Modal verb in passive voice. Active and passive voice in English

The Passive Voice

Formation of the passive voice form

The passive voice of verbs in various tense forms is formed using the verb be + past participle (Past Participle). The rules for choosing tenses in the passive voice are the same as in the active voice. For example, if the sentence is about an action happening at the present moment, then the verb will be used in the form of the present continuous tense Present Continuous in both the active and passive voice.

Forms of the passive voice depending on tense:

Present Simple: am/are/is + Past Participle

The bestseller is sold in many countries.
This bestseller is sold in many countries.

Present Continuous: am/are/is + being + Past Participle

The museum is being reconstructed now.
The museum is currently being restored.

Past Simple: was/were + Past Participle

The documents were stolen last week.
The documents were stolen last week.

Past Continuous: was/were + being + Past Participle

The museum was being reconstructed in Decembe r.
Reconstruction took place in December museum.

Present Perfect Simple: have/has + been + Past Participle

The prediction rules have already been defined.
The principles of forecasting were already defined.

Past Perfect Simple: had + been + Past Participle

The sushi had been delivered when we came back home.
The sushi had already been delivered when we got home.

Future Simple: will + be + Past Participle

The contract will be signed tomorrow. The contract will be signed tomorrow.

Future Simple in the Past: would + be + Past Participle

He said that the contact would be signed tomorrow.
He said that the contract would be signed tomorrow.

Future Perfect: will + have been + Past Participle

The food will be delivered by 10 o’clock. The products will be delivered by 10 o'clock.

Future Perfect in the Past: would + have been + Past Participle

He said that the food would have been delivered by 10 o’clock.
He said that the food would be delivered by 10 o'clock.

Perfect Continuous tenses are not used in the passive voice. They try to replace them with the Perfect group or use them in the active voice, using the formal subject they/one:

By the next month they will have been Invest i gating the murder for over a year.
Next month it will be almost a year since theinvestigation of this murder.

The passive voice is used when the speaker's attention is concentrated on the person or thing on which the action is performed, and not on the person or thing that performs the action:

Someone locks the office every evening. Someone closes the office every evening. (Active voice)

The office is locked every evening. The office is closed every evening. (Passive voice)

Some one has invited Tom to the party. Someone invited Tom to a party. (Active voice)

Tom has been invited to the party. Tom was invited to a party. (Passive voice)

It should be noted that the object of a verb in the active voice (the office, Tom) becomes the subject in the passive form.

Using the Passive Voice

1. The passive voice is used when it is not known which person or thing is the producer of the action:

His house was robbed two days ago. His house was robbed two days ago.
(The speaker does not know who robbed the house.)

1. The passive voice is used when there is no need to mention the person or thing that performs the action, or when the performer of the action is not of interest:

Them in eral water side livered to the hotel every morning.
Mineral water is suppliedto the hotel every morning.
(There is no need to mention who the mineral water supplier is).

1. The passive voice is used when it is clear from the context who or what is performing the action:

Football is played allover the world. Football is played all over the world.
(Everyone understands that football players play football).

After modal verbs, as well as after other constructions (for example, going to; have to; want to; would like to) be + Past participle is used:

The work cannot be done. This work cannot be done.

He does not want to be disturbed. He doesn't want to be bothered.

To express the past tense, the passive Perfect Infinitive form is used:

We should have been to ld about the danger.
We should have been told about the danger.

There is also an –ing form in the passive voice: being + Past Participle

I don't like being cheated. I do not like being fooled.

He hates being shouted at. He hates being yelled at.

Verbs with two objects in the passive voice

Some verbs can have two objects after them. These include the verbs offer, send, pay, promise, teach, tell, show, give.

In such cases, you can form two different sentences in the passive voice:

Someone showed me the way. Someone showed me the way.
(me and the way are two additions)

1. I was shown the way. They showed me the way.
2. The way was shown to me. The path was shown to me.

In English, it is preferable to start a sentence with a person, so the first sentence sounds more natural.

If there is a need to mention in a sentence a person or thing performing an action, then a preposition is used to introduce it into the sentence by:

‘Imagine’ was composed and sung by John Lennon.
Composed and sang the song “Imagine” John Lennon.

If there is a need to mention an object in a sentence, such as a tool necessary to perform an action or a material with which the action is performed, a preposition is used with:

He was hit with an umbrella. He was hit with an umbrella (weapon)

The safe was blown with dynamite. The safe was blown up with dynamite (gun)

The cake was made with dried fruit Cake made from dry fruits (material)

The garage was painted with a new kind of paint. The garage was painted with a new type of paint (material).

When it comes to what people think, say, believe, you can use two forms in the passive form. For example,

Active voice:

People say that Mr Ross is a good producer.
People

Passive 1: It + passive + that + clause:

It is said that Mr Ross is a good producer.
They say that Mr. Ross is a good director.

Passive 2: Subject+ passive+ to infinitive:

Mr Ross is said to be a good producer.
They say that Mr. Ross is a good director.

Usually these forms in the passive voice are used in formal style

With the following verbs: say, think, report, expect, believe, claim, know, understand,

It is reported that the president is seriously ill.
The President is reported to be seriously ill.

A new law is expected to be introduced next year.
The new law is expected to be adopted next year.

He is supposed to have been married before. It is believed that he was previously married.

Construction “Havesomethingdone"

This construction is used to express a situation in which other people are involved in performing some action.

It is formed as follows:

Have + object (direct object) + Past Participle:

I must have my glasses mended.
My glasses need to be fixed.

We had our computer serviced last week.
Our computer was repaired last week.

I’m having a garage built at the moment.
They are building my garage now.

However, this construction can be used when no one is involved in performing the action, but when something unpleasant or unexpected happens to someone:

I had my leg broken when I fell off the ladder.
I broke my leg when I fell down the stairs.

Peter had his flat burgled while he was out at work.
Peter's apartment was robbed while he was at work.

1. The postbox (to empty) every day.
2. The letters (to deliver).

Answers: 1. is emptied 2. are postmarked. 3. are sorted. 4. is loaded. 5. are unloaded. 6. are taken. 7. are sorted. 8. are delivered.

Exercise 2. Open the brackets using verbs in the Past Simple Passive. (YESTERDAY)

1. The postbox (to empty) yesterday.
2. The stamps (to postmark) at the post office.
3. The letters (to sort) into the different towns.
4. The mail (to load) into the train.
5. The mailbags (to unload) after their journey.
6. The bags (to take) to the post office.
7. The letters (to sort) into the different streets.
8. The letters (to deliver).

Answers: 1. was emptied. 2.were posted. 3. were sorted. 4. was loaded. 5. were unloaded. 6.were taken. 7. were sorted. 8. were delivered.

Exercise 3. Open the brackets using verbs in the Future Simple Passive. (TOMORROW)

1. The postbox (to empty) tomorrow.
2. The stamps (to postmark) at the post office.
3. The letters (to sort) into the different towns.
4. The mail (to load) into the train.
5. The mailbags (to unload) after their journey.
6. The bags (to take) to the postoffice.
7. The letters (to sort) into the different streets.
8. The letters (to deliver).

Answers: 1. will be emptied. 2. will be posted. 3. will be sorted. 4. will be loaded. 5. will be unloaded. 6. will be taken. 7. will be sorted. 8. will be delivered.

Exercise 4. Open the brackets using verbs in the Present, Past or Future Simple Passive.

1. My question (to answer) yesterday.
2. Hockey (to play) in winter.
3. Mushrooms (to gather) in autumn.
4. Many houses (to burn) during the Great Fire of London.
5. His new book (to finish) next year.
6. Flowers (to sell) in shops and in the streets.
7. St. Petersburg (to found) in 1703.
8. Bread (to eat) every day.
9. The letter (to receive) yesterday.
10. Nick (to send) to Moscow next week.
11. I (to ask) at the lesson yesterday.
12. I (to give) a very interesting book at the library last Friday.
13. Many houses (to build) in our town every year.
14. This work (to do) tomorrow.
15. This text (to translate) at the last lesson.
16. These trees (to plant) last autumn.
17. Many interesting games always (to play) at our PT lessons.
18. This bone (to give) to my dog ​​tomorrow.
19. We (to invite) to a concert last Saturday.
20. Lost time never (to find) again.
21. Rome (not to build) in a day.

Answers: 1. was answered. 2. is played. 3. are gathered. 4. were burnt. 5. will be finished. 6. are sold. 7. was founded. 8. is eaten. 9. was received. 10. will be sent. 11. was asked. 12. was given. 13. are built. 14. will be done. 15. was translated. 16. were planted. 17. are always played. 18. will be given. 19. were invited. 20. is never found. 21. was not built.

Exercise 5. Open the brackets, choosing the required form of the verb.

1. At the station they will (meet, be met) by a man from the travel bureau.
2. She will (meet, be met) them in the hall upstairs.
3. The porter will (bring, be brought) your luggage to your room.
4. Your luggage will (bring, be brought) up in the lift.
5. You may (leave, be left) your hat and coat in the cloakroom downstairs.
6. They can (leave, be left) the key with the clerk downstairs.
7. From the station they will (take, be taken) straight to the hotel.
8. Tomorrow he will (take, be taken) them to the Russian Museum.

Answers: 1. will be met. 2. will meet. 3. will bring. 4. will be brought. 5. may leave. 6. can leave. 7. will be taken. 8. will take.

Exercise 6. Transmit the following sentences in Passive Voice, paying attention to the place of the preposition.

E.g. We often speak of her. - She is often spoken of.

1. The senior students laughed at the freshman.
2. The group spoke to the headmistress yesterday.
3. Young mothers looked after their babies with great care.
4. Nobody lived in that old house.
5. They sent for Jim and told him to prepare a report on that subject.
6. We thought about our friend all the time.
7. The doctor will operate on him in a week.
8. The teacher sent for the pupil’s parents.
9. They looked for the newspaper everywhere.
10. Nobody slept in the bed.
11. The neighbor asked for the telegram.
12. Everybody listened to the lecturer with great attention.

Answers: 1. The freshman was laughing at. 2. The headmistress was spoken to yesterday. 3. The babies looked after with great care. 4. That old house was not lived in. 5. Jim was sent for and told to prepare a report on that subject. 6. Our friend was thought about all the time. 7. He will be operated on in a week. 8. The pupil’s parents were sent for. 9. The newspaper was looked for everywhere. 10. The bed was not asleep in. 11. The telegram was asked for. 12. The lecturer was listened to with great attention.

Exercise 7. Open the brackets using verbs in Active Voice or Passive Voice.

1. Nobody (to see) him yesterday.
2. The telegram (to receive) tomorrow.
3. He (to give) me this book next week.
4. The answer to this question can (to find) in the encyclopedia.
5. We (to show) the historical monuments of the capital to the delegation tomorrow.
6. You can (to find) interesting information about the life in the USA in this book.
7. Budapest (to divide) by the Danube into two parts: Buda and Pest.
8. Yuri Dolgoruki (to found) Moscow in 1147.
9. Moscow University (to found) by Lomonosov.
10. We (to call) Zhukovski the father of Russian aviation.

Answers: 1.saw 2. will be received. 3. will give. 4. be found. 5. shall show. 6.find. 7. is divided. 8. founded. 9. was founded. 10. call

Exercise 8. Say the following sentences in Passive Voice.

1. Not stole a lot of money from the shop.
2. By six o'clock they had finished the work.
3. At twelve o'clock the workers were loading the trucks.
4. By three o'clock the workers had loaded the trucks.
5. We send our daughters to rest in the south every year.
6. They will show this film on TV.
7. They are building a new concert hall in our street.
8. I bought potatoes yesterday.
9. We shall bring the books tomorrow.
10. They are repairing the clock now.
11. They sell milk in this shop.
12. I have translated the whole text.
13. They broke the window last week.
14. When I came home, they had eaten the sweets.
15. We shall do the work in the evening.
16. He wrote this book in the 19th century.
17. They were playing tennis from four till five.
18. They have made a number of important experiments in this laboratory.
19. Livingstone explored Central Africa in the 19th century.
20. By the middle of autumn we had planted all the trees.
21. They will stage this play at the beginning of next season.
22. They have forgotten the story.
23. Has anybody explained the rules of the game to you?
24. They haven't brought back my skates.

Answers: 1. A lot of money was stolen from the shop. 2. By six o’clock the work had been finished. 3. At twelve o’clock the trucks were being loaded. 4. By three o’clock the trucks had been loaded. 5. Our daughter is sent to rest in the south every year. 6. This film will be shown on TV. 7. A new concert hall is being built in our street. 8. Potatoes were bought yesterday. 9. The books will be brought tomorrow. 10. The clock is being repaired now. 11. Milk is sold in this shop. 12. The whole text has been translated.. 13. The window was broken last week. 14. When I came home, the sweets had been eaten. 15. The work will be done in the evening. 16. This book was written in the 19th century. 17. Tennis was being played.from four till five. 18. The number of important experiments K-we have been made in this laboratory. 19. Central Africa was explored by Livingstone in the 19th century. 20. By the middle of autumn all the trees had been planted. 21. This play will be staged at the beginning of next season. 22. The story has been forgotten. 23. Have the rules of the game been explained to you? 24. My skates haven’t been brought back.

Exercise 9. Send the following sentences into Active Voice. Enter any appropriate subjects.

1. The room was cleaned and aired.
2. Have all these books been read?
3. Whom were these letters written by?
4. The letter has just been typed.
5. She showed me the picture which had been painted by her husband.
6. I shall not be allowed to go there.
7. He has been told everything, so he knows what to do now.
8. All the questions must be answered.
9. The door has been left open.
10. Betty was met at the station.
11. The girl was not allowed to go to the concert.
12. She said that the new timetable had not yet been hung up on the notice board.
13. The roast chicken was eaten with appetite.
14. It was so dark, that the houses could not be seen.
15. The light has not yet been turned off.
16. The boy was punished for misbehaving.
17. By three o'clock everything had been prepared.
18. The dictation was written without mistakes.
19. Whom was the poem written by?
20. Her dress was washed and ironed.
21. I was not blamed for the mistakes.
22. The papers had been looked through and corrected by the next lesson.
23. This house was built last year.
24. The letter has just been sent.
25. This article will be translated at the lesson on Tuesday.
26. When will this book be returned to the library?

Answers: I. She cleaned and aired the room. 2. Have you read all these books? 3. Who wrote these letters? 4.The secretary has just typed the letter. 5. She showed me the picture which her husband had painted. 6. My parents will not allow me to go there. 7. We have told him everything so he knows what to do. 8. You must answer all the questions. 9. They have left the door open. 10. We met Betty at the station.
II. The girl’s mother did not allow her to go to the concert. 12. She said that they had not yet hung up the new timetable on the notice board. 13. We eat the chicken with appetite. 14. It was so dark that we could not see the houses. 15. They have not yet turned off the light. 16. She punished the boy for misbehaving. 17. By three o’clock we had prepared everything. 18. We wrote the dictation without mistakes. 19. Who wrote the poem? 20. She washed and ironed her dress. 21. They did not blame me for the mistakes. 22. The teacher had looked through and corrected the papers by the next lesson. 23.They built this house last year. 24. We have just sent the letter. 25. We shall translate this article at the lesson on Tuesday. 26. When will you return this book to the library?

Exercise 10. Translate into English using verbs in Passive Voice.

1. They showed us a very strange picture.
2. They are looking for you. Go home.
3. You will all be invited to the hall and told about all the changes in the school curriculum.
4. Why do people always laugh at him?
5. We were all given tickets to the exhibition.
6. The lectures of this famous professor are always listened to with great attention.
7. Someone is waiting for me?
8. They were asked three difficult questions.
9. The director has already been sent for. Wait a bit.
10. Everyone was invited to a big hall.
11. These letters have been viewed. They can be sent.
12. A guide met them at the station and took them to the hotel.
13. These magazines should be returned to the library next week.
14. In our classes, a lot of attention is paid to pronunciation.
15. Ivanov was told to explain why he was missing classes.
16. Will I be invited to your party?
17. The children were left at home alone.

Answers: 1. We were shown a very strange picture. 2. You are being looked for. Go home. 3. All of you will be gathered in the hall and told about all the changes in the school curriculum. 4. Why is he always laughing at? 5. All of us were given tickets to the exhibition. 6. The lectures of this famous professor are always listened to with great attention. 7. Am I being waited for? 8. They were asked three difficult questions. 9. The headmaster has already been sent for. Please wait a little. 10. Everybody was invited to a big hall. 11. These letters have been looked through. They can be sent. 12. At the station they were met by the guide and taken to the hotel. 13. These magazines must be returned to the library next week. 14. At our lessons much attention is paid to pronunciation. 15. Ivanov was told to explain why he missed classes. 16. Shall I be invited to your party? 17. The children were left alone at home.

WELL DONE!

Literature:

1. Pavlichenko O.M. English language. Grammar workshop. Level II. - 2nd ed., rev. and additional - X.: Ranok, 2012. - 304 p.
2. Golitsynsky Yu.B. Grammar: Collection of exercises. - 5th ed., - St. Petersburg: KARO, 2005. - 544 p. - (English for schoolchildren).

There are times when it is not the subject that is important, but the action itself. In such situations they will help out (passive voice). Listen to the news, read newspapers, and you will see that the passive voice is used quite often, both at home and in the offices of serious companies. And this applies to any language.

English sentences in passive voice

What do you need to know to formulate? It's simple, you just need to remember a simple diagram:

If you need to indicate the person who performed this or that action, the preposition is used by.

For example:

This castle was built by my parents. – This castle was built by my parents.

To form an interrogative sentence, it is enough to take out the appropriate form of the verb to be in front of the object/subject on which the action was performed.

For example:

Was this castle built by your parents? – Was this castle built by your parents?

To formulate a negation, it is enough to add not to our verb to be.

For example:

This castle wasn't built by my parents. – This castle was not built by my parents.

English sentences in passive voice

Let's move on to practice! Below are English sentences in passive voice.

time	offer	translation
	This exercise is done by Mike.	This exercise is done by Mike
	This exercise was done by Mike yesterday.	This exercise was done by Mike yesterday.
	This exercise will be done by Mike.	This exercise will be completed by Mike.
	This exercise has already been done by Mike.	This exercise has already been completed by Mike.
	This exercise had been done by Mike before I asked him.	This exercise was done by Mike before I asked him to.

Active Voice

IN active voice the subject denotes the performer of the action, the person or thing performing the described action, and the one to whom the action is directed, the so-called. The "receiver of the action" in a sentence is an object.

Most sentences have an active voice.

Offers active voice in English

performer of the action + I form of the verb + recipient of the action

For example:
The professor teaches the students.
The professor teaches to the students.

John washes the dishes.
John is washing the dishes.

Passive Voice

IN passive voice the subject is the person or thing being affected by another person or thing. In other words, the doer and recipient of the action are swapped, although the doer of the action may not be specified.

Offers passive voice in English are formed as follows:

action recipient + be + past participle

For example:
The students are taught.
Students are taught.

The dishes are washed.
The dishes are washed.

The passive voice is used:

1. Mainly in cases where the performer of the action is not mentioned in the sentence; it is either unknown, or the speaker does not consider it necessary to report it.

For example:
Is English spoken in many countries?
Is English spoken in many countries?

That book was written a few years ago.
This book was written several years ago.

2. When the performer of the action, although mentioned in the sentence, is not in the center of the speaker’s attention; a noun or pronoun expressing the given performer of the action is introduced by a preposition by. Please note that in the active voice the performer of the action was the subject, while in the passive voice he becomes the object.

For example:
The students are taught by the professor
A professor teaches students.

The dishes are washed by John.
John washes the dishes.

Also, in a passive voice sentence, another object can be used, attached by a preposition with, and describing how the action is performed, for example:

The dishes are washed with a bar of soap.
Dishes are washed with a bar of soap.

In English, the scope of use of verbs in the passive voice is much wider than in Russian. Thus, any verb that takes a direct or indirect object can be used in the passive voice.

For example:
I gave him a book. (I gave him the book.)
A book was given to him. (The book was given to him.) = He was given a book. (He was given a book.)

They showed me a beautiful picture. (They showed me a beautiful picture.)
A beautiful picture was shown to me. (A beautiful picture was shown to me.) = I was shown a beautiful picture. (I was shown a beautiful picture.)

In English, verbs that take a prepositional object can be used in the passive voice (for example: to attend to, to send for, and etc.). The proposed object is used as the subject of the passive phrase, and the preposition comes immediately after the verb.

For example:
She went after him. – He was gone after.
She followed him. - Let's go get him.

Ways to translate the passive voice into Russian

There are three ways to translate the passive voice into Russian:

1. Using the verb " be" + short form of participle, for example:

Were his books translated into Russian?
Were are his books translated into Russian?

2. Verbs ending in –xia, For example:

Letters are delivered by mailmen.
Letters are delivered postmen.

3. Vaguely personal phrase (this method of translation is possible in cases where the performer of the action is not mentioned in the English sentence), for example:

They were taught French last year.
Their taught French last year.

Examples of active and passive voice

The table below shows examples of active and passive voice in all possible tenses. Please note that the passive voice is not used in the Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect Continuous and Future Continuous.

	Active voice	Passive voice
Present Simple	Once a week, Tom cleans the house.	Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present Continuous	Right now, Sarah is writing the letter.	Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah
Past Simple	Sam repaired the car.	The car was repaired by Sam.
Past Continuous	The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.	The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect	Many tourists have visited that castle.	That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous	Recently, John has been doing the work.
Past Perfect	George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.	Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous	Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.
Future Simple will	Someone will finish the work at 5:00 PM.	The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future Simple be going to	Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.	A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous	At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes.
Future Perfect	They will have completed the project before the deadline.	The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous	The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used To	Jerry used to pay the bills.	The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always	My mother would always make the pies.	The pies would always be made by my mother.
Future in the Past	I knew John would finish the work at 5:00 PM.	I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.

The Passive Voice shows that the person or thing designated by the subject are the objects of the action expressed by the predicate:

She was woken from her sleep by his singing. - She was awakened by his singing.

Education

The Passive Voice formed using an auxiliary verb to be in the appropriate tense, person and number and past participle of the semantic verb Participle II:

The Passive Voice to be + Participle II

The table of English verb tenses in the passive voice is printed in the appendix on pp. 265-267.

Passive Voice Present Past Future Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous am/are/is given am/are/is being given has/have been given - was/were given was/were being given had been given - shall/will be given - shall/will have been given -

For example:

Negative and interrogative forms are formed according to the same rules as active voice forms:

In the negative form, the particle is substituted after the auxiliary verb:

John isn't helped by Mary. - Mary doesn't help John.

In the complex form of the auxiliary verb, the particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb:

John hasn't been helped by Mary. - Mary didn't help John.

in the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb (in the complex form the first one) is usually placed before the subject:

Is John helped by Mary? - Does Mary help John?

Has John been helped by Mary? - Did Mary help John?

The predicate in the active voice, expressed by a combination of one of the modal verbs can (could), may (might), should, ought etc. with the infinitive of the active voice, in the passive voice the combination of the same modal verb with the infinitive of the passive voice corresponds:

We must finish our work as soon as possible. - We must finish the job as soon as possible.

Our work must be finished as soon as possible. - Our work must be completed as soon as possible.

You ought to translate this article at once. - You should translate this article right away.

This article ought to be translated at once. - This article should be translated immediately.

If a passive construction indicates the performer of an action, expressed by an animate noun or pronoun, it is preceded by a preposition by:

If the construction indicates the object or material with which the action is performed, the preposition is used with:

The room was filled with smoke. - The room was full of smoke.

The finger was cut with a knife. - My finger was cut with a knife.

There are verbs in the English language, the use of which in the passive is most often impossible without by-phrase, i.e. phrases indicating the actor of the action being performed: to follow, to overtake, to seize, to visit, to govern, to characterize, to attract, to control, to rule, to influence, to confront, to attend, to accompany, to join, to cause, to bring about, to mark etc.:

Not followed by the police. - The police are pursuing him.

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