6. PASSIVE VOICE

Passive voice is the voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb.

1. Simple   present	Active passive	We watch OB on RCTI everyday. OB on RCTI is watched by us everyday.
2. Simple past	Active passive	Rita wrote a letter yesterday. A letter was written by Rita yesterday.
3. Simple Future	Active passive	My family will rent a villa for holiday. A villa will be rent by my family for holiday.

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)

Agent

In a passive clause, we usually use a phrase beginning with by if we want to mention the agent - the person or thing that does the action, or that causes what happens.

Examples:

My mother   makes   sandwich every morning.

Subject     verb1+s/es   O      C (adv. of time)

Sandwich is made  by my mother every morning.

Subject     to be+V3      Agent      C (adv. of time)

present continuous : [ S + to be + being +V₃ (past participle) ]

present perfect: [ S + has/have + been + V₃ (past participle) ]

present continuous	Active Passive	A young boy is catching a butterfly. A butterfly is being caught by a young boy.
present perfect	Active Passive	Yano has returned the book to the library. The book has been returned to the library by Yano.

If you want to change an active sentence which has two objects into its passive forms, there are two ways:

1.     Make its indirect object into the subject of the passive sentence.

2.     Make its direct object into the subject of the passive sentence.

Examples: Active:	John  is giving  his girl-friend a bunch of flower. indirect object           direct object
Passive: The indirect object as the subject	John’s girl-friend     is being given         a bunch of flower.
Passive: The direct object as the subject	A bunch of flower    is being given to John’s girl-friend.