'He knows how to cook', 'She knows how to swim', 'They know how to play billiards'.
Note that in your two sentences, 'don't' should be 'doesn't'.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you so much sir..
which part of speech is it? by hunter
Hello lella123
As far as I can tell, 'hunter' is a noun and 'by' is a preposition used to indicate the agent. It'd be useful to see the whole sentence and its context.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Could you please explain how can I make this sentence "Trump exits press conference after being challenged by female reporters" into active? I am so confused
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