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
Sir,
"I want you to eat the food".
"I want you to read the book".
Is this correct to say same sentences like this??
I want you eating the food and
I want you reading the book.
Hello Rsb,
Both forms (want sb to do and want sb doing) are grammatically possible.
Generally, I think we use want sb doing when we are talking about an existing situation which we want to continue or stop:
We also use this to describe an imagined situation in the future which we hope to find or avoid:
The infinitive form (want sb to do) generally refers to a particular action in the future;
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks Pete sir!
Hi teacher Peter,
I am confused. Some adjectives end with"-ed".
And many past participle forms end with "-ed".However, This situation confuses me. For example, this sentence
"I am excited".The word(excited) is
-adj- or past participle of passive ?
Hi Nuro,
This is an ambiguous case. The word 'excited' could be an adjective:
On the other hand, you could see it as a past participle in a passive construction:
It doesn't make any difference to the sentence, really; it's simply a question of terminology.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello. Which sentence is correct or both are? Why?
1- Many machines are made to run by electricity.
2- Many machines are made to be run by electricity.
Thank you.
Hello Ahmed Imam,
I don't think either of those sound particulary natural, to be honest. Although I don't know the context or exactly what you intend to say, I would guess that you are looking for something like this:
or
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello. I'm really confused about the following sentence:
- I've got some of the cleverest students (to prepare - preparing - prepared) for the competition. They don't need preparation anymore.
I think the three forms are OK, right?
Thank you.
Hello Ahmed Iman,
All three forms are possible grammatically, but they have different meanings and only one fits the context.
As your example has a context in which 'they don't need preparation anymore' I think it is clear that the third option is the correct choice.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
I was expected to be a human....
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