Basic Grammar Step by Step Second Edition
Mary W. Ng
Chapter 48
Active and Passive Voice
The subject is the who or what we talk about in a sentence. We say that a verb is in the active voice when the subject of the verb is the doer of the action. We call the verb an active verb and a sentence containing an active verb an active sentence.
| Subject | Active Verb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim | is baking | a cake. | (who is baking a cake) |
| Cows | eat | grass. | (what eats grass) |
We say that a verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the verb is the receiver of the action. We call the verb a passive verb and a sentence containing a passive verb a passive sentence.
| Subject | Passive Verb | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| A cake | is being baked | by Jim. | (what is being baked) |
| Grass | is eaten | by cows. | (what is eaten) |
The direct object names whom or what after the active verb. The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
| Active: | Alan helped Sally. | (helped whom) |
| Passive: | Sally was helped by Alan. | (who was helped) |
| Active: | Tina sang a song. | (sang what) |
| Passive: | A song was sung by Tina. | (what was sung) |
The verb of the passive sentence must agree with its subject in person and number.
| Subject | Passive Verb | |
|---|---|---|
| I | was taught | by Mrs. James. |
| He | was taught | by Mrs. James. |
| They | were taught | by Mrs. James. |
We use a passive verb when the doer of an action is unknown.
| This house was built in 1900. |
| English is spoken here. |
If we know the doer of the action, we may add by the doer at the end of the passive sentence. Whether we mention the doer or not depends on the following:
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