Active & Passive Voice
Use of Passive:
- Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
- Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice
Form of Passive:
Subject (the Object in active) + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs) + Object (the Subject in active).
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
Examples:
Simple Present: Rita writes a letter.
- A letter is written by Rita.
Simple Past: Rita wrote a letter.
- A letter was written by Rita.
Present Perfect: Rita has written a letter.
- A letter has been written by Rita.
Future simple: Rita will write a letter.
- A letter will be written by Rita.
Modals: Rita can write a letter.
- A letter can be written by Rita.
Present Progressive (Continuous): Rita is writing a letter.
- A letter is being written by Rita.
Past Progressive (Continuous): Rita was writing a letter.
- A letter was being written by Rita.
Past Perfect: Rita had written a letter.
- A letter had been written by Rita.
Future perfect: Rita will have written a letter.
- A letter will have been written by Rita.
Conditional simple: Rita would write a letter.
- A letter would be written by Rita.
Conditional perfect: Rita would have written a letter.
- A letter would have been written by Rita. Pronouns
- I
- She
- He
- It
- You
- We
- They
- Me
- Her
- His
- It
- You
- Us
- Them