passive voice

PASSIVE VOICE

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It's not important or notknown, however who or what is ferforming the action

Example : My bike was stolen

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

S + Tobe + Past Participle

A letter was written

S + Tobe + V3

when rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following :

1. the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
2. the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
3. the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped).

Examples of Passive Level : lower intermediate

Tense	Subject	Verb	Object
Simple Present	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	writes is written	a letter by Rita
Simple Past	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	wrote was written	a letter by Rita
Present Perfect	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	has written has been written	a letter by Rita
Future I	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	will write will be written	a letter by Rita
Hilfsverben	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	can write can be written	a letter by Rita

Example of Passive Level : upper intermediate

Tense	Subject	Verb	Object
Present Progressive	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	is writing is being written	a letter by Rita
Past Progressive	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	was writing was being written	a letter by Rita
Past Present	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	had written had been written	a letter by Rita
Future II	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	will have written will have been written	a letter by Rita
Conditional I	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	would write would be written	a letter by Rita
Conditional II	Active : Rita Passive : A letter	would have written would have been written	a letter by Rita

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Level : intermediate

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice mean that one of the two objects become the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Subject	Verb	Object 1	Object 2
Active : Rita	wrote	a letter	to me
Passive : A letter	was written	to me	by Rita
Passive : I	was written	a letter	by Rita