Passive voice

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.


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 by Agent in the passive sentence (or is dropped)
• Only active sentence containing object which can be changed into passive form
• The two forms should have the same tenses

AGENT (OR BY 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 THE SANDWICH EVERY MORNING.

SUBJECT VERB1+S/ES O C (ADV. OF TIME)

THE SANDWICH IS MADE BY MY MOTHER EVERY MORNING.


SUBJECT O BE+V3 AGENT C (ADV. OF TIME)



WHAT ABOUT OTHER TENSES?

PRESENT CONTINUOUS : [ S + TO BE + BEING +V3 (PAST PARTICIPLE)
PRESENT PERFECT: [ S + HAS/HAVE + BEEN + V3 (PAST PARTICIPLE)

Here are the examples:

1. A young boy is catching a butterfly.
2. A butterfly is being caught by a young boy.

• Yano has returned the book to the library.

• The book has been returned to the library by Yano.

Next,
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

 FOR INSTANCE:

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
or
Passive: The direct object as the subject
A bunch of flower is being given to John’s girl-friend

Hey, how about the negative and interrogative?
Take a look at the followings:

People don’t use bikes anymore
Bikes are not used anymore
Did the students play the cards in the class yesterday?
Were the cards played in the class yesterday?

SOME EXAMPLES (SIMPLE PRESENT, PAST AND FUTURE) FOR YOU…

 Some students open the book silently during the examination (active)
 The books are opened silently by some students during the examination. (passive)

 Ku Klux Klan killed many innocent people.
 Many innocent people were killed by Ku Klux Klan

 Sting will perform the 2nd world tour in Indonesia
 The 2nd world tour will be performed by Sting in Indonesia