ACTIVE VOICE AND PASSIVE VOICE

When we speak or write, we can use active voice or passive voice. The term voice here, refers to the structure of a sentence. There are two voices in English grammar; active voice and passive voice. In the active voice , the most important thing is who makes the action. The subject ( the one who does the action in the sentence) is clearly stated as the subject in an active voice sentence. In a passive voice sentence, the thing that the subject does something to, is placed as the subject of the sentence. The subject ( the one who does the action ) is placed after the subject, usually in a prepositional phrase. Sometimes the subject is hidden or not even mentioned.Active form:

We form passive voice by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb. The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. The subject of the active verb becomes the agent of the passive verb and is preceded by by. While most transitive verbs can be used in the passive, intransitive verbs cannot be used in the passive voice such as; die, stay, sleep, live.Passive Form:

Simple Present Tense They repair cars here. S + V + O (subject doing action) Cars are repaired here. S + am / is/ are + V3(subject receiving action)

Present Continuous TenseThe boy is breaking the windows. S + am / ise /are + Ving + OThe windows are being broken ( by the boy.) S + am / ise /are + being + V3

Simple Past Tense Columbus discovered America in 1492. S + V2 + O(the person performed action) America was discovered in 1492 by Columbus. S + was / were + V3(subject receiving action)

Past Continuous TenseThey were cooking all their meals on the barbeque. S + was / were + Ving + OAll their meals were being cooked on the barbeque (by them.) S + was / were + being + V3

Present Perfect TenseI have painted two rooms so far. S + have / has +V3 + OTwo rooms have been painted so far (by me.) S + have / has + been + V3

Past Perfect TenseSomebody had left an envelope on the table. S + had + V3 + OAn envelope had been left on the table. S + had + been + V3

Future TenseAli will give a lecture. S + will + V1 + OA lecture will be given by Ali. S + will + be + V3

Model VerbsHe can conduct the research. S + can + V + O The research can be conducted S+ can + be + V3He should have conducted the research. S+ should have + V3 +OThe research should have been conducted. S+ should have + been + V3

NOTES: The present perfect continuous, the future continuous, the past perfect continuous and the future perfect continuous are not usually used in the passive.Get can be used in everyday speech instead of the verb be to express something happening by accident or unexpectedly.-Mary got hit. -Aye got hurt in the car crash.

USE:a) when the person who performs the action is unknown, unimportant or obvious from the context.-Apples are grown in the northern parts of the United States. (It is not important to know who bring up them.)-Our house was burgled last week. (We do not know who burgle our house.)-Smoking is forbidden in any part of this building. (It is obvious that goverment prohibited it.)

b) If the action is more important than person who performs it, as in news headlines, newspaper articles, formal notices, advertisement, processes, etc.-Nutuk was written by Mustafa Kemal ATATRK for Turkish generation. (newspaper articles)-The new hospital will be opened tomorrow. (formal notice)-The suspect has finally been arrested.-The application form should be filled out in link.

c) we can use passive voice with only transitive verbs-Many tourists have visited that castle. (active) The castle has been visited by many tourists. (passive)-He swims everyday. (no passive)-The sun rises in the east. (no passive)d) when we talk about an unlikable event and we do not want to say who or what is to blame.Flavourless food was made. (insteady of he made flavourless food.)

e) Some verbs can be used both transitive and intransitive such as; close, open, melt, start, grow. When they turn into transitive verb, we can change them from active into passive.-The bank opens at 9 am every day. (no passive)-Mr. Brown opens the bank at 9 am every day (active) The bank is opened by Mr. Brown at 9 am every day. (passive)

- The meeting started when everybody arrived.- The chairman started the meeting when everybody arrived The meeting was started by the chairman when everybody arrived.

CHANGING FROM ACTIVE INTO PASSIVEThe object of the active verb becomes the subject in the passive sentences. The active verb changes into a passive form and the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent, and is either introduced with the preposition by or omitted.

* We can change transitive verbs into the passive. -Mom read the novel in one day. ( active ) The novel was read by Mom in one day. ( passive )We cannot change some transitive verbs into the passive such as ; have, contain, consist, lack, resemble.- They have a nice house with a small garden.- My brother is going to become a lawyer when he graduates from faculty of law.

*By + agent is used to say who or what carries out the action. With + instrument/material/ingredient is used to say what the agent used.-Ahmet broke the window, not Ali. The window was broken by Ahmet, not Ali.- Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.- The woman fainted when the thief hit her on the head with stick The woman fainted when she was hit on the head with a stick- The swimming pool was cleaned before it was filled with water.

*If the subject of active sentence is one of these words: people, one, someone/somebody, they, he etc, we generally omit the agent in the passive sentence.-Someone can solve this problem -They are building a new shopping mall.This problem can be solved. -A new shopping mall is being built.

*If the person who performs action is more important than action, we should use by.-stanbul was conquered by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453.-The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

*Object pronoun ( me, you, her, etc.) is be change into subject pronouns (I, you, she, etc.) in the passive.- Ece catched me. I were catched by Ece.

*There are some verbs which take two object such as; award, give, buy, bring, offer, take, show, send, promise, throw, write, post, allow, feed, pay, etc.- The government awarded him a scholarship so that he could continue his film studies abroad. (active) I.O. D.O. He was awarded a scholarship by the government so that he could continue his film studies abroad. (more usual) A scholarship was awarded to him by the government so that he could continue his film studies.

- Fatma gave me the good news. I was given the good news by Sue. The good news was given to me by Sue.

* When we want to learn who or what did something, then the passive question form is as follows: Who/What.. by ?- Who invented the Internet by ? Who was the Internet invented by? By whom was the Internet invented ?-What caused the fire ? What was the fire caused by ?

* The verbs hear, help, see and make are followed by the bare infinitive in the active but by the toinfinitive in the passive.-She helped them stay in dormitory. They were helped to stay in dormitory.

PERSONAL/ IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONThe verbs think, believe, say, report, know, expect, consider, understand, etc. are used in the following passive patterns in personal and impersonal constructions. subject (person) + passive verb + to -inf. (personal construction)It + passive verb + that -clause (impersonal construction)

Present: -People claim that the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world.Firstly, we have to observe the tense of the verbs. In this case we have a Simple Present claim plus another Simple Present is. We can make two different Passive Structures:Impersonal Passive:We place it as the subject. We make the normal passive in the first verb. The rest of the sentence does not change: -It is claimed that the Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world.Personal Passive:We use the second subject as the subject for our passive sentence. We make the normal passive in the first verb. When the second verb is a Simple Present or a Simple Future, we add an infitinitive + to :- The Mona Lisa is claimed to be the most famous painting in the world.If time is the same of sentences, we use to+doIf time is different of sentences, we use to have done -They say that children can learn foreign languages more easily than adults. (present) (present) : to do It is said that children can learn foreign languages more easily than adults.Children are said to learn foreign languages more easily than adults.

Present Perfect:- They believe that he has stolen the money. (present) - time is different- (pr. Perfect) : to have done It is believed that he has stolen the money. He is believed to have stolen the money.- They think that Ceren has read her book. It is thought that Ceren has read her book. Ceren is thougth to have read her book.

PAST:- In the past, people believed that the Earth was flat. (past) - the same- (past) In the past, it was believed that the Earth was flat. In the past, The Earth was believed to be flat.

- We know that mummification was used extensively by the Egyptians. (present) (past passive) It is known that mummification was used extensively by the Egyptians. Mummification is known to have been used extensively by The Egytians. ( First verb is a present simple tense, second verb is a past tense. Since they are different time and second verb is past passive, we have to use to have been done. )

The other examples: - People think that the goverment was building new hospitals for country. It is thought that the government was building new hospitals for country. The government is thought to have been building new hospitals for country. (because it is past continuous)- They think that Merve will graduate from university this year. It is thought that Merve will graduate from university this year. Merve is thought to graduate from university this year.- They report that millions of children are living in poverty in Ethiopia. Millions of children are reported to be living in poverty in Ethiopia.

CAUSATIVES

Have something done / get something done We use have something done to mean another person does a service for us. It stresses work which was done by a person.

-I need to have these two documents translated into French.-I am going to have my hair cut.-You should have your windows cleaned.

We can also use have / got something done in situations where something bad has happened to people or their possessions.- He had his leg broken in a skiing accident.-I had my purse stole while I was doing sport.-We can use get something done instead of have sth done.-We're getting a new telephone system installed.Have somebody do somethingIt means give a job to somebody to do by persuading or paying money.-The manager had his assistant write the proposal.-I have a cleaning woman clean my house every week.

Make someone do somethingThis construction means "to force someone to do something."-My mother always makes me tidy up room.-Shemade her children dotheir homework.We can use make + someone with adjective.-The news about my husbands promotion made me happy.When we turn make someone to something structure into passive it becomes be made to do.-The students were made to stay in class until they finished the exercise.

Let someone do somethingIt means allow somebody to do something-My father does not let me stay out after 12 pm.-The teacher let us have a birthday party in class.We can change let someone do into passive as be allowed to do. -I am not allowed to stay out after 12 pm. -We were allowed to have a birthday party in class.

Get someone to do somethingThis construction usually means "to convince to do something" or "to trick someone into doing something.-I finally got my mother to buy a new dress.-We could not get our teacher to postpone the test.

SEHER DURKAL