Учебная презентация "Grammar. Passive Voice"

The Passive Voice

O.Tasenyuk, ELT
2020

verb “to be” + past participle (= V3)

NB: we don’t change the past participle;
we change the verb “to be” in the
tense we need (Present, Past, Future).

We Use The Passive Without Mentioning the Doer/Agent:

We don’t know the doer of the action:
The letter was written.
The action is MORE important than the doer:
My car has been stolen.
The doer is obvious:
The criminal will be arrested.

We Use The Passive:

We don’t want to take responsibility for the action, or the event is unpleasant:
Hundreds of people were killed.
In newspapers, in news headlines, in formal notices:
New bill has been put forward.

We Use The Passive When With the Doer/Agent:

We want to emphasize the doer:
The hospital was visited by the President.

We want to make statements more polite/formal:
My new hat was ruined. (He ruined my new hat.)

Prepositions

When we mention the doer, we use BY :
The elections were won BY V. Putin.
When we want to mention what the agent used in order to carry out an action, we use WITN :
That picture was drawn WITH a blue
crayon.

Reporting What People Say or Think in General

We use: It is said/ believed/ claimed/ thought that … :
It is claimed that economy will be/get stronger over the next few years.

The Passive Is Used in Tenses

Present simple:
More cars are sold now.
Present continuous:
More cars are being sold next month.
Past simple:
More cars were sold in 2005 than in 2008.
Past continuous:
More cars were being sold this time last year.

Future simple:
More cars will be sold next year, I hope.
Present perfect:
More cars have already been sold.
Past perfect:
More cars had been sold before he managed to sell his one.

Going to:
More cars are going to be sold by this salon.
Modal verbs – present:
More cars can be sold by this salon.
Modal verbs – past:
More cars may have been sold under some other conditions.

The Passive Is Not Used in:

The End

Thank You