UNIT 14 GRAMMAR

NOTES

PAGES 238-240

1. A sentence in the passive voice has

a corresponding sentence in the

active voice:

The police never catch some criminals.

Some criminals are never caught.object

subject

1. The object in the active voice sentence

becomes the subject in the passive voice

sentence:

Someone took the money.

The money was taken (by someone).object

subject

Only transitive verbs, those followed by an

object, can be passive.

No one has seen Cooper since 1972.

Cooper has not been seen since 1971.

object

subject

BE CAREFUL!

Intransitive verbs (not followed by an object)

cannot be passive.

Many people think Cooper must have died.

Cooper died.

BE CAREFUL!

2. Passive sentences are formed with be + the past

participle. They occur in present, past and future forms.

Police officers are well trained.

Are = present tense of be+ past participle trained

The suspect was arrested yesterday.

Was = past tense of be+ past participle arrested

He will be held in the local jail. Will be = future tense of be+ past participle held

Several witnesses have been interviewed.

Have been = present perfect of be + past participle interviewed.

2. To make a negative passive sentence, put not

after the first verb:

Many other planes have been hijacked since 1971.

Have been = present perfect of be + past participle hijacked

Cooper has not been caught.

First helping verb + not + other verbs

2. Use the present progressive and past

progressive passives to describe actions actually

in progress (and not finished):

The suspect is being held in prison.

Is being= present progressive of be + past participle held

The robbery occurred while the money was being taken to a bank.

Was being= past progressive of be + past participle taken

3. Use the passive voice when you don’t know

who performed the action or when it’s not

important to say who peformed it:

The money was stolen. (I don’t know who stole the money.)

The plane was refueled. (Somebody refueled the plane. For the purposes of this story, it is not important to know exactly who did it.)

3. Use the passive voice when you want to avoid

mentioning who did it (the person who did = the

agent:

A criminal is somehow regarded as a hero.

(I don’t want to say who regards a criminal as a hero. I have a low opinion of people who think that way.)

The report will be finished by Friday.

(I’m not saying exactly who is going to do this job, maybe because I haven’t figured out yet who will do it.)

3. Use the passive voice when you want to focus

on the receiver or the result of the action instead

of the agent.

The thief was caught (by the detective).

This is the important event

This information is less

important

3. We also use the passive voice if the agent of

the action is obvious, and does not need

explanation:

He was arrested.

This is the important event

The police arrested him.

That is obvious.

3. Pay attention to how people in the

government and positions of authority use the

passive voice! They often use it to evade

responsibility.Some poor decisions were made in the design the new Affordable Care website.

(Somebody made mistakes, but it wasn’t me.)

The issue will be investigated.

(It’s not clear exactly who will investigate the issue, so maybe nobody is really going to.)

4. Usually we do not use by after a passive. We

may use it in these situations:

a. To introduce new information about the agent.

The money was stolen by a person who has a criminal record.

b. To give credit to someone who did something.

The bills were photocopied by FBI agents.

c. When the agent is surprising.

The money was found by a little boy.

You can omit the by phrase in

passive sentences if you feel it

is unnecessary or indesirable to

mention the agent:

Why hasn’t this crime been

solved?

5. Most commonly, the direct object of an active

sentence is the subject of the corresponding

passive sentence::

The police arrested the suspect.

The suspect was arrested by the police.

Direct object

Subject

5. However, an indirect object is sometimes the

subject of a passive sentence::

The FBI gave Cooper the money.

Cooper was given the money by the FBI.

Indirect object

Subject

6. We often use modals and

modal-like auxiliaries in the

passive. To form the present

passive with a modal, use the

modal + be + past participle:

The criminal should be arrested.

6. To form the past passive with

a modal, use the modal + have

been be + past participle:

He could have been arrested

before this.

6. Use have to, have got to, had

better, had to, must, ought to and

should in sentences to express

advisability, obligation and necessity.

The charges had to be dropped.

Criminal suspects must be charged.

6. Use can and could to express

present and past ability.

Suspects can’t be kept in jail.

The thief could have been caught.

6. Use will and be going to to talk

about future events.

The prisoner will be tried.

The suspects are going to be

released.

6. Use can, could, may and might to

talk about future possibility and

impossibility.

The mystery may never be solved.

He can’t be released from jail.

6. Use can, could, may and might to

talk about future possibility and

impossibility.

The mystery may never be solved.

He can’t be released from jail.

7. The passive can also be formed

with get. The passive with get is

more informal than the passive with

be. It is conversational and

characteristic of informal writing.

Will that criminal ever get caught?

Our team got beaten in the soccer

game.

Although the be passive is used with both action

and non-action verbs, the get passive is used

only with action verbs:

More research is needed about the causes of crime. **More research

gets needed about the causes of crime.

BE CAREFUL!

8. Have an get + object + past participle are

used to form the passive causitive. There is

usually little difference between the causative

with have or get.

You should have your car serviced.

I got my best suit dry-cleaned.

8. The passive causative is used in the

past, present and future and with modals.

We had the windows washed.

I get my car tuned up twice a year.

She is going to get her hair cut.

9. Use the passive causatives to talk

about services or activities that people

arrange for someone to do.

The detective had the evidence analyzed.

Sometimes criminals get their hair dyed or shaved.

9. The passive causative can occur with a

by phrase only when it is necessary to

mention the agent.

I got my photos developed at the drugstore.

We had our house inspected by Jim.

Don’t confuse the simple past causative with the

past perfect:

They had the grass cut. (Simple past causative—someone else cut the grass.)

They had cut the grass. (Past perfect, active voice—that had done this before a specific time in the past.)

BE CAREFUL!

Don’t confuse the passive causative with the

passive expression do get something done

meaning to finish something.

I got the work done by a mechanic. (passive causative

I got the word done by noon. (I finished the work by twelve p.m.)

BE CAREFUL!(AMBIGUOUS SENTENCE)