The Passive Voice
This verb structure is formed by the conjugation of the verb to be followed by the past participle of a transitive verb (a verb that can take a direct object). The following examples will be given in the third person singular.
| TO BE FOUND | TO BE COOKED | |
| Present | is found | is cooked |
| Past | was found | was cooked |
| Present Perfect | has been found | has been cooked |
| Past Perfect | had been found | had been cooked |
| Future | will be found | will be cooked |
| Future Perfect | will have been found | will have been cooked |
The passive is often used when you do not know who the person was that carried out a certain action. In the active voice, the subject (or the person who carries out a certain action) is obvious: “A strange man stole her purse.” In the passive sentence, the direct object (her purse) becomes the new subject, and the verb (stole) is changed to the past participle (stolen). You can say in the passive voice, “Her purse was stolen by a strange man.” If you don’t know who the thief is, you can say, “Her purse was stolen.”
Exercise
Exercise 1 Rewrite the following sentences in the tenses shown. Notice that these sentences contain the passive voice structure (to be plus past participles).
- Present _________________________________________________________________________________
Past Was the window repaired?
Present Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Past Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Future _________________________________________________________________________________
Future Perfect_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Present _________________________________________________________________________________
Past The dog was struck by a car.
Present Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Past Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Future _________________________________________________________________________________
Future Perfect_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Present _________________________________________________________________________________
Past _________________________________________________________________________________
Present Perfect The package has been shipped by rail.
Past Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Future _________________________________________________________________________________
Future Perfect_________________________________________________________________________________
4. Present _________________________________________________________________________________
Past _________________________________________________________________________________
Present Perfect Everything has been arranged.
Past Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Future _________________________________________________________________________________
5. Present _________________________________________________________________________________
Past _________________________________________________________________________________
Present Perfect _________________________________________________________________________________
Past Perfect The fort had been attacked at dawn,.
Future _________________________________________________________________________________
Future Perfect_________________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 2 Some part of the passive structure is missing in each sentence. Fill in the blank with the appropriate form of the verb given in parentheses ( ). For example: “He has been given a prize.” (to have)
1. The cadets are _____________________ marched toward the barracks. (to be)
2. Our country had never been _____________________ before. (to attack)
3. Yesterday he _____________________ sent to New York on business. (to be)
4. Had the house _____________________ destroyed, too? (to be)
5. I can’t _____________________ bothered with such nonsense. (to be)
6. The baby was _____________________ by his young mother. (to change)
7. Not a word had been _____________________ in the dying man’s room.(to speak)
8. His story _____________________ believed, and he was sent to prison. (not to be)
9. The old barn was _____________________ down by the storm. (to blow)
10. What has _____________________ done to improve the situation? (to be)
11. The old woman _____________________ been seen for days. (to have not)
12. War was _____________________ in December of 1941. (to declare)
13. Your case will _____________________ taken under consideration tomorrow.(to be)
14. The team was _____________________ coached by a newcomer. (to be)
15. The pup _____________________ being trained to stay in the kitchen. (to be)
