Passive Voice

PASSIVE VOICE

The “passive voice” is a grammatical construction in which the subject of a sentence or clause denotes the recipient of the action rather than the performer. Active voice is a more regular used in life everyday rather than passive voice. Passive voice is used because the object of active voice is more important rather than the subject. Many language critics and language-usage manuals discourage use of the passive voice. In English this advice is not usually found in older guides, emerging only in the first half of the twentieth century.

Example

·         Active             : We fertilize the plants every 3 months

·         Passive            : The plants is fertilized by us every 3 months

According to the example above, we can see that:

1.        The object in active voice (the plants) become subject in passive voice.

2.        The subject in active voice (we) become object in passive voice. And there is change from subject pronoun ‘we’ become object pronoun ‘us’.

3.        Verb1 (fertilize) in active voice become verb3 (fertilized) in passive voice.

4.        Added tobe ‘is’ in front of verb3. Tobe that used depend on the subject in passive voice and tenses that used.

5.        Added ‘by’ after verb3. but, if the object in passive voice assumed unimportant or not known, so the object is usually not used and so is ‘by’.

6.        Special for progressive sentences (all continuous tenses) necessary add ‘being’ in front of verb3, if  not added “being”, the tenses will change, not progressive/continuous anymore.

According to the six above, the pattern of passive voice is

Subject + Tobe + Verb₃ + By + Object + Modifier

Pattern of passive voice in tenses

1.        Simple Present Tense, use tobe : ‘am’, ‘is’ or ‘are’.

Example

·           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.

2.        Present Continuous Tense, use ‘tobe (am, is or are)’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

3.        Present Perfect Tense, use ‘has been’ or ‘have been’.

Example

·           Active                  : He has met them.

·           Passive                 : They have been met by him.

·           Active                  : She has watered this plant 5 minutes ago.

·            Passive                : This plant has been watered by her 5 minutes ago.

4.        Present Perfect Continuous Tense, use ‘has been’ or ‘have been’ + being.

Example

·           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.

5.        Simple Past Tense, use tobe: ‘was’ or ‘were’.

Example

·           Active                  : He met them yesterday.

·           Passive                 : They were met by him yesterday.

·           Active                  : She watered this plant every two days.

·           Passive                 : This plant was watered by her every two days.

6.        Past Continuous Tense, use ‘tobe (was or were)’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

7.        Past Perfect Tense, use ‘had been’.

Example

·           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.

8.        Past Perfect Continuous Tense, use ‘had been’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

9.        Simple Future Tense, use ‘be’.

Example

·           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.

10.    Future Continuous Tense, use ‘will be’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

11.    Future Perfect Tense, use ‘will have been’.

Example:

·           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.

12.    Future Perfect Continuous Tense, use ‘will have been’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

13.    Past Future Tense, use ‘would be’.

Example

·           Active                  : He would meet them.

·           Passive                 : They would be met by him.

·           Active                  : She would water this plant.

·           Passive                 : This plant would be watered by her.

14.    Past Future Continuous Tense, use ‘would be’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.

15.    Past Future Perfect Tense, use ‘would have been’.

Example

·           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.

16.    Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense, use ‘would have been’ + ‘being’.

Example

·           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.