PASSIVE VOICE

By Valentina Romero Triana

 USES
• Use the passive voice when the agent (the doer) is not
known or not important.
• Use the passive voice to emphasize the object of the verb.
• Use a by phrase to say who or what does something (the
agent).
• We can use the passive voice with any verb tense.
PRESENT TENSE
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. Often, trees are removed to make room for farming.
2. English is spoken by him.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be in negative + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Cartoons are not drawn by the student.
2. Jobs are not offered by the companies to end
unemployment.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
o Verb to be + Object + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement + ?.

• Examples:
1. Is the photo taken by him?
2. Is this birthday cake prepared by my grandmother?
PAST TENSE
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Was/ Were + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. Harry Potter was written by J. K. Rowling.
2. Invasive species were brought by inmigrants.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Was not/ Were not+ Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Sentences were not written by the teacher on the board.
2. Money was not raised by conservation groups.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
o Was/Were + Object + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement + ?.

• Examples:
1. Was the experiment created by the scientific?
2. Was the goal made by Falcao?
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be + Being + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. New tres are being planted by local children.
2. Deforestation is being caused by palm oil plantations.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be in negative + Being + Verb in past
participle + Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Plants are not being needed a lot of water.
2. In La Guajira, the weather is not being rainy
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
oVerb to be + Object + Being + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Is bullfighting being debated by the government?
2. Is globalwarming being affected the polar bears?
PAST PROGRESSIVE
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Was/Were + Being + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Energy was being conserved by people.
2. Land management plan was being developed by one
company.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Was not /Were not + Being + Verb in past
participle + Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Food was not being cooked by Salome.
2. The window was being oponed all the day.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. Was environment being affected by aerosols sprays?
2. Was the fish being caught by the fisherman?
FUTURE WILL
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Will + be + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. People in La Guajira will be killed by drought.
2. American people Will be affected by hurricanes.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Will not + be + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. Bears will not be hunted by hunters.
2. Felipe will not be understood what I am doing.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
oWill + be + Object + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement + ?.

• Examples:
1. Will tomatoes be cost a lot?
2. Will museum Buenas Artes be been near to here?
FUTURE BE GOING TO
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be + Going to + be + Verb in past
participle + Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Championship are going to be won by Celestina.
2. God is going to be believed by all people.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Verb to be in negative + Going to + be + Verb in
past participle + Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Those pants are not going to be dressed by Luana.
2. Airport is not going to be closed for the rain.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
oVerb to be + Object + Going to + be + Verb in past
participle + Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Is the perfum going to be used by Juanita?
2. Is Karen going to be gone with Sebastian to the cinema?
PRESENT PERFECT
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Have/Has + Been + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Many problems have been caused by extreme weather in
recent years.
2. Paper and plastic have been kept by recycling.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Have/Has + Been + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Topic has not been understood by him.
2. Climate change has not been in the news lately.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
oHave/Has + Object + Been + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Have the air pollution been caused by burning coal and
oil?
2. Has solar energy been conserved by people?
PAST PERFECT
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Had + Been + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement.

• Examples:
1. The car had been bought by me after I saved money.
2. Ball had been bought by us before we played soccer.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Had not + Been + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. I had not found my cellphone so I could not answered it.
2. I had not done my homework so the teacher reprimanded
me.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
oHad + Object + Been + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Had you been walked your dog?
2. Had we been climbed a mountain?
MODAL VERBS
 POSITIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Modal verbs + be + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Money could be shared out to people.
2. Bycicles might be used by people to finish with the
pollution.
 NEGATIVE
• Stucture:
o Object + Modal verbs in negative + be + Verb in past participle +
Subject + Complement.

• Examples:
1. Beer could not be sold to young people.
2. Money could not be spend by you because you would need it later.
 QUESTION
• Stucture:
o Modal verbs + Object + be + Verb in past participle + Subject +
Complement + ?

• Examples:
1. When might the platform be finished?
2. May hospitals be organized more by the government?
THE END