Active/Passive Voice
To start with Active/Passive Voice, we need to know that identified subject, verb, and object in a sentence.
Normally, a sentence is consisting of subject, verb, and object.
Example,
My mother is cooking dinner.
My mother is a subject
Is cooking is a verb
Dinner is the object
When sentence is written in active voice, subject comes after verb, and then verb comes after object.
When sentence is written in passive voice, object comes after verb, and then verb comes after subject.
Example,
Changing active voice to passive voice.
Active voice
The construction workers are building that tall building.
Passive voice
That tall building was built by the construction workers.
As we can see the example above, the one that highlighted in blue is the subject. In active voice, subject is normally place in the beginning of the sentence. When we want to change this active voice sentence to passive voice, we place the subject to the back of the sentence followed with a phrase ‘by’ (highlighted in red). While the subject is transfer to the back of the sentence in passive voice, the object must be transfer to the beginning of the sentence. In this time, the sentence will start with an object in the beginning, followed by a verb which is supposed to change it in to past perfect tense then followed by the subject.
Active Passive Time Reference
They make Fords in Cologne.
Fords are made in Cologne.
(Present Simple )
Susan is cooking dinner.
Dinner is being cooked by Susan
(Present Continuous )
James Joyce wrote "Dubliners".
"Dubliners" was written by James Joyces.
(Past Simple )
They were painting the house when I arrived.
The house was being painted when I arrived.
(Past Continuous )
They have produced over 20 models in the past two years.
Over 20 models have been produced in the past two years.
(Present Perfect )
They are going to build a new factory in Portland.
A new factory is going to be built in Portland.
(Future Intention with Going to )
I will finish it tomorrow.
It will be finished tomorrow.
(Future Simple )
Conjugation for the Passive Voice
We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:
present simple: It is made
present continuous: It is being made
present perfect: It has been made
Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:
infinitive
-to be washed
simple
-present (It is washed. )
-past (It was washed. )
-future (It will be washed.)
-conditional (It would be washed. )
continuous
-present (It is being washed. )
-past (It was being washed. )
-future ( It will be being washed.)
-conditional ( It would be being washed. )
perfect simple
-present (It has been washed.)
-past (It had been washed. )
-future (It will have been washed. )
-conditional (It would have been washed. )
perfect continuous
-present (It has been being washed. )
-past (It had been being washed. )
-future (It will have been being washed. )
-conditional( It would have been being washed. )
Exercise
Active or Passive Quiz
1. I ate a piece of chocolate cake. (answer: active)
2. The librarian read the book to the students. (answer:active)
3. The money was stolen. (answer:passive)
4. They are paid on Fridays. (active:passive)
5. The movie is being made in Hollywood. (answer:passive)
1. They make shoes in that factory.
_________________________________________
2. People must not leave bicycles in the driveway.
_________________________________________
3. They built that skyscraper in 1934.
_________________________________________
4. The course will be finished by July.
_________________________________________
5. The streets are being repaired this month.
_________________________________________
Answers
1. Shoes are made in that factory.
2. Bicycles must not be leaf in the driveway.
3. That skyscraper was built in 1934.
4. The student will finish the course by July.
5. They are repairing the streets this month.
http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blpassive.htm
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive1.htm
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