The Passive voice. Passive tenses

The passive voice is used to show interest in who or which experiences the action, rather than who or which performs the action

The important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence:

This road is used frequently    interest in the road, not in who uses it

The house was built in 1900    interest in the house, not in who built it

Kira will be adopted soon    interest in the dog, not in who will adopt her

The passive voice is used because:

the subject of the verb is the recipient of the action of the verb, not the agent
The subject is unknown or unimportant or common knowledge

ACTIVE VOICE

SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT

Humans- enslave- animals

PASSIVE VOICE

DIRECT OBJECT – VERB TO BE – PAST PARTICIPLE – BY – SUBJECT

Animals- are- enslaved- by- humans



PRESENT English is spoken all over the world

PAST French was studied everywhere

FUTURE Spanish will be accepted as an international language


PRESENT continuous   Animals are being mistreated

PAST continuous  Animals were being mistreated

FUTURE continuous  Animals will be being mistreated


PRESENT perfect  Animal abuse has been banned 

PAST perfect  Animal abuse had been banned 

  FUTURE perfect  Animal abuse will have been banned


zoos prison for animals

CONDITIONAL  Zoos would be closed if there were no visitors

CONDITIONAL  continuous  Zoos would be being closed if there were no visitors

CONDITIONAL  perfect   Zoos would have been closed if there were no visitors


MODALS

Birds can be saved

Bees have to be saved

Insects must be saved

Birds mustn’t be shot

Birds shouldn’t be put in a cage

Hunters ought to be punished


MODAL PERFECT

Nightingales might have been shot    

A goldfinch may have been shot

Larks should have been saved    

Geese could have been saved

Ducks must have been saved




Passive with phrasal verbs  

ACTIVE

They called off the meeting

His grandma looked after him

They will send him away to school

His aunt brought him up

PASSIVE

The meeting was called off

He was looked after by his grandmother

He will be sent away to school

He was brought up by his aunt

The indirect object can be the subject of a passive verb:

ACTIVE

They offered me a new job

Someone told us an amazing story 

I gave my son a book

Someone sent her flowers for her birthday                                   

PASSIVE

I was offered a new job

We were told an amazing story

My son was given a book                    

She was sent flowers for her birthday                                   

These verbs are frequently used in the passive and followed by the infinitive

be supposed tobe expected tobe asked tobe told to
 be allowed tobe invited tobe ordered to

You are supposed to protect animal lives

We are expected to take care of  animals

I have been asked to volunteer 

They were told not to go to the aquarium


NOW…     SOME PRACTICE    

  CHANGE ACTIVE SENTENCES INTO PASSIVE

with the video

REVIEW THE LESSON AND DO THE EXERCISES IN THE VIDEO