The Passive

This resource provides a comprehensive guide to the passive voice in English, covering its formation, usage, and various specialized forms. Core Concepts and Formation Active vs. Passive: In a passive sentence, the object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. For example, "Mary helped the boy" becomes "The boy was helped by Mary". Verb Requirements: Only transitive verbs (verbs that can be followed by an object) can be used in the passive. Common intransitive verbs such as happen, exist, seem, and die are never used in the passive. Form: The basic structure of a passive verb is be + past participle. The resource details how this form changes across various tenses, including simple present, past progressive, and present perfect. Passive Modals: Modals can also be made passive using the form modal + be + past participle (e.g., "Children should be taught to respect their elders"). Usage and Meaning Focus: The passive is most frequently used when the agent (the person performing the action) is unknown or unimportant. It is also used to shift the reader's focus to the subject of the sentence. By-Phrases: While most passive sentences do not include a "by-phrase," one may be added if the speaker knows who performed the action and wants to include that information for emphasis. Specialized Passive Forms Stative (Non-Progressive) Passive: This form uses the past participle as an adjective to describe an existing state rather than an action (e.g., "the door is locked"). These verbs are often followed by prepositions other than "by," such as interested in, worried about, or made of. The Passive with "Get": Common in spoken English, get + adjective or get + past participle conveys the idea of becoming or change (e.g., "get hungry," "get married"). -ed vs. -ing Adjectives: The sources distinguish between present participles used as adjectives with an active meaning (e.g., "a confusing problem") and past participles used with a passive meaning (e.g., "confused students").