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
Dear The LearnEnglish Team
Please help me. Which one is correct?
1. The car hasn't been sold by John yet.
2. The car hasn't been sold yet by John.
Hello thyngoc1985
When 'yet' is used as an adverb, it usually comes at the end of a sentence, so 1 is better.
Actually, unless it's important to mention that John is the one selling the car, it would be much more common to just say 'The car hasn't been sold yet'.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi there.
What is the negative form of a passive voice sentence like: "The exercises have to be done."
Is it, "The exercises don't have to be done"?
Hi AFS,
There are two possibilities:
The first means there is no obligation – it's fine if they are not done.
The second, which is an unusual form but still quite correct means they must not be done. We would usually choose the form must not be rather than have to be not, but it is a correct form.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Sir,
Please bear with me if my question looks long. I always ask very short questions, but this is to help my son with his exam preparation.
This is the question on change of narration in one book :
When they had assembled in front of him , he said ," When I asked you yesterday if you were happy with your lives, all of you said you were contented and did not need anything more. Yet, today I can see the sadness in your faces when you had to leave behind the riches you had gathered in my garden. If you were really happy with your lives, why did you gather the jewel fruits, and why are you so sad now? "
The answer given in the book is :
When they had assembled in front of him he said that when he asked them the previous day whether they were happy with their lives, all of them had said that they were contented and needed nothing more. He added that yet he could see that day the sadness in their faces when they had to leave behind the riches they had gathered in his garden. He further asked that if they were really happy with their lived why they had gathered the jewel fruits and why were so sad that then.
I have few doubts about this answer :
1)For 'I asked you' : It should be he had asked them ... in place of he asked them.
2) for ' if you were happy ' : It should be whether they had been happy - in place of whether they were happy.
3) For ' you were contented ' : It should be they had been contented - in place of they were contented.
4) For ' if you were really happy ... ' : It should be whether they had been really happy - in place of whether they were really happy.
Please share your view and bear with me if it is a long post.
Could you please help me?
Scientists had ten students (move - moving) into a house with a garden.
Are both of them correct? If so, Is there a difference in meaning?
Thank you.
Hi Ahmed Imam,
Both are indeed possibly correct, though the second one is quite unusual. The first one is a causative structure -- follow the link to see more examples of this. The second could possibly be used to describe, for example, a stage in some kind of social science experiment, but again, this would be quite unusual and perhaps best expressed another way.
All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi again Ahmed Imam
Yes, that is also possible, though it has a slightly different meaning. It's not completely specific in this way, but 'Scientists had ten students move into a house' suggests that students agreed to move into the house. 'Scientists had ten students moved into a house', on the other hand, suggests that the students may not have had a choice in the matter -- they sound more like objects at the disposition of the scientists than people with choices.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear LearnEnglish Team,
I am confused with where to put the "by xxx" in the following sentences.
1. The circus boss pays money to the driver.
A: Money is paid by the circus boss to the driver.
B: Money is paid to the driver by the circus boss.
2. Helen's mum invites us to Helen's birthday party every year.
A: We are invited to Helen's birthday party by Helen's mum every year.
B. We are invited by Helen's mum to Helen's birthday party every year.
What are the rules to follow in deciding its position?
Many thanks,
Siuyang
Hello Siuyang,
The most common position for the by-phrase is at the end of the sentence, so the most natural options would be as follows:
Sometimes putting the by-phrase at the end separates it too far from the verb, and then we prefer to move it earlier. Thus the second sentence might also be:
It is possible to put the by-phrase in other positions, as in your examples, when we want to emphasise it for some reason. For example, if it were surprising or important for some reason that it is Helen's mum who invites us then we might say:
I hope that helps to clarify it for you.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
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