Module 7: Aspects of Voice - Lesson 7.2: Forming the Passive Voice - Basic Structures

Module 7: Aspects of Voice - Lesson 7.2: Forming the Passive Voice - Basic Structures

Lesson 7.2: Forming the Passive Voice - Basic Structures

Welcome to Lesson 7.2! In this lesson, we will focus on the fundamental structure of the passive voice in English. Understanding how to construct passive sentences is essential before we delve into *when* and *why* to use them. The key to forming the passive voice lies in the correct use of the verb "to be" and the past participle of the main verb.

Basic Formula for Passive Voice:

As introduced in Lesson 7.1, the core structure of the passive voice is:

Subject + Be (in appropriate tense) + Past Participle (+ by + Agent - optional)

Let's break down each component:

  1. Subject:

    The subject of a passive sentence is the person or thing that receives the action. In an active sentence, this would typically be the object. When we change to passive voice, we bring this 'receiver' of the action to the front of the sentence to become the subject.

    Example: In "The dog chased the ball," 'the ball' is the object. In passive, "The ball..." becomes the subject.

  2. Verb "to be" (in appropriate tense):

    This is the auxiliary verb in passive voice. Crucially, the "be" verb must be conjugated in the same tense as the main verb in the active voice sentence. This is how we indicate the time frame of the passive action.

    Here are the forms of "to be" in common simple tenses:

    • Present Simple Active Verb (e.g., 'chases'): Use is / are in passive (Present Simple Passive - e.g., 'is chased', 'are chased')
    • Past Simple Active Verb (e.g., 'chased'): Use was / were in passive (Past Simple Passive - e.g., 'was chased', 'were chased')
    • Present Continuous Active Verb (e.g., 'is chasing'): Use is being / are being in passive (Present Continuous Passive - e.g., 'is being chased', 'are being chased')
    • Past Continuous Active Verb (e.g., 'was chasing'): Use was being / were being in passive (Past Continuous Passive - e.g., 'was being chased', 'were being chased')
    • Future Simple Active Verb (e.g., 'will chase'): Use will be in passive (Future Simple Passive - e.g., 'will be chased')
    • Present Perfect Active Verb (e.g., 'has chased'): Use has been / have been in passive (Present Perfect Passive - e.g., 'has been chased', 'have been chased')
    • Past Perfect Active Verb (e.g., 'had chased'): Use had been in passive (Past Perfect Passive - e.g., 'had been chased')
    • Modal Verbs (e.g., 'can chase', 'should chase'): Use modal verb + be in passive (e.g., 'can be chased', 'should be chased')

    We will practice these tense transformations in detail in Lesson 7.4.

  3. Past Participle:

    This is the main verb in the passive voice, and it *always* takes the form of the past participle. Remember, for regular verbs, this is usually the '-ed' form (e.g., 'chased', 'written', 'developed'). For irregular verbs, you need to use the correct irregular past participle form (e.g., 'eaten', 'seen', 'made').

    Example: For the verb 'chase', the past participle is 'chased'. For 'write', it's 'written'. For 'eat', it's 'eaten'.

  4. 'by + Agent' (Optional):

    The 'agent' is the performer of the action – the original subject from the active sentence. In passive sentences, you can include the agent using the preposition "by" followed by the agent. However, the 'by + agent' phrase is optional and is often omitted.

    When to Omit 'by + Agent':

    • When the agent is unknown or unimportant. (e.g., "My car was stolen." - agent 'thief' unknown or not important to mention).
    • When the agent is obvious or understood from context. (e.g., "The criminals were arrested." - understood 'by the police').
    • When you want to emphasize the action or the receiver of the action, not the performer. (e.g., "Mistakes were made." - deliberately avoids specifying who made the mistakes).
    • In formal or scientific writing, where the process or action is more important than who performed it. (e.g., "The experiment was conducted in controlled conditions.").

    When to Include 'by + Agent':

    • When it is important to know who or what performed the action. (e.g., "The novel was written by Jane Austen." - author is important information).
    • When including the agent adds important context or clarity to the sentence. (e.g., "The house was damaged by the storm." - cause of damage is relevant).
    • To clarify who is responsible, especially if it's not obvious. (e.g., "The window was broken by my brother." - specifies who caused it).

Examples of Forming Passive Voice - Basic Tenses (Present and Past Simple):

Let's see how to transform active sentences into passive using Present Simple and Past Simple tenses:

  • Present Simple:
    • Active: "The postman delivers the mail." (Subject: postman, Verb: delivers, Object: mail)
    • Passive: "The mail is delivered (by the postman)." (Subject: mail, Verb: is delivered, Agent (optional): by the postman) - 'is' (present simple form of 'be') + 'delivered' (past participle).
  • Past Simple:
    • Active: "The dog chased the cat." (Subject: dog, Verb: chased, Object: cat)
    • Passive: "The cat was chased (by the dog)." (Subject: cat, Verb: was chased, Agent (optional): by the dog) - 'was' (past simple form of 'be') + 'chased' (past participle).
  • Present Continuous:
    • Active: "They are building a new bridge." (Subject: they, Verb: are building, Object: a new bridge)
    • Passive: "A new bridge is being built (by them)." (Subject: bridge, Verb: is being built, Agent (optional): by them) - 'is being' (present continuous form of 'be') + 'built' (past participle).
  • Past Perfect:
    • Active: "She had finished the report." (Subject: she, Verb: had finished, Object: the report)
    • Passive: "The report had been finished (by her)." (Subject: report, Verb: had been finished, Agent (optional): by her) - 'had been' (past perfect form of 'be') + 'finished' (past participle).

Key takeaway: To form passive voice, use the formula: Subject + Be (in the tense of the active verb) + Past Participle (+ by + Agent - optional). The verb "to be" is crucial and must agree in tense with the active verb. The 'by + agent' phrase is used when it's important to specify the performer of the action, but is often omitted. Next, we will explore Lesson 7.3: Uses of the Passive Voice - When to Use Passive Voice Effectively!