Passive Voice

                  1)      Definition

The passive voice is a grammatical construction (a "voice") in which the subject of a sentence or clause denotes the recipient of the action (the patient) rather than the performer (the agent). In the English language, the English passive voice is formed with an auxiliary verb (usually be or get) plus a participle (usually the past participle) of a transitive verb.

            For example, Caesar was stabbed by Brutus uses the passive voice. The subject denotes the person (Caesar) affected by the action of the verb. The counterpart to this in active voice is, Brutus stabbed Caesar, in which the subject denotes the doer, or agent, Brutus.

A sentence featuring the passive voice is sometimes called a passive sentence, and a verb phrase in passive voice is sometimes called a passive verb. English differs from languages in which voice is indicated through a simple inflection, since the English passive is periphrastic, composed of an auxiliary verb plus the past participle of the transitive verb.

Only transitive verbs (verbs that are followed by an object) are used in the passive. It is not possible to use verbs such as happen, sleep, come, and seem (intransitive verbs) in the passive.

                  2)      Type and Example

Form of Passive Voice

To Be (is, are) + Past Particle (V₃)

      a)      Intransitive verb is not used in the passive voice, unless it uses the verb cognate object in the active form.

Example:

She sang a fine song. (Active Voice)

A fine song was sung by her. (Passive Voice)

     b)      When the sentence was changed from active to passive form, the object to be the subject of active verbs to passive verbs.

Example:

Linda can make tarts. (Active Voice)

Tarts can be made by Linda. (Passive Voice)

      c)      Retained Object (an object that continues to be used / retained in the passive), two objects in the active voice, when converted into the passive voice, there is still a retained object, the object is called a retained object.

·         Indirect object of a verb, for example:

We gave him a prize. (Active Voice)

A prize was given him by us. (Passive Voice)

·         Direct object of a verb, for example:

We gave him a prize. (Active Voice)

He was given a prize by us. (Passive Voice)

    d)   Whenever a transitive verb of incomplete predication changed from active to passive form, the complement to complement the subjective objective.

·         Complement to the object, for example:

They elected him president. (Active Voice)

·         Complement to the subject, for example:

He was elected president by them. (Passive Voice)

 Then follow the active sentences are transformed into passive sentences in the following tenses:

·         Simple Present

Mary helps John. (Active Voice)

John is helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Present Progressive

Mary is helping John. (Active Voice)

John is being helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Present Perfect

Mary has helped John. (Active Voice)

John has been helped by Mary.  (Passive Voice)

·         Simple Past

Mary helped John. (Active Voice)

John was helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Past Progressive

Mary was helping John. (Active Voice)

John was being helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Past Perfect

Mary had help John. (Active Voice)

John had been helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Simple Future

Mary will help John. (Active Voice)

John will be helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Be going to

Mary is going to help John. (Active Voice)

John is going to be helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

·         Future Perfect*

Mary will have helped John. (Active Voice)

John will have been helped by Mary. (Passive Voice)

* The progressive forms of the present perfect, past perfect, future, and future perfect are rarely used in the passive