The relationship between an action and an object can be expressed in only two ways: if the object itself performs the action or if the action is performed on it. In linguistics, there is a section of grammar that studies this topic, and it is called “Active and Passive Voice.” And since this section cannot be considered in English without a similar one in Russian, we will analyze them one by one.
What it is
As already mentioned, the active and passive voice is a verbal category that reflects the relationship of action, subject (produces force) and object (to which force is directed). To show which type is used in a sentence to express a thought, it is necessary to know certain constructions characteristic of each of them, which are formed by means of morphology and syntax. The passive voice is expressed by the so-called “passive” form of the verb, and the active voice is expressed by the “active” form. In English, this section sounds like “Passive voice” and “Active voice”, respectively. And as in Russian, the structure of the sentence from a syntactic point of view undergoes changes characteristic of each voice.
Active voice
We use verbs in this form all the time, both in written and spoken language. They denote actions that come directly from the object, and in sentences they take changes in persons, numbers and tenses, i.e. These are all transitive verbs. For example, “I am reading a book”, “he was reading a book”, “we will read a book”, etc. More complex than in Russian, this happens in English, since it has at least 9 tense forms of the verb: three present (Present Simple, Continuous and Perfect), three past (Past) and three future (Future). The use of each of them depends on the purpose of the utterance. Thus, simple tense (Simple) is used to express action in general, i.e. reporting it as a fact, without additional information. For example, “I read a book” (“I am reading a book”). Continuous tells about a process taking place in any time: “Ann is reading a book at this moment” (“Anna is now reading a book”), and Perfect tense denotes those actions that ended at a certain moment : “I have read a book already” (“I have already read the book”).
Passive voice
In the Russian language, not all verbs can be used to form this category. This happens because their classification is extensive, and not each of them can be subject to collateral correlation, i.e. take both of its forms. Thus, the passive voice in the Russian language is closely related to the concept of transitivity (the ability to form a connection with an object without a preposition or with it) and reflexivity (attaching the postfix “-sya”) of verbs. For example, dressing a child (transitive), approaching the table (intransitive); listen - obey (returnable), breathe - irrevocable.
Thus, only transitive verbs can form the passive voice in Russian by adding the postfix “-sya” to their actual form. For example: “The house is designed by architects,” “Criminals are detained by police.”
Note
The meaning of sentences with verbs in this voice can also be conveyed using passive participles, both full and short. For example: “The house was designed (designed) by architects” or “Criminals detained (detained) by police.” A separate topic in the Russian language is occupied by the so-called. average return deposit. Only transitive verbs can take its form by adding the postfix “-sya”. In essence, this is the same passive voice, only the subject and object of the action in it is the same person, that is, the action is directed “at oneself.” For example, “Girl getting dressed for a walk”, “Come home for lunch”, “Concentrate on studying”, etc.
In English
It is better to present what the construction of verbs in Active voice (active voice) and Passive voice (passive voice) in English looks like in a table: this will help to simultaneously compare the methods of their formation and understand the general scheme. Thus, in positive sentences, it represents the form of the verb “To be” in the tense required for the statement + a semantic verb with the ending “-ed” or in the third form (V3, Participle II). Passive voice is easy to recognize in English text using this pattern as it is unique, simple and not used in any other topics. To obtain a question, the first word from the entire verb form is moved to the beginning of the sentence, and for negation, the particle “not” is added after it. To better understand this, it is better to change one sentence in all tenses.
Analysis of the topic using an example
Past Simple: Some letters were written by James at the school. (Several letters written by James at school). / Were some letters written…? / Some letters were not written…
Future Simple: Some letters will be written by James at the school. / Will some letters be written…? / Some letters will not be written…
Pr.Cont.: Some letters are being written by James at the school at the moment. / Are some letters being written…? / Some letters are not being written…
Past Cont.: Some letters were being written by James at the school for hour. / Were some letters being written…? / Some letters were not being written…
FutureCont.: does not exist, you must use the Future Simple.
Pr.Perf.: Some letters have been written by James at the school towards lunchtime. / Have some letters been written…? / Some letters have not been written…
Past Perf.: Some letters had been written by James at the school towards lunchtime. / Had some letters been written…? / Some letters had not been written…
Future Perf.: Some letters would be written by James at the school tomorrow towards lunchtime. / Would some letters be written…? / Some letters would not be written…
conclusions
Thus, the topic of voice correlation of verbs in Russian and English is based on the same concepts and general rules of application, but differs sharply in the patterns of tense forms. This happens primarily because the grammar of these two languages is practically not similar, which means that word formation cannot be compared. But still, it is absolutely impossible for Russian-speaking students to master this topic in English without knowing it in their native speech, since the minimum for studying it is a general understanding.
Verb voice category
Voice is a verbal category that represents the relationship of an action or state to its subject and object and expresses its meaning in contrast to the forms of the active and passive voices. Active voice forms represent the action as coming from the subject, and constructions with active voice verbs are called active ( The commission evaluates the work; Teachers determine the work plan). In an active construction, the position of the subject is occupied by the name of the active subject, and the object is expressed by the form V.p. Passive voice forms represent action as a passive sign of an object, and constructions with passive voice verbs are called passive ( Job is assessed commission; Work plan defined teachers). In a passive construction, the subject denotes the object experiencing the influence, and the name of the active subject is in the form T.p.
The means of expressing voice opposition largely depend on the type of verb. In perfective verbs, the meaning of the passive voice is expressed by forms of passive past participles ( surround — Surrounded, surrounded; build — built, built). In imperfective verbs, the meaning of the passive voice is expressed by forms of passive participles or present tense ( .be in love — love, Darling; keep — we store, stored), or past tense ( read — read, read; write — written down, written).
In transitive imperfective verbs, the meaning of the passive voice can also be expressed by a postfix - Xia: guide — be guided (Letter is sent to you), receive — turn out, smash — break up.
The category of voice has different means of expression: in some cases it is expressed by different forms of one verb, i.e. inflectional means (participles), in others - with different verbs, i.e. non-inflectional means (transitive verbs with a postfix -xia passive voice).
The category of collateral is closely related to transitivity / intransitivity of verbs. Transitive verbs are those that denote an action directed at an object and therefore are combined with nouns in the V.p. form: And over the meadows the wind drives lead clouds(K. Paustovsky) or, if there is a denial, R.p. ( don't read books, can't see the river). In the Russian language there are also such transitive verbs that are combined with nouns in R.p. without negation: sketch(papers), dial(colors), to buy(products), wait(letters), etc.
Intransitive verbs denote an action not directed at an object and cannot be combined with an object expressed by a noun in V.p. ( be sad about the past, travel the world).
In some cases, transition / intransitivity is expressed formally - using suffixes -And- or -e-: depopulate(trans.) and depopulate(uninterrupted), bleed(trans.) and bleed(uninterrupted). Transitivity can be expressed using certain prefixes: go(uninterrupted) - get around something (trans.) sleep(uninterrupted) - oversleep something (trans.) run(uninterrupted) - run across something (trans.), and also using control: leave someone (to be expelled from work, to be dismissed from office). Intransitivity of verbs can be expressed formally. All verbs with postfix -xia(both passive and actual voice) are intransitive ( seem, argue, embrace, clean up, hit, going to).
All verbs in the Russian language can be characterized as verbs of active or passive voice, but not all verbs can be contrasted by voice. Some verbs do not have a voice opposition. So, verbs with a postfix - Xia those that do not have a passive voice are called reflexive and belong to the active voice.
Reflexive verbs have the following meanings:
- 1) proper reflexive - the subject and object of the action coincide ( to shave, wash your face, comb your hair, tune in, get excited);
- 2) general return - the action or state is closed in the subject itself ( be angry,be surprised, have fun, hurry);
- 3) objectless-reflexive - an action or state is a property of the subject, manifested in its ability to perform an action or be affected ( cow butting, dog bites, porcelain breaks);
- 4) reciprocal - a joint action performed by several subjects, and the actions of the subjects are directed towards each other ( meet, put up, embrace, kiss, sue, argue);
- 5) indirectly reciprocal - the action is performed by the subject for himself, in his own interests ( clean up, stock up);
- 6) impersonal ( show red, think).
Along with this, in the Russian language there are also such verbs with the postfix -sya, which express the meanings of only the passive voice: seem, like, like, dream, wonder ( AND wonder he has different passions. She couldn't do everything like. And I dream I have a wonderful dream).
IN active voice the subject denotes the performer of the action, the person or thing performing the described action, and the one to whom the action is directed, the so-called. The “receiver of the action” in a sentence is an object.
Most sentences have an active voice.
Offers active voice in English
performer of the action + I form of the verb + recipient of the action
For example:
The professor teaches the students.
The professor teaches to the students.
John washes the dishes.
John is washing the dishes.
Passive Voice
IN passive voice the subject is the person or thing being affected by another person or thing. In other words, the doer and recipient of the action are swapped, although the doer of the action may not be specified.
Offers passive voice in English are formed as follows:
action recipient + be + past participle
For example:
The students are taught.
Students are taught.
The dishes are washed.
The dishes are washed.
The passive voice is used:
1. Mainly in cases where the performer of the action is not mentioned in the sentence; it is either unknown, or the speaker does not consider it necessary to report it.
For example:
Is English spoken in many countries?
Is English spoken in many countries?
That book was written a few years ago.
This book was written several years ago.
2. When the performer of the action, although mentioned in the sentence, is not in the center of the speaker’s attention; a noun or pronoun expressing the given performer of the action is introduced by a preposition by. Please note that in the active voice the performer of the action was the subject, while in the passive voice he becomes the object.
For example:
The students are taught by the professor
A professor teaches students.
The dishes are washed by John.
John washes the dishes.
Also, in a passive voice sentence, another object can be used, attached by a preposition with, and describing how the action is performed, for example:
The dishes are washed with a bar of soap.
Dishes are washed with a bar of soap.
In English, the scope of use of verbs in the passive voice is much wider than in Russian. Thus, any verb that takes a direct or indirect object can be used in the passive voice.
For example:
I gave him a book. (I gave him the book.)
A book was given to him. (The book was given to him.) = He was given a book. (He was given a book.)
They showed me a beautiful picture. (They showed me a beautiful picture.)
A beautiful picture was shown to me. (A beautiful picture was shown to me.) = I was shown a beautiful picture. (I was shown a beautiful picture.)
In English, verbs that take a prepositional object can be used in the passive voice (for example: to attend to, to send for, and etc.). The proposed object is used as the subject of the passive phrase, and the preposition comes immediately after the verb.
For example:
She went after him. – He was gone after.
She followed him. - Let's go get him.
Ways to translate the passive voice into Russian
There are three ways to translate the passive voice into Russian:
1. Using the verb “ be” + short form of participle, for example:
Were his books translated into Russian?
Were are his books translated into Russian?
2. Verbs ending in –xia, For example:
Letters are delivered by mailmen.
Letters are delivered postmen.
3. Vaguely personal phrase (this method of translation is possible in cases where the performer of the action is not mentioned in the English sentence), for example:
They were taught French last year.
Their taught French last year.
Examples of active and passive voice
The table below shows examples of active and passive voice in all possible tenses. Please note that the passive voice is not used in the Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Perfect Continuous and Future Continuous.
| Active voice | Passive voice | |
| Present Simple | Once a week, Tom cleans the house. | Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom. |
| Present Continuous | Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. | Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah |
| Past Simple | Sam repaired the car. | The car was repaired by Sam. |
| Past Continuous | The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. | The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. |
| Present Perfect | Many tourists have visited that castle. | That castle has been visited by many tourists. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | Recently, John has been doing the work. | |
| Past Perfect | George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic’s license. | Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic’s license. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant’s fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. | |
| Future Simple will | Someone will finish the work at 5:00 PM. | The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. |
| Future Simple be going to | Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. | A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. |
| Future Continuous | At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. | |
| Future Perfect | They will have completed the project before the deadline. | The project will have been completed before the deadline. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. | |
| Used To | Jerry used to pay the bills. | The bills used to be paid by Jerry. |
| Would Always | My mother would always make the pies. | The pies would always be made by my mother. |
| Future in the Past | I knew John would finish the work at 5:00 PM. | I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. |
The English tense system is significantly different from the Russian one. In Russian we use three tenses: past, present and future. The English language also has three tenses, but there are various types of tense forms of the verb, reflecting the nature of the action taking place, which is expressed by the verb in different types of tense forms. There are 16 tense forms of the verb in the active (active) voice alone and 10 tense forms in the passive (passive) voice. Typically, such a variety of grammatical tense forms confuses those who begin to study them. In fact, the English tense system is very logical and not at all difficult to understand.
In this grammatical minimum, I will limit myself to only five tense forms of the verb in the active voice and three in the passive voice. This is quite enough for most communication situations. First, let's figure it out, what is the difference between active and passive voice.
Active voice
Active voice is used in a sentence where the object expressed by the subject itself produces the action. Example: My friend invited me. – My friend invited me.
Passive voice
The passive voice is used in a sentence where the action is directed at the object expressed by the subject, and the object itself does not produce any action. For example: I was invited by my friend. – I was invited by my friend.
Both sentences given as an example are written in Past Simple Tense (simple past tense), but grammatically, both in the Russian and English versions, the sentences are constructed differently. Therefore, it is necessary to know the variants of tense forms, both in the passive and in the active voice.
The active and passive voice in English are similar in meaning to Russian. They also show how the action is connected (or not connected) with its performer.
Meaning
Active and Passive Voice(English names for the active and passive voice) show, respectively, that a person (object) performs an action or an action occurs to a person (object) and it does not matter by whom this action is performed.
Active voice
Focus on the performer of the action
We built the well last year. - We built a well last year.
Passive voice
Focus on the action itself
The well was built last year. - The well was built last year.
Education
The active and passive tenses are formed in almost the same way. If you are fluent in the tense system of the active voice, then you have probably already noticed that if the auxiliary verb of the passive voice (to be) is placed at the right time and added to the semantic verb in the third form, the grammatical result is the passive voice.
For example:
He is drinking juice. - The juice is being drunk. (Present Continuous).
Other times are formed similarly.
Note! The entire group of Perfect Continuous tenses and the Future Perfect tense do not have passive forms.
Active and Passive Voice: Rule
Active voice used when it is important to show who (or what) is performing the action. For example, Tourists visit the UK. - Tourists come to the United Kingdom. In this proposal, the emphasis is on the fact that it is tourists who come (not businessmen, not politicians, but tourists).
Passive voice is used in cases where it does not matter who performs the action, but attention is focused on the action itself. For example, London is visited every year. - People come to London all year round. The meaning of this sentence comes down to the fact that London is a very visited city by visitors. And it doesn’t matter who comes - tourists, politicians, athletes or scientists.
Active and passive voice in English: table
If you haven’t yet learned how to translate active and passive voice in English in your head, use the summary table. It provides examples of the formation of all tenses in two voices.
|
Present Simple Passive |
||
|
Present Simple |
Cards are printed. |
|
|
Present Continuous |
I am printing cards. |
Cards are being printed. |
|
Present Perfect |
I have printed cards. |
Cards have been printed. |
|
Past Simple |
I cards printed. |
Cards were printed. |
|
Past Continuous |
I was printing cards. |
Cards were being printed. |
|
Past Perfect |
I had printed cards. |
Cards had been printed. |
|
Future Simple |
I will print cards. |
Cards will be printed. |
|
Future Continuous |
I will be printing cards. |
|
|
Future Perfect |
I will have printed cards. |
Cards will have been printed. |
Active and passive voice in English are widely used both in speech and in writing. At the same time, in communication there is a tendency to use the active voice more widely, and when writing (especially in an official style) - the passive voice.