The Passive

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

This week

• The Passive: 
• Maken SB p. 72-73 ex 1 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 
• + Worksheet (zie bijlagen les vandaag in SOM)

The following slide is an excerpt of a news article written in the passive voice. 

Notice that we hardly ever know who/what the doer is. 

120,000 killed by tsunami

Thousands of people were killed yesterday when an earthquake near Sumatra caused a massve tsunami. The entire coastal area of the Bay of Bengal was affected as buildings and whole villages were destroyed by the huge waves. 'The exact number of causalties cannot be confirmed', said a government official, 'but thousands more have been injured'. The earthquake registered 8.9 on the Richter scale. By yesterday afternoon, over 60,000 dead bodies had been found and much higher figures are being predicted. There are fears that many others will be left homeless. 

• The action is more important than the doer. 

What is the difference between an active and a passive sentence?

Passives: introduction  

Active sentences 

- People speak English in Australia.

- My mom gave me a book for Christmas.

- The police arrested the thief.

- The nurse attended the patient for his injuries.

• In active sentences it is clear who does the action. i.e. who the agent is. The agent is the subject in a sentence. 

Passives: introduction  

Passive sentences 

- English is spoken in Australia.

- I was given a book for Christmas by my mother.

- The thief was arrested (by the thief).

- The patient was attended for his injuries (by the nurse).

• In passive sentences the action is more important than
• who does the action > this is less important. 
• We place the doer at the end of the sentence or leave it out.  

From active to passive; what happens to the subject and the object in a sentence?

Check out the following 3 examples

1

I wrote a letter

A letter was written by me

2

They build houses

Houses are built by them  

3

The cat chased the mouse

The mouse was chased by the cat  

So, the object becomes the subject in a sentence 

When do we leave out  the doer/agent? 

The 'doer' in these sentences is not mentioned 

- The patient was operated on after the accident
- My car has been stolen. 

a) because it is obvious who the 'doer' is
b) because we don't know who the 'doer' is

Let's check our understanding of 

the passive in the following sentences

Source: The Good Grammar Book, Michael Swan.  

How do we formulate a passive sentence? 

i.e. what is the form? 

Form

be + past participle

be

am

are

is

was 

were

have been

has been

will be 

is going to be

past participle

told

cooked

sold

given

built

exposed

nurtured

done

awarded

Her clothes _ in Paris .

1. made
2. are made

English ____ in Australia

1. speaks
2. spoken
3. is spoken
4. are spoken

I _____ French for 3 years

1. studied
2. was studied

I _____ too much money on holiday.

1. spent
2. was spent

This window _____ by your little brother.

1. broke
2. was broken

Choose the correct answer

1. Her clothes made / are made in Paris.
2. English speaks / spoken / is spoken in Australia.
3. I studied / was studied French for 3 years.
4. I spent / was spent too much money on holiday. 
5. This window broke / was broken by your little brother.

Choose the correct answer

1. Her clothes made / are made in Paris.
2. English speaks / spoken / is spoken in Australia.
3. I studied / was studied French for 3 years.
4. I spent / was spent too much money on holiday. 
5. This window broke / was broken by your little brother.

Conversion table

1. They clean the school every day.
2. They cleaned the school yesterday.
3. They are cleaning the school now. 
4. They were cleaning the school when we arrived.
5. They have cleaned the school recently.
6. They had cleaned the school before we arrived.
7. They are going to be clean the school tomorrow.
8. They will clean the school tomorrow.

1. The school is cleaned every day. 
2. The school was cleaned yesterday 
3. The school is being cleaned now. 
4. The school was being cleaned when we arrived. 
5. The school has been cleaned recently. 
6. The school had been cleaned before we arrived at school.
7. The school is going to be cleaned tomorrow. 
8. The school will be cleaned tomorrow,

Vorm passive:

Ondw + (vorm van) be + voltooid deelwoord + rest van de zin.

1. Pres Simple
2. Past Simple
3. Pres Cont
4. Past Cont
5. Pres Perfect
6. Past Perfect
7. Future going to
8. Future will

Tense

Active

Passive

How to make active sentences passive

Stappenplan 

Hoe actieve zinnen passief te maken

1. Zoek het lijdend voorwerp (of meewerkend voorwerp) in de actieve zin

2. Zet voorop in de nieuwe zin.

3. Zoek het werkwoordelijk gezegde = persoonsvorm + andere werkwoorden

4. Bepaal de tijd van het werkwoordelijk gezegde uit de actieve zin.

5. Zet het werkwoordelijk gezegde om.

6. Herschrijf de zin (laat eventueel het onderwerp uit de oorspronkelijke zin weg).

> John has bought many houses  

> Many houses have been bought (by John)

Bron: Slimleren.nl 

Lijdende vorm (passive)

Rewrite the sentences in the passive

1. The Romans published the first newspaper in 59 BC.

    The first newspaper ... 

2. Photographers follow British Royal Family everywhere.

    The British Royal family ...

3. Marconi invented radio communication in 1894.

    Radio communication ...

4. They have published The Times in London since 1788.

    The Times ... 

5. Digital technology is changing the media. 

    The media ... 

Rewrite the sentences in the passive

1. The Romans published the first newspaper in 59 BC.

    The first newspaper was published  in 59 BC

2. Photographers follow British Royal Family everywhere.

    The British Royal family are followed everywhere. 

3. Marconi invented radio communication in 1894.

    Radio communication was invented in 1894.

4. They have published The Times in London since 1788.

    The Times has been published in London since 1788.

5. Digital technology is changing the media. 

    The media is being changed by Digital technology.

Maak de actieve zinnen passief. 

1. The police fined the driver for speeding.
2. People have sent her lots of birthday cards.
3. Journalists asked the prime minister a lot of difficult questions.
   
4. Nobody has told me what to do. 

Maak de actieve zinnen passief. 

1. The police fined the driver for speeding.
   The driver was fined for speeding.
2. People have sent her lots of birthday cards.
   She has been sent lots of birthday cards.
3. Journalists asked the prime minister a lot of difficult questions.
   The prime minister was asked a lot of difficult questions.
4. Nobody has told me what to do. 
   I have not been told what to do.