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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

English Grammar Active & Passive Voice



ACTIVE & PASSIVE VOICE


What is Active Voice?

In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.

These examples show that the subject is doing the verb's action.
  • Ramesh painted the entire house.
  • The two kings are signing the treaty.
  • The director will give you instructions.
  • Yusuf posted the video on Facebook.

Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the Active voice.

Passive voice:
One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb - or passive.

FUNCTIONS OF THE PASSIVE VOICE:

The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.

EXAMPLES:
  • The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are interested in the passive voice, not in who uses it.)
  • The house was built in 1654. (= we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)
  • The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the road, not in the people who are doing the repairs.)

Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't know or do not want to express who performed the action.
EXAMPLES:
  • I noticed that a window had been left open.
  • Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
  • All the cookies have been eaten.
  • My car has been stolen!

PASSIVE VOICE STRUCTURES


TESNE
PRESENT
PAST
FUTURE
SIMPLE
He sings it. (Active)
It is sung by him. (Passive)

He doesn't sing it. (A)
It isn't sung by him (P)
He sang it. (A)
It was sung by him. (P)

He didn't sing it. (A)
It wasn't sung by him. (P)
He will sing it. (A)
It will be sung by him. (P)

He won't sing it. (A)
It won't be sung by him. (P)
CONTINOUS
He is singing it. (A)
It is being sung by him. (P)

He isn't singing it. (A)
It isn't being sung by him. (P)
He was singing it. (A)
It was being sung by him. (P)

He wasn't singing it. (A)
It wasn't being sung by him. (P)
---
PERFECT
He has sung it. (A)
It has been sung by him. (P)

He hasn't sung it. (A)
It hasn't been sung by him. (P)
He had sung it. (A)
It had been sung by him. (P)

He hadn't sung it. (A)
It hadn't been sung by him. (P)
He will have sung it. (A)
It will have been sung by him. (P)

He won't have sung it. (A)
It won't have been sung by him. (P)