Grammar Plus B2

UNIT

23

The passive (1)

TENSE

ACTIVE

PASSIVE

Present simple

Everybody calls her Amy.

She is called Amy (by everybody)

Present continuous

They are building a new school.

A new school is being built.

Present perfect

Have they sent the price list yet?

Has the price list been sent yet?

Past simple

Who made the cake?

Who was the cake made by?

Past continuous

They were cleaning it.

It was being cleaned.

Past perfect

We had finished all the water.

All the water had been finished.

Future simple

Dr Young will examine you.

You will be examined by Dr Young.

Be going to

They’re going to fire him.

He is going to be fired.

Modal verbs

Nobody can see it.

They may/might invite us.

People must pay taxes.

Everybody should help the poor.

We could do that in a shorter time.

They would kill him if he did it.

It can’t be seen (by anybody).

We may/might be invited.

Taxes must be paid.

The poor should be helped.

That could be done in a shorter time.

He would be killed if he did it.

Verb + -ing

She likes it when they praise her.

She likes being (to be) praised.

Infinitive

I’d like them to give me more money.

I’d like to be given more money.

-ing form

I remember when they hit me.

I remember being hit.

PASSIVE - INTERROGATIVE FORM • Passive questions typically use the verb be as the auxiliary for inversion. Compare the active and passive form of questions in the following examples.

Does anybody speak English in this hotel?

Where did they find the lost child?

How long will we keep this secret?

Is English spoken in this hotel?

Where was the lost child found?

How long will this secret be kept?

USAGE AND EXAMPLES • The passive form is used when you want to emphasise the object of the action rather than the subject, or when the agent is not very important in the sentence.

• It is typically made up of the verb be (which changes tense) with a past participle.

The Direct Object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

• When you specify an agent, it is introduced by the preposition by. Generic agents like everybody, they, people, etc or agents that are logical subjects of the action aren’t usually mentioned in a passive sentence. Study the examples: Passive subject

60

be

Past participle

(agent)

English

is

spoken

in this hotel

The rooms

are being

cleaned

The gallery

will be

opened

by the Queen

JFK

was

killed

by Leo Harvey Oswald

The paintings

mustn’t be

touched

(by anybody)

in 1963