The Passive Voice We use the passive: When the person or people who do the action are unknown, unimportant or obvious from the context. When the action itself is more important than the person/people who do it, as in news headlines, newspaper articles, formal notices, advertisements, instructions, processes. When we want to avoid taking responsibility for an action, or when we refer to an unpleasant event and we do not want to say who or what is to blame. be Past participle

Define the case of using the passive. Lucy’s mobile phone was stolen. The thief has been arrested. The car is being repaired. The valuable paintings were completely destroyed. The opening ceremony will be held on June 20 th.

Passive Voice Present SimplePresent ProgressivePresent Perfect Past SimplePast ProgressivePast Perfect Future SimpleFuture Perfect Future in the Past SimpleFuture in the Past Perfect

Verbs which can be used in the passive Only transitive (which take an object) verbs can be used in the passive. Some transitive verbs cannot be changed inti the passive: have, exist, seem, fit, suit, resemble, lack, etc) To get can be used instead of to be in everyday speech when talking about things that happened by accident.

Verbs which can farm two passive sentences Verbs which can take two objects: bring, tell, send, show, teach, promise, buy, sell, read, offer, give, lend, etc. He was offered a good job. A good job was offered to him.

Introducing the agent by+ the agent is used to say who or what carries out an action. with +instrument/material/ingredient The cake was made by grandma. The cake was made with strawberries.

Omitting the object The object can be omitted when it is he, she, they, people, someone/somebody, one etc. The object s not omitted when it is a specific or important person, or when it is essential to the meaning of the sentence. The Cathedral was built by Antonio Gaudi.

Notes: If in an active sentence a preposition follows a verb, then in the passive it is placed immediately after the verb. A ball hit George on the head. George was hit on the head by a ball. The verbs hear, help, see, make are followed by the bare infinitive in the active and by the to- infinitive in the passive. She helped me finish my job. I was helped to finish my job.

Notes: Let becomes be allowed in the passive The teacher let the students to use dictionaries. The students were allowed to use dictionaries. When we want to find out who or what performed an action, the passive form question is Who/What …… by?

Personal and Impersonal Constructions The verbs believe, expect, feel, hope, know, report, say, think etc are used in the following passive patterns Personal: subject (person)+passive verb+to- infinitive He is expected to win the elections. Impersonal: It+passive verb+ that clause It is expected that he will win the elections.

Causative form We use have+object(thing)+past particle to say that we arrange for someone do something for us. Jane asked her friend to burn the CD. She had the CD burnt. (She didn’t have to burn it herself, she asked her friend.) The verb have, used in the causative, forms its negations and questions with do/does/did Did he have the documents printed?

Notes: The causative form can be used instead of the passive to refer to accidents and misfortunes. He had his car stolen from the car park. (=His car was stolen from the car park.) Make/have+object (person)+ bare infinitive are used to express that someone caused someone else to do something, but their meaning is slightly different. Mum made the kids eat the vegetables. (She insisted on it.) Mum had the kids eat the vegetables. (She asked the kids to eat the vegetables.)

Notes: Get+ object(person) + to-infinitive shows that someone persuaded someone else to do something. Anna got her brother to drive her to the airport.