Passive voice

• Focuses on the ACTION rather than in the AGENT and WHO or WHAT EXPERIENCES it.

• Common in FORMAL LANGUAGE (YOU NEED TO USE IT IN YOUR WRITINGS)

• Three different types of PASSIVE SENTENCES.

  • OBJECT(s)

  • CAUSATIVE

  • IMPERSONAL

Passive 1- OBJECTS

• Verb: to be + past participle.

• STRUCTURE: Object (Direct or Indirect) + verb (passive)+ (DO/IO) + C + (by agent).

• We use by when we want to mention the agent of the action because it is worthwhile being mentioned.

• It can be used in ANY tense and also with Modal Verbs

Causative Forms

• Used to express that SOMEONE ELSE DOES SOMETHING FOR YOU

• It can be used in ANY tense

• STRUCTURE

  1. Subject + GET/HAVE + object + Past Participle

  Example: I got my hair cut yesterday.

  2. Subject+ GET + AGENT+ to infinitive + object.

     I got MY SISTER to walk my dog when I was on holidays.

     Subject+ HAVE+ AGENT+ bare infinitive + object.

     I had MY SISTER walk my dog when I was on holidays.

Impersonal Reporting

• Expresses commonly held believes or ideas.

• Uses passive reporting verbs like: say, believe, think, claim...

• For example:

  ACTIVE: People argue that dogs make better pets than cats:

  It is argued that dogs make better pets than cats

  Dogs are argued to make better pets than cats.

Impersonal Reporting

• For example:

  ACTIVE: They claim that the suspect stole from the bank.

  It is claimed that the suspect stole from the bank.

  The suspect is claimed to have stolen* from the bank.

  *NOTE that here we need to use a PERFECT INFINITIVE as the tense of the main sentence is PAST!