Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Passive Voice
Using the Passive Voice
• Definitions
• Practice examples
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice
• Active voice takes the form “A does B”
• We chose the plastic film to cover the microphone
Passive voice
Plastic film … was chosen … to cover the microphone.
Subject Verb Object
Active Voice: Subjects Perform an Act
Third person, but active voice
The team ... chose ... plastic film to cover the microphone.
Subject Verb Object
Passive voice
Plastic film … was chosen … to cover the microphone.
Subject Verb Object
Using the Passive Voice
• Definitions
• Practice examples
Combine “To be” + Past Participle
• “To be” is very irregular:
Present Tense Past Tense
1st person I am We are I was We were
2nd person You are You are You were You were
3rd person He, she, it is They are He, she, it was They were
I finish three projects in eight hours. Three projects are finished in eight hours.
I finish three projects in eight hours. Three projects are finished in eight hours.
I finish three projects in eight hours. Three projects are finished in eight hours.
I finish three projects in eight hours. Three projects are finished in eight hours.
I finish three projects in eight hours. Three projects are finished in eight hours.
I finished three projects in eight hours. Three projects were finished in eight hours.
Using the Passive Voice
• Definitions
• Practice examples
Change to the Passive Voice
• The team used the following materials: a model rocket
requiring some assembly, a tube of “Super Glue®,” a
cartridge of matter, and a tank of antimatter.
Change to the Passive Voice
• The team used the following materials: a model rocket
requiring some assembly, a tube of “Super Glue®,” a
cartridge of matter, and a tank of antimatter.
QUESTIONS?
QUIZ
Each sentence given below is in the active voice.
Change it into passive voice.
• He sings a song.
• The boy killed the spider.
• Help him.
• Farmers sow maize in the rainy season.
• Are you writing a letter?
QUIZ (Cont’d…)
• The workers were digging a canal.
• I will finish the job by the end of this week.
• Have you finished your job?
• They have informed him of his mother’s death.
• They took all the necessary precautions.
Key Answers
• A song is sung by him. (Active verb – sings; passive verb – is
sung)
• The spider was killed by the boy. (Active verb – killed; passive verb
– was killed)
• Let him be helped. (Imperative sentences in the passive voice
begin with let.)
• Maize is sown in the rainy season. (Active verb – sow; passive
verb – is/are sown)
• Is a letter being written by you? (Active verb – is/are writing;
passive verb – is/are being written)
• A canal was being dug by the workers. (Active verb – was/were
digging; passive verb – was/were being dug)
Key Answers (Cont’d…)
• The job will be finished (by me) by the end of this week.
(Active verb – will finish; passive verb –will be finished)
• Has your job been finished by you? (Active verb –
has/have finished; passive verb – has/have been
finished)
• He has been informed of his mother’s death. (Active
verb – has/have informed; passive verb – has/have
been informed)
• All the necessary precautions were taken by them.
(Active verb – took; passive verb – was/were taken)