passive voice (passive voice) is very common in newspaper news, as the headlines often omit the hurt (the agent) of an action. The verb voice can be treated as passive or active, depending on the focus that we give to the subject/agent (pain) or to the object/patient (receiver).
Many apprentices from English language may find some difficulty in using the passive voice, because it is formed by the verb I'mwell. However, for the avoidance of doubt, we will address, in the following sections, the use of passive voice and its rules. In addition, we will compare the active voice and the passive voice with each other.
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Know more: Simple present: when to use this tense?
When do we use passive voice?
Passive voice is used in English when searching emphasize, in a prayer, the receiver of the action, that is, the object of the active voice, which in the passive voice is in the position of subject-patient. The use of the agent deletion
(hurt) of the action, because it is not important in the construction of the meaning of the sentence or because it is unknown|1|.It is still possible to omit the hurt of action when we choose to do so|2|. However, in some constructions of the passive voice, it is possible to find the agent of the action in the position of the object, through the preposition by(per).
Look at the examples:
Activevoice (subject agent + verb + patient object)
THE. The dog until my cake.
The dog ate my cake.
Passive voice (patient subject + auxiliary verb to be + main verb in past participle)
B. My cake was eaten.
My cake was eaten.
Passive voice (patient subject + auxiliary verb to be + main verb in past participle + agent object)
Ç. My cake was eaten by the dog.
my cake was eaten fur puppy.
A few more examples:
D. The bakery was stolen.
The bakery was robbed.
AND. We heard that the bandits were identified.
We hear the bad guys have been identified.
Notice that, in none of the previous sentences, we have the agent of action, because the focus is on the object of the active voice, which in the passive voice occupies the position of subject-patient. Thus, the agent is not identified even in the end by the preposition by, for not being significant.
Read too: Prepositions: rules, examples, uses
Passive Voice Usage Rules
You can use passive voice to all tenses, as long as it fits the necessary structure. The passive voice is formed by the verb to be + main verb in past participle.
However, we can only form the passive voice with transitive verbs, that is, which are accompanied by an object, since the object of prayer in the active voice will occupy the position of subject in the passive voice.
Note, in the following table, the passive voice in different verb tenses:
|
active voice Teens invent more apps. Teens invent more apps. | |
passive voice | |
Verb Tenses |
Examples |
|
simple present Am, is, are + past participle |
More apps are invented (by teens). More apps are invented (by teenagers). |
|
simple past Was, were + past participle |
More apps were invented (by teens). More apps were invented (by teenagers). |
|
Present continuous Am, is, are + being + past participle |
More apps are being invented (by teens). More apps are being invented (by teenagers). |
|
Past continuous Was, were + being + past participle |
More apps were being invented (by teens). More apps were being invented (by teenagers). |
|
present perfect Have, has + been + past participle |
More apps have been invented (by teens). More apps were (have been) invented (by teenagers). |
|
Past perfect Had + been + past participle |
More apps had been invented (by teens). More apps had been invented (by teenagers). |
|
future perfect Will + have been + past participle |
More apps will have been invented (by teens). More apps will have been invented (by teenagers). |
|
future Will + be + past participle |
More apps will be invented (by teens). More apps will be invented (by teenagers). |
|
going to Am, is, are + going to be + past participle |
More apps are going to be invented (by teens). More apps will be invented (by teenagers). |
Difference between active voice and passive voice
The difference between the active voice and the passive voice is based on the use we make of them when we want to emphasize the agent of an action or the patient. Usually, the voicepassive appears in more formal contexts writing or speaking|3|.
Nowadays, however, when we write a scientific article in English, the use of the voiceactive to keep the text more cohesive, since its direct structure allows for reading morefluid, compared to the passive, which has a longer frame.
For example:
THE. Einstein proposed the theory of relativity.
Einstein proposed the theory of relativity.
B. The theory of relativity was proposed by Einstein.
The theory of relativity was proposed by Einstein.
The two sentences are similar because they offer the reader the same information. However, the first sentence allows us focus the subject-agent of the action, the person who proposed something (theory of relativity); while the second sentence highlights what was proposed, that is, the theory of relativity, leaving the agent of action in the background.
See more: Going to: functions of this fixed structure
solved exercises
question 1 (Cesgranrio)
Check the item in which there is a verb in the passive voice.
a) “The oil and natural gas industry has developed and applied…” (lines 1 - 2)
b) "Other segments of the industry have benefited from technological advances as well." (lines 25-26)
c) "Also, new process equipment and catalyst technology advances have been made very recently..." (lines 31-33)
d) “The industry is committed to investing in advanced technologies…” (lines 38-39)
e) “Gas hydrates could be an important future source of natural gas…” (lines 49-50)
Resolution:
The correct answer is the letter c, because the structure have been made indicates the passive voice.
question 2
The correct passive voice form for the sentence "Your body needs energy to work normally and keep you alive" is:
a) Energy has been needed by your body to work normally and keep you alive.
b) Energy is needed by your body to work normally and keep you alive.
c) Your body should need energy to work normally and keep you alive.
d) Your body will need energy to work normally and keep you alive.
Resolution:
The correct answer is the letter b, because the object of the sentence in the active voice is energy, and the simple present tense of the passive voice is formed by the verb to be + main verb in past participle.
Grades
|1|DECAPUA, 2008.
|2|EASTWOOD, 2002.
|3|CLANDFIELD; BENNE, 2015.
By Patricia Veronica Moreira
English teacher