The document discusses the passive formation in English and its uses. The passive is formed using some form of "to be" plus the past participle. It is used when the agent performing the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context. The passive can also distance facts by using impersonal structures like "it is said/believed/expected" followed by a that-clause or infinitive. These structures are common in news reports to present information objectively.

1. THE PASSIVE

2. FORMATION
• To be (in the appropriate tense)+past participle:
• PRESENT SIMPLE: In Spain films are often made with little
money.
• PRESENT CONTINUOUS: “Game of Thrones is being shot in
Seville now.
• PAST SIMPLE: Several people were killed in an accident
yesterday.
• PAST SIMPLE CONTINUOUS: Several people were killed when the
film was being made.
• PRESENT PERFECT: My car has never been stolen
• FUTURE SIMPLE: If you don’t give me the money, you’ll be
killed tomorrow.
• INFINITIVE: He has to be killed before he talks.
• GERUND: The politician paid money to avoid being sent to jail.

3. USE
• When the person who does the action is irrelevant,
obvious or unknown: we want to stress the object of the
action.
Ex.: His parents were killed in a car accident.(the
important thing is his parents’ death)
The bank was robbed yesterday. (we don’t know who)
The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand (we’re
talking about the film, not who made it).
• If we want to add who, we add BY+who did the action:
The Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand by
Peter Jackson.

4. DISTANCING THE FACTS (1)
 Structures used in news reports and on TV to make
information more distant and impersonal.
 It+passive verb+that-clause (common verbs here:
believe, think, say, report, expect, understand,
suggest, agree.
Ex.: It is believed (that) Rodrigo Rato is
depressed.
Ex.: It is said (that) the English teacher drank
very much at the Christmas party last year.

5. DISTANCING THE FACTS (2)
 Subject (also there)+passive verb+to infinive
(present reference, with expect: future meaning):
Ex.: Rodrigo Rato is believed to be depressed.
Ex.: Belén Esteban is expected to win Big
Brother.
 Subject (also there)+passive verb+ to have +past
participle (past reference)
Ex.: The English teacher is said to have
drunk very much at the Christmas party last year.