3. We tipically use a passive rather than an active in the following situations:
4. Using a passive allows us to give more importance to the action than the subject that does it
5. We prefer passives when the agent (the subject of the corresponding active sentence): -is unknown -is “people in general” -is not important -is obvious
6. In formal contexts, we often prefer to use a passive so that we can avoid any mention of an agent such as they, somebody, nobody…
9. The structure of the passive sentence is very simple: Subject + the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb “to be” + main verb (past participle)
10. RULES: The main verb is always in its past participle form The tense of the verb to be in the passive voice is always the same as the tense of the main verb in the active voice
11. Examples: Present simple: Subject + Is/am/are + past participle verb + agent. Example: A letter is written (by him). Present continuous: Subject + is/am/are being +past participle verb +agent. Example: A letter is being written (by him). Past simple: Subject + was/ were + past participle verb + agent. Example: A letter was written (by him).
12. Past continuous: Subject + was/ were being +past participle verb +agent. Example: A letter was being written (by him). Present perfect: Subject + has/have been + past participle verb + agent. Example: A letter has been written (by him). Past perfect: Subject+ had been +past participle verb + agent. Example: A letter had been written (by him).
13. Future: Subject + will+ to be + past participle verb + agent. Example: A letter will be written (by him). Going to future: Subject + is/ are going + to be + past participle verb + agent. A letter is going be written (by him). Modal verb: Subject + modal verb (must, could, may and should) + verb to be infinitive + past participle verb + agent. A letter could be written (by him).
14. The agent is not mentioned if it is not important or unknown.
16. In a passive sentence if we want to say who or what does the action, we use an agent. The agent is the person or thing that performs the action and is the subject of the active sentence. In most passive sentences, the agent is not mentioned, but if it is mentioned, it is usually preceded by the preposition by.
17. Verbs which do not take an object (intransitive verbs) do not have passive forms, because there is nothing to become the subject of the passive sentence. For example with verbs like to have or die. ONLY TRANSITIVE VERBS CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO PASSIVE STRUCTURE
19. ACTIVE / PASSIVE Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo My grandmother has cooked the dinner The dinner has been cooked by my grandmother Someone broke the class window The class window was broken
20. She must have eaten all the cakes All the cakes must have been eaten I watch the television The television is watched by me
