Hi guys..
Are you ready to learn about the passive voice?
If you have, let's immediately read that lesson right now!
Hopefully you can make a sentence passive voice well after reading my primbon's.
Happy reading!
Passive Voice
The passive voice is less usual than the active voice. The active voice is the "normal" voice. But sometimes we need the passive voice. In this lesson we look at how to construct the passive voice, when to use it and how to conjugate it.
Construction of the Passive Voice
The structure of the passive voice is very simple:
subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)
The main verb is always in its past participle form.
Look at these examples:
subject | auxiliary verb (to be) |
| main verb (past participle) |
|
Water | is |
| drunk | by everyone. |
100 people | are |
| employed | by this company. |
I | am |
| paid | in euro. |
We | are | not | paid | in dollars. |
Are | they |
| paid | in yen? |
Use of the Passive Voice
We use the passive when:
- we want to make the active object more important
- we do not know the active subject
| subject | verb | object |
give importance to active object (President Kennedy) | President Kennedy | was killed | by Lee Harvey Oswald. |
active subject unknown | My wallet | has been stolen. | ? |
Note that we always use by to introduce the passive object (Fish are eaten by cats).
Look at this sentence:
- He was killed with a gun.
Normally we use by to introduce the passive object. But the gun is not the active subject. The gun did not kill him. He was killed by somebody with a gun. In the active voice, it would be: Somebody killed him with a gun. The gun is the instrument. Somebody is the "agent" or "doer".
Conjugation for the Passive Voice
We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:
- present simple: It is made
- present continuous: It is being made
- present perfect: It has been made
Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:
infinitive | to be washed |
simple | present | It is washed. |
past | It was washed. |
future | It will be washed. |
conditional | It would be washed. |
continuous | present | It is being washed. |
past | It was being washed. |
future | It will be being washed. |
conditional | It would be being washed. |
perfect simple | present | It has been washed. |
past | It had been washed. |
future | It will have been washed. |
conditional | It would have been washed. |
perfect continuous | present | It has been being washed. |
past | It had been being washed. |
future | It will have been being washed. |
conditional | It would have been being washed. |
1. Prepositions of Time: at, in, on
We use:
- at for a PRECISE TIME
- in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
- on for DAYS and DATES
at | in | on |
PRECISE TIME | MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS | DAYS and DATES |
at 3 o'clock | in May | on Sunday |
at 10.30am | in summer | on Tuesdays |
at noon | in the summer | on 6 March |
at dinnertime | in 1990 | on 25 Dec. 2010 |
at bedtime | in the 1990s | on Christmas Day |
at sunrise | in the next century | on Independence Day |
at sunset | in the Ice Age | on my birthday |
at the moment | in the past/future | on New Year's Eve |
Look at these examples:
- I have a meeting at 9am.
- The shop closes at midnight.
- Jane went home at lunchtime.
- In England, it often snows in December.
- Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
- There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
- Do you work on Mondays?
- Her birthday is on 20 November.
- Where will you be on New Year's Day?
Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:
Expression | Example |
at night | The stars shine at night. |
at the weekend | I don't usually work at the weekend. |
at Christmas/Easter | I stay with my family at Christmas. |
at the same time | We finished the test at the same time. |
at present | He's not home at present. Try later. |
Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:
in | on |
in the morning | on Tuesday morning |
in the mornings | on Saturday mornings |
in the afternoon(s) | on Sunday afternoons |
in the evening(s) | on Monday evening |
When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.
- I went to London last June. (not in last June)
- He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
- I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
- We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)
2. Prepositions of Place: at, in, on
In general, we use:
- at for a POINT
- in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
- on for a SURFACE
at | in | on |
POINT | ENCLOSED SPACE | SURFACE |
at the corner | in the garden | on the wall |
at the bus stop | in London | on the ceiling |
at the door | in France | on the door |
at the top of the page | in a box | on the cover |
at the end of the road | in my pocket | on the floor |
at the entrance | in my wallet | on the carpet |
at the crossroads | in a building | on the menu |
at the front desk | in a car | on a page |
Look at these examples:
- Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
- The shop is at the end of the street.
- My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
- When will you arrive at the office?
- Do you work in an office?
- I have a meeting in New York.
- Do you live in Japan?
- Jupiter is in the Solar System.
- The author's name is on the cover of the book.
- There are no prices on this menu.
- You are standing on my foot.
- There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
- I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.
Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:
at | in | on |
at home | in a car | on a bus |
at work | in a taxi | on a train |
at school | in a helicopter | on a plane |
at university | in a boat | on a ship |
at college | in a lift (elevator) | on a bicycle, on a motorbike |
at the top | in the newspaper | on a horse, on an elephant |
at the bottom | in the sky | on the radio, on television |
at the side | in a row | on the left, on the right |
at reception | in Oxford Street | on the way |
When I meet my cousin.
He said “Hi jar… What you remember me..?”
I said “Sorry I’m forget..?”
He said again “Okay.. No problem… We don't meet since 10 years..
It is about Asking if someone remembers or not.
Please read this lesson carefully.
Formal expressions:
- I wonder if you remember.....
- You remember...., don’t you?
- You haven’t forgotten...., have you?
- Do you happen to remember it now?
Ways to respond:
- Let me think, yes, I remember.
- I remember especially the scenery.
- I can remember it clearly.
Informal expressions:
- Remember the old house we used to live in?
Ways to respond:
- I know.....
- It’s coming back to me now.
Respond if you forget:
- Sorry, I’ve completely forgotten.
- I’m afraid I have no memory of him
- Errr, let me think. No, it’s gone.
- Sorry, it slipped off my mind.