The document provides information on forming the passive voice in English. It explains that to change an active sentence to the passive, you conjugate the verb "to be" in the same tense as the active sentence and change the main verb to the past participle. Examples are given for changing sentences to the passive in different tenses. The document also discusses when the passive voice is used, such as for emphasis, when the agent is unknown or unimportant, or when the agent is obvious. Exercises are included for students to practice forming passive sentences.

1. The Passive

2. form

3. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

4. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

5. +ive verb

6. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active

7. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
past tense
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active

8. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
past tense
past tense
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active

9. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

10. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
main verb
any tense
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

11. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
main verb
any tense
main verb
past participle
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

12. —ive verb

13. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active

14. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active
past tense

15. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
1. conjugate ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active
past tense
past tense

16. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

17. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
main verb
any tense
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

18. Shakespeare didn’t write Volpone.
Volpone wasn’t written by Shakespeare.
main verb
any tense
main verb
past participle
2. conjugate the main verb in the past participle

19. subject | agent | object

20. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

21. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
subject

22. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
subject
agent

23. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
agent
NOT
from

24. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written in 1601.
subject
no agent

25. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

26. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
object

27. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
object
passive subject

28. exercise

29. conjugate the verb
take (3rd person)
in these tenses:
the object is ‘it’

30. tense active
She [TO TAKE] it
passive
It [TO TAKE] by her
present simple +ive She takes it. It is taken by her.
present simple –ive … doesn’t take…
present simple ?ive Is … taken …?
past simple +ive … took …
past simple –ive … wasn’t taken …
past simple ?ive Did … take …?

31. tense active
She [TO TAKE] it
passive
It [TO TAKE] by her
present simple +ive She takes it. It is taken by her.
present simple –ive She doesn’t take it. It isn’t taken by her.
present simple ?ive Does she take it? Is it taken by her?
past simple +ive She took it. It was taken by her.
past simple –ive She didn’t take it. It wasn’t taken by her.
past simple ?ive Did she take it? Was it taken by her?

32. NOW conjugate
eat (3rd person)
in these other tenses:

33. tense active
He [TO EAT] it
passive
It [TO EAT] by him
will +ive He will eat it. It ….
will –ive … won’t be eaten ....
will ?ive Will … eat …?
would +ive … would be eaten ...
would –ive … wouldn’t eat ...
would ?ive Would … be eaten ...

34. tense active
He [TO EAT] it
passive
It [TO EAT] by him
will +ive He will eat it. It will be eaten by him.
will –ive He won’t eat it. It won’t be eaten by him.
will ?ive Will he eat it? Will it be eaten by him?
would +ive He would eat it. It would be eaten by him.
would –ive He wouldn’t eat it.
It wouldn’t be eaten by
him.
would ?ive Would he eat it? Would it be eaten by him.

35. NOW conjugate
do (3rd person)
in these other tenses:

36. tense active
She [TO DO] it
passive
It [TO DONE] by her
present perfect +ive It has been done by her.
present perfect –ive … hasn’t done ...
present perfect ?ive Has … been done …?
present continuous +ive … is doing ...
present continuous –ive … isn’t being done ...
present continuous ?ive Is … doing …?

37. tense active
She [TO DO] it
passive
It [TO DONE] by her
present perfect +ive She has done it. It has been done by her.
present perfect –ive She hasn’t done it. It hasn’t been done by her.
present perfect ?ive Has she done it? Has it been done by her?
present continuous +ive She is doing it. It is being done by her.
present continuous –ive She isn’t doing it. It isn’t being done by her.
present continuous ?ive Is she doing it? Is it being done by her?

38. notice the abbreviations

39. tense active
She [TO DO] it
passive
It [TO DONE] by her
present perfect +ive
She’s done it.
(has)
It’s been done by her.
(has)
present perfect –ive She hasn’t done it. It hasn’t been done by her.
present perfect ?ive Has she done it? Has it been done by her?
present continuous +ive
She’s doing it.
(is)
It’s being done by her.
(is)
present continuous –ive She isn’t doing it. It isn’t being done by her.
present continuous ?ive Is she doing it? Is it being done by her?

40. convert
the passives to actives
and
the actives to passives

41. active passive
He repaired the watch.
The money wasn’t stolen by Jane.
1M people read The Chronicle
They … It is published every week.
The police stopped the motorist.
This dress has been worn (by somebody)
I have drunk all the beer.
Somebody… The alarm was rung.
We are using aula 4.
They could be stung (by the bees).
Will they pay her?

42. active passive
He repaired the watch. The watch was repaired (by him).
Jane didn’t steal the money. The money wasn’t stolen by Jane.
1M people read The Chronicle The Chronicle is read by 1M people.
They publish it every week. It is published every week.
The police stopped the motorist. The motorist was stopped (by the police).
Somebody has worn this dress. This dress has been worn (by somebody)
I have drunk all the beer. All the beer has been drunk (by me, hic.)
Somebody rang the alarm. The alarm was rung.
We are using Aula 4. Aula 4 is being used (by us).
The bees could sting them. They could be stung (by the bees).
Will they pay her? Will she be paid (by them)?

43. find the mistakes

44. find the mistakes
When will be published the book?
I have been done the homework.
It was organised from the government.
Are you worry by terrorism?
The lift has broken by vandals.
It is been done.
He is been doing the task.
Wasn’t invited Gianni?
He is been watched.
Would be changed your life.
The workers haven’t being paid.

45. find the mistakes
When will be published the book? When will the book be published?
I have been done the homework. I have been doing / have done the homework.
It was organised from the government. It was organised by the government.
Are you worry by terrorism? Are you worried by terrorism?
The lift has broken by vandals. The lift has been broken by vandals.
It is been done. It has been done.
He is been doing the task. He has been doing the task.
Wasn’t invited Gianni? Wasn’t Gianni invited?
He is been watched. He is being watched.
Would be changed your life. Your life would be changed.
The workers haven’t being paid. The workers haven’t been paid.

46. using the passive

47. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

48. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
this is about Shakespeare

49. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

50. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
this is about Hamlet

51. we use the passive to stress the
object
of the original active sentence

52. we do this for:

53. 1.
emphasis

54. 1.
emphasis
German is spoken in Switzerland.
He was wounded in the war.

55. 2.
we aren’t interested in the agent

56. 2.
we aren’t interested in the agent
These houses were built in 1924.
My photos are being printed.

57. 3.
we don’t know the agent

58. 3.
we don’t know the agent
My car has been stolen.
The damage was done
yesterday.

59. 4.
the agent is obvious

60. 4.
the agent is obvious
—particularly ‘police’ and ‘courts’—

61. 4.
the agent is obvious
—particularly ‘police’ and ‘courts’—
He was arrested
and sentenced to 5 years in jail.

62. homework

64. www.davidnicholson.it