Passive Voice

    I.            Definition

Passive voice is the passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of  the active verb. In active sentence, the subject performs the action. In passive sentence, the subject receives the action.  

    II.            How to make passive sentence:

1.      Place the complement of the active sentence at the begining of the passive sentence.

2.      If there are any auxilaries in the active sentence, place them imadiately after the new subject aggreeing in number with the subject.

3.      Insert the verb be after the auxilary or auxilaries in the same form as the main verb in the active sentence.

4.      Place the main verb from the active sentence after the auxilaries and be in the past participle.

5.      Place the subject of the active sentence after the verb in the passive sentence praceded by the prepossition by.

Example    : active   = hurricanes destroy a great deal of property each year.

Passive = a great deal of property is destroyed by hurricanes each year.

 III.            Forms and examples 

S + to be + V3 + by + O + Modifier

Form:

a.      Simple present tense ( S+ am/is/are+ V3 )

 if active voice in simple present tense, and in passive voice to be (is,am or are)

examples:

 ·                 Active    : He meets them everyday.
·                 Passive  : They are met by him everyday.
·                 Active    : She waters this plant every two days.
·                 Passive  : This plant is watered by her every two days.

b.        Simple past tense ( S + was,were, + V3 )

If an active voice in simple past tense, and in passive voice to be ( was or were)

Examples:

·                 Active    : He met them yesterday
·                 Passive  : They were met by him yesterday
·                 Active    : She watered this plant this morning
·                 Passive  : This plant was watered by her this morning

c.       Simple present perfect tense ( S + has,have + been + V3 )

If  an  active voice in simple present perfect tense, and in passive voice has/have + been

Examples:

·                 Active    : He has met them
·                 Passive  : They have been met by him
·                 Active    : She has watered this plant for 5 minutes.
·                 Passive  : This plant has been watered by her for 5 minutes.

d.      Simple past perfect tense ( S + had + been + V3 )

If an active voice Simple past perfect tense, and in passive voice had + been

Examples:

·                 Active    : He had met them before I came.
·                 Passive  : They had been met by him before I came.
·                 Active    : She had watered this plant for 5 minutes when I got here
·                 Passive  : This plant had been watered by her for 5 minutes when I got  here

e.       Simple future tense ( S + will + be + V3 )

If  an active voice Simple future tense, and in passive voice will + be

Examples:

·                 Active    : He will meet them tomorrow.
·                 Passive  : They will be met by him tomorrow.
·                 Active    : She will water this plant this afternoon.
·                 Passive  : This plant will be watered by her this afternoon.
·                 Active    : The farmers are going to harvest the crops next week
·                 Passive  : The crops are going to be harvested by the farmers next week.

f.       Simple future perfect tense ( S + will have + been + V3)

If  an active voice Simple future perfect tense, and in passive voice will have + been

Examples:

·                 Active    : He will have met them before I get there tomorrow.
·                 Passive  : They will have been met by him before I get there tomorrow.
·                 Active   : She will have watered this plant before I get here this afternoon.
·                 Passive  : This plant will have been watered by her before I get here this afternoon.

g.      Simple past future perfect tense ( S + would have + been + V3 )

If an active voice Simple past future perfect tense, and in passive voice would have + been

Examples:

·                 Active    : He would have met them.
·                 Passive  : They would have been met by him.
·                 Active    : She would have watered this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant would have been watered by her.

h.      Simple present continuous tense ( S + is,am,are + being + V3 )

If an active voice Simple present continuous tense, and in passive voice is,am,are + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He is meeting them now.
·                 Passive  : They are being met by him now.
·                 Active    : She is watering this plant now.
·                 Passive  : This plant is being watered by her now.

i.        Simple past continuous tense ( S+ was,were + being +V3 )

If an active voice Simple past continuous tense, and in passive voice was,were + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He was meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They were being met by him.
·                 Active    : She was watering this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant was being watered by her.

j.        Simple perfect continuous tense ( S + has,have been + being+V3 )

If an active voice Simple perfect continuous tense, and in passive voice has,have been + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He has been meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They have been being met by him.
·                 Active    : She has been watering this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant has been being watered by her.

k.      Simple past perfect continuous tense ( S+ had been + being +V3)

If an active voice Simple past perfect continuous tense, and in passive voice had been + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He had been meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They had been being met by him.
·                 Active    : She had been watering this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant had been being watered by her.

l.        Simple future continuous tense ( S + will be + being+ V3 )

If an active Simple future continuous tense, and in passive voice will be + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He will be meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They will be being met by him.
·                 Active    : She will be watering this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant will be being watered by her.

m.    Simple past future continuous tense ( S+ would be + being+V3 )

If an active Simple past future continuous tense, and in passive voice would be + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He would be meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They would be being met by him.
·                 Active    : She would be watering this plant.
·                 Passive   : This plant would be being watered by her.

n.      Simple future perfect continuous tense ( S + will have been + being+V3 )

If an active Simple future perfect continuous tense, and in passive voice will have been + being

Examples:

·                 Active    : He will have been meeting them.
·                 Passive  : They will have been being met by him.
·                 Active    : She will have been watering this plant.
·                 Passive  : This plant will have been being watered by her.

o.      Simple past future perfect continuous tense ( S + would have been + being+V3 )

If an active voice Simple past future perfect continuous tense, and in passive voice (would have been + being )

Examples:

· Active: He would be meeting them.
· Passive: They would have been being met by him.
· Active: She would be watering this plant.
·Passive: This plant would have been being watered by her.

    IV.            Examples in the paragraph

-          In large universities elementary science courses are often taugh by groups of staff member instead of by individual professors. Each series of lectures is presented by a different lecturer. The lecturer are chosen according to the areas of a field in which they have done research. The lecturer are presented in large auditorium and they are often attended by as many as 200  students.

-          In addition to listening the lectures, the student are recuired to attend quiz section which are supervised by assistants. In the quiz sections the lectures are disscussed and text reading are assigned.  once a week, and the quiz grades are recorded and averanged at the end of semester.  

-          Last year a hurricane was experienced by my family and me for the first time. It was Hurricane Ellen, and much damage to our property and neighborhood was caused by its fierce winds of 200 miles per hour and its heavy rains. The old oak tree in our backyard was uprooted and hurled across the roof of our house, creating a large hole through which the rain poured in. Our living room was flooded by the water, which rose to a height of three feet. When we began to think that the worst of the storm was over, we heard a loud crash and looked out the window to see that our car had been hit by our neighbor’s fallen tree, caving in the roof and breaking all the windows. Having recently moved to the East Coast from North Dakota, we thought that a hurricane was little more than a thunderstorm.

    V.            Exercises

1. Somebody calls the president everyday.

2. john is calling the other members

3. martha was delivering the documents to the departement.

4. the other members have repealedthe amandement.

5. The deligates had received the information before the recess.

6. the teacher should buy the suplies for this class.

7. somebody will call mr watson toninght.

8. the fire has caused considerable damage. 
9. the companywas developing a new procedure before the bankruptcy hearing began.
10. john will have recieved the papers by tomorrow.