SPECIAL PASSIVE

1) ODER PASSIVE

Positive form

Active: Verb + object

Passive: Let + object + be + past participle

Example:

- Speak English. (active)

- Let English be spoken. (passive)

- Drink beer. (active)

- Let beer be drunk. (passive)

Negative form

Active: Don’t + verb + object

Passive: Let + object + not + be + past participle

Example:

- Don’t eat pizza. (active)

- Let pizza not be eaten. (passive)

- Don’t use computer. (active)

- Let computer not be used. (passive)

2) INVINITIVE PASSIVE:

Active: Subject + verb + to-infinitive + object

Passive: Subject + verb + object + to-be + past participle

Example

- He wants to play football. (active)

- He wants football to be played. (passive)

- My brother expects to find a job soon. (active)

- My brother expects a job to be found soon. (passive)

NOTE: When we want to form question, we use auxiliary verb do, does, did, and negative sentence we use auxiliary verb do, does, did + not + infinitive.

Example:

- Do you need your computer to be updated? (active)

- Did our manager start to be respected? (passive)

- She does not want our books to be printed. (active)

- They did not take the car to be repainted. (passive)

3) GERUND PASSIVE:

Active: Subject + verb + gerund + object

Passive: Subject + verb + object + being + past participle

Example:

- We like having lunch at a restaurant. (active)

- We like lunch being had at a restaurant. (passive)

- He admitted breaking the window. (active)

- He admitted the window being broken. (passive)

NOTE: When we want to form question, we use auxiliary verb do, does, did, and negative sentence we use auxiliary verb do, does, did + not + infinitive.

4) TWO-DIFFERENT-PATTERN PASSIVE WITH AN ACTIVE SENTENCE

In an active sentence, a verb of giving can have two different patterns after it. They both have the same meaning.

Active:

- The Queen gave a medal to the businessman.

- The Queen gave the businessman a medal.

Passive:

- A medal was given to the businessman.

- The businessman was given a medal.

NOTE: Either a medal or the businessman can be the subject of a passive sentence.

Verbs in this pattern are:

give, send, pay, lend, hand, sell, promise, show, offer, teach, owe, award, grant, allow, leave (in a will) and feed.

5) IT IS SAID (THAT) … or HE IS SAID TO …

We can use a special pattern with verbs of reporting when we do not need to know who is doing the reporting.

Example:

- People say the bridge is unsafe. (active)

- It is said the bridge is unsafe, or the bridge is said to be unsafe. (passive)

- Most students expect the result is good. (active)

- It is expected the result is good, or the result is expected to be good. (passive)

Verbs in this pattern are:

say, report, mention, announce, think, believe, understand, agree, decide, know, find, expect, hope, regret, fear, intend, arrange…

NOTE: The verbs write in bold are only used in the infinitive pattern.

PASSIVE WITH “BY” AND “WITH”

BY: We only use “by + agent” when it is important to say who or what is responsible for something.

Example:

- The radio was invented by Marconi.

- A number of trees were blown down by the strong winds.

NOTE: We sometimes use the subject of an active sentence (Marconi, the strong winds) as ‘the agent’ in a passive sentence. When this happens, we use “by” to introduce the agent in the passive.

WITH: We use “with” to talk about an instrument which is used by the agent to do something.

Example:

- I was hit with an umbrella.

- The World Trade Center was crashed with two aircraft.

NOTE: We also use “with” to talk about materials or ingredients.

Example:

- The room was filled with smoke.

- Irish coffee is made with whiskey.

PASSI VE “HAVE” AND “GET”

HAVE: We can use HAVE instead of Be to form PASSIVE when talking about things we pay, employ or arrange other people to do for us.

Formula

Subject + have/has + object1 + past participle + ( by obj2 )

Example:

- We have our car serviced by a local garage.

- My manager has the computer repaired.

NOTE: We can use HAVE with many different TENSES and MODAL VERBS.

Example:

- I am having a garage built at the moment. (Present Continuous)

- How often do you have your hair cut? (Present Simple)

- We had our computer serviced last week. (Past Simple)

- Jame has just had a suit made. (Present Perfect)

- You should have your eyes tested. (Modal Verb)

- Are you going to have new carpets fitted in your flat? (Future)

GET: We can use GET instead of HAVE to form PASSIVE when we talk about things that happen by accident or unexpectedly, but this is slightly less formal.

Formula

Subject + get + object1 + past participle + ( by obj2 )

Example:

- We get our brochures printed in Hong Kong.

- They get the central heating system checked once a year.

PASSIVE WITH ALL TENSES

USE: We use the PASSIVE when:

1) We do not know who or what does something

Example:

- The office is locked every evening.

- My car was stolen last night.

- The bridge was being repaired last week.

2) We are not interested in who or what does something

Example:

- The factory was painted during the war.

- Sara has been invited to the party.

- The house is being painted at the moment.

3) We do not want to say who or what does something

Example:

- The product was made.

- The computer is invented.

- The cell phone is updated.

FORM: We form passive verbs with different tenses of Be + Past Participle.

1) Present Simple Passive

Sub + am/is/are + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The Marketing Department is run by Jonson.

- Microsoft is created by Mr. Bill Get.

2) Present Continuous Passive

Sub + am/is/are + being + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The global environment is being changed these days.

- Our website is being re-designed at the moment.

3) Past Simple Passive

Sub + was/were + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- Our company was founded in 1990 in Japan.

- In 2000, three other branches were set up in Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh.

4) Past Continuous Passive

Sub + was/were + being + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The company car was being serviced.

- The brochures were being printed without any mistake.

5) Present Perfect Simple Passive

Sub + have/has + been + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- A small design fault has been found on our latest chip.

- All of the chips have been recalled.

NOTE: Present Perfect Continuous is not commonly used in Passive.

6) Past Perfect Simple Passive

Sub + had + been + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- They emailed us to say that the shipment had been delayed.

- None of their orders had been fulfilled.

NOTE: Past Perfect Continuous is not commonly used in Passive.

7) Future Simple Passive with “Will”

Sub + will + be + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The library will be officially opened all day next week.

- The new computer will be advertised on the Internet.

8) Future Simple Passive with “Be going to”

Sub + will + be + going to + be + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The shipment is going to be delayed.

- Most nuclear waste is going to be stored underground.

NOTE: Future Continuous is not commonly used in Passive.

9) Future Perfect Passive

Sub + will + have + been + V3 + (by obj)

Example:

- The electricity supply will have been cut off for a month.

- The painting will have been displayed for the public.

NOTE: Future Perfect Continuous is not commonly used in Passive.