English Magazine Editorial IPSM
LA VOZ PASIVA Funciones de la voz pasiva La voz pasiva se utiliza para mostrar interés por la persona o cosa que es objeto de una acción, en lugar de la persona o cosa que realiza dicha acción. Dicho de otro modo, la persona o cosa más importante pasa a ser el sujeto de la oración. Ejemplos
The passive voice is used frequently. (= nos interesa la voz pasiva, no quién la usa.)
The house was built in 1654. (= nos interesa la casa, no quién la construyó.)
The road is being repaired. (= nos interesa la carretera, no quién la está arreglando.)
En ocasiones empleamos la voz pasiva porque desconocemos o no queremos mencionar quién realizó la acción. Ejemplos
I noticed that a window had been left open.
Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
All the cookies have been eaten.
My car has been stolen!
La voz pasiva suele utilizarse en textos formales. Cambiar a la voz activa hará que lo que escribes resulte más claro y fácil de leer. Pasiva
Activa
A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well- A few well-chosen words convey a great deal
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English Magazine Editorial IPSM Pasiva
Activa
chosen words.
of meaning.
Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.
A mass of gases wrap around our planet.
Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of The city disposes of waste materials in a ways.
variety of ways.
Si queremos decir quién o qué realiza la acción en una construcción en pasiva, empleamos la preposición "by". Cuando sabemos quién realizó la acción y el sujeto nos interesa, siempre es mejor optar por la voz activa.
Pasiva
Activa
"A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles. The Beatles wrote "A Hard Day's Night". The movie ET was directed by Spielberg.
Spielberg directed the movie ET.
This house was built by my father.
My father built this house.
Consulta más información sobre la voz pasiva y sus equivalentes en activa para todos los tiempos verbales del inglés. Formación de la voz pasiva
En
inglés,
la
voz
pasiva
está
compuesta
la forma apropiada del verbo "to be" + "past participle"
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por
dos
elementos:
English Magazine Editorial IPSM Afirmativa
Negativa
Interrogativa
Interrogativa negativa
The house was built in The house wasn't built Was the house built in Wasn't the house built in 1899. These
in 1899. houses
1899?
1899?
were These houses weren't Were these houses built Weren't these houses built
built in 1899.
built in 1899.
in 1899?
in 1899?
"To clean", voz pasiva Sujeto
+ "to be" (conjugado) + "past participle" + resto de la oraciรณn
Simple present The house is
cleaned
every day.
cleaned
at the moment.
cleaned
yesterday.
cleaned
last week.
cleaned
since you left.
cleaned
before they arrived.
cleaned
next week.
cleaned
tomorrow.
cleaned
if they had visitors.
cleaned
if it had been dirty.
Present continuous The house is being Simple past The house was Past continuous The house was being Present perfect The house has been Past perfect The house had been Future The house will be Future continuous The house will be being Present conditional The house would be Past conditional The house would have been
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English Magazine Editorial IPSM Sujeto
+ "to be" (conjugado) + "past participle" + resto de la oración
Inifinitivo The house must be
cleaned
before we arrive.
La voz pasiva con infinitivos El infinitivo en la voz pasiva se emplea detrás de los verbos modales y de la mayoría de los verbos que normalmente van seguidos de infinitivo. Ejemplos
You have to be tested on your English grammar.
John might be promoted next year.
She wants to be invited to the party.
I expect to be surprised on my birthday.
You may be disappointed.
La voz pasiva con el "gerund"
El "gerund" en la voz pasiva se utiliza después de las preposiciones y verbos que normalmente van seguidos de "gerund". Ejemplos
I remember being taught to drive.
The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.
The children are excited to be taken to the zoo.
Most film stars hate being interviewed.
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English Magazine Editorial IPSM
Most film stars hate to be interviewed.
Poodles like to be pampered.
Poodles like being pampered.
Uso de "to be born"
"To be born" es una formación pasiva y suele emplearse en pasado. Sin embargo, en algunos casos, el presente o el futuro resultan apropiados. Ejemplos
I was born in 1976.
Where were you born?
Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be born.
En ocasiones, la voz pasiva se forma utilizando los verbos "to get" o "to have" en lugar del verbo "to be". Estas particularidades se tratan en una página aparte, modos alternativos de formar la voz pasiva.
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