Passive Voice

 

Introduction

Passive voice is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb, rather than performing the action itself. It is called "passive" because the subject is passively receiving the action. In contrast, active voice emphasizes the subject as the doer of the action. In passive voice sentences, the object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject, and the verb is conjugated using a form of "to be" plus the past participle of the main verb. The agent or the doer of the action, if mentioned, is introduced by the preposition "by." The use of passive voice can be beneficial in certain situations, such as when the focus is on the object or when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or intentionally being left out. Additionally, passive voice can be used to create a more formal tone or to shift the emphasis within a sentence..

Passive Voice in Simple Present Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the simple present tense is used to emphasize the object of an action rather than the subject. In this form, the subject receives the action performed by the verb.

Formula :

Subject + is/are/am + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice

1. She writes a book every year.
2. They deliver the mail to our house.
3. He fixes cars at the local garage.
4. We visit our grandparents on Sundays.
5. The company manufactures high-quality products.

Passive Voice

1. A book is written every year by her.
2. The mail is delivered to our house by them.
3. Cars are fixed at the local garage by him.
4. Our grandparents are visited on Sundays by us.
5. High-quality products are manufactured by the company.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the simple present tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "is/are" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the simple present tense is used to emphasize the action or state of being rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Present Continuous Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the present continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action where the subject receives the action being performed.

Formula :

S + is/am/are + being + V3

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She is writing an email to her boss.
2. are painting the walls of the house.
3. He is preparing dinner in the kitchen.
4. We are discussing the project in the meeting room.
5. The children are playing in the park.

Passive voice :

1. An email is being written to her boss by her.
2. The walls of the house are being painted by them.
3. Dinner is being prepared in the kitchen by him.
4. The project is being discussed in the meeting room by us.
5. The park is being played in by the children.

conclusion:

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the present continuous tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using a form of "to be" (is/are/am) followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. Passive voice in the present continuous tense is used to emphasize the ongoing action rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Present Perfect Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the present perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before the present moment, where the subject receives the action.

Formula :

Subject + has/have + been + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She has written a letter to her friend.
2. They have completed the project ahead of schedule.
3. He has cooked a delicious meal for dinner.
4. We have visited that museum multiple times.
5. team has won the championship.

Passive voice :

1. A letter has been written to her friend by her.
2. The project has been completed ahead of schedule by them.
3. A delicious meal has been cooked for dinner by him.
4. That museum has been visited multiple times by us.
5. The championship has been won by the team.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the present perfect tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "has/have been" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the present perfect tense is used to emphasize the result or outcome of the action rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Simple Past Tense

Definition :

assive voice in the simple past tense is used to describe an action that was done to the subject in the past. In this form, the subject receives the action performed by the verb.

Formula :

S + was/were + v3 + by

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She wrote a book about her travels.
2. They finished the race in record time.
3. He repaired the broken window yesterday.
4. We visited the Eiffel Tower during our trip to Paris.
5. The teacher explained the lesson to the students.

Passive voice :

1. A book was written about her travels by her.
2. The race was finished in record time by them.
3. The broken window was repaired yesterday by him.
4. The Eiffel Tower was visited during our trip to Paris by us.
5. The lesson was explained to the students by the teach.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the simple past tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "was/were" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the simple past tense is used to emphasize the action or event that happened in the past rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Past Continuous Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the past continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that was happening to the subject in the past.

Formula :

Subject + was/were + being + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She was singing a song at the concert.
2. They were playing football in the park.
3. He was fixing the car in the garage.
4. We were studying for our exams all night.
5. The workers were building the bridge.

Passive voice :

1. A song was being sung by her at the concert.
2. Football was being played in the park by them.
3. The car was being fixed in the garage by him.
4. Our exams were being studied for all night by us.
5. The bridge was being built by the workers.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the past continuous tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "was/were being" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the past continuous tense is used to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action in the past rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Past Perfect Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the past perfect tense is used to describe an action that had been completed before another action in the past.

Formula :

Subject + had been + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She had finished her homework before going to bed.
2. They had already eaten dinner when I arrived.
3. He had completed the project before the deadline.
4. We had visited that city several times in the past.
5. The team had won the championship last year.

Passive voice :

1. Her homework had been finished before going to bed by her
2. Dinner had already been eaten when I arrived by them.
3. The project had been completed before the deadline by him.
4. That city had been visited several times in the past by us.
5. The championship had been won last year by the team.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the past perfect tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "had been" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the past perfect tense is used to emphasize the completion of an action before another action or point in the past rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Simple Future Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the simple future tense is used to describe an action that will be done to the subject in the future. In this form, the subject receives the action performed by the verb.

Formula :

Subject + will be + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She will write a book about her experiences.
2. They will deliver the package tomorrow.
3. He will prepare dinner for the guests.
4. We will visit the museum next week.
5. The company will launch a new product in the market.

Passive voice :

1. A book will be written about her experiences by her.
2. The package will be delivered tomorrow by them.
3. Dinner will be prepared for the guests by him.
4. The museum will be visited next week by us.
5. A new product will be launched in the market by the company.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the simple future tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "will be" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the simple future tense is used to emphasize the action that will happen in the future rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Future Continuous Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the future continuous tense is used to describe an ongoing action that will be happening to the subject in the future.

Formula :

Subject + will be + being + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She will be singing a song at the concert tomorrow.
2. They will be playing football in the park this weekend.
3. He will be fixing the car in the garage later.
4. We will be studying for our exams all night.
5. The workers will be building the bridge next month.

Passive voice :

1. A song will be being sung by her at the concert tomorrow.
2. Football will be being played in the park this weekend by them.
3. The car will be being fixed in the garage later by him.
4. Our exams will be being studied for all night by us.
5. The bridge will be being built next month by the workers.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the future continuous tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "will be being" followed by the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. Passive voice in the future continuous tense is used to emphasize an ongoing action that will be happening in the future rather than the doer.

Passive Voice in Future Perfect Tense

Definition :

Passive voice in the future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed before another action or point in the future.

Formula :

Subject + will have been + past participle (verb form)

Examples :

Active Voice :

1. She will have finished her homework by tomorrow.
2. They will have completed the project by the end of the month.
3. He will have cooked dinner by the time we arrive.
4. We will have visited all the tourist attractions by the end of the trip.
5. The team will have won the championship by the final match.

Passive voice :

1. Her homework will have been finished by her by tomorrow.
2. The project will have been completed by them by the end of the month.
3. Dinner will have been cooked by him by the time we arrive.
4. All the tourist attractions will have been visited by us by the end of the trip.
5. The championship will have been won by the team by the final match.

conclusion :

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action in the future perfect tense. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, and the verb is formed using "will have been" followed by the past participle of the main verb. Passive voice in the future perfect tense is used to emphasize the completion of an action before a specific future time or event rather than the doer.

In the material about passive voice, several important points can be summarized:

1. Passive voice is a sentence structure in which the subject receives the action performed by the verb, whereas in active voice, the subject performs the action.
2. In passive voice, sentences are formed using the "to be" verb forms (is, am, are, was, were) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
3. Passive voice is often used when the emphasis is more on the object or the action being done rather than the doer of the action.
4. Passive voice is also used when the doer of the action is unknown or irrelevant, or to create a more formal or neutral writing effect.
5. Passive voice is used in various tense forms, including present, past, future, present continuous, past continuous, future continuous, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
6. Effectively using passive voice can help shift the focus of a sentence, present cooperation between the doer and the object, or avoid excessive mention of the doer.
7. While passive voice is useful in certain contexts, active voice is often more direct and engaging for the reader.

Understanding the use of passive voice can help improve writing skills and comprehension of texts that utilize different sentence structures. It's important to consider the context and purpose of writing when deciding whether to use active voice or passive voice in written communication.

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