Our speech in Russian is quite diverse. We use different designs: simple and complex, active and passive. And we don’t even think about it. If you want to raise your English speaking to the same "intuitive level", then you should definitely use our Passive Voice table.
When you started studying tenses, you probably came across such a grammatical phenomenon as active and passive voice. Let's remember what their difference is. Most time periods can be used in two cases. If the subject of the sentence itself performs the action (I’m walking, he’s drawing, we bought, they’ll fly), then we need an active form. If something is done to the subject, he is subjected to influence (trees are planted, water is poured, I was invited, we will be taken), then we use the passive construction. That's the last one we'll talk about.
Education
Each tense uses different auxiliary verbs and predicate forms. The Passive Voice table will tell us about this.
Present |
Past |
Future |
|
Formula Simple |
is/am/are + V ed (V 3) | was/were + V ed (V 3) | will/shall + be + V ed (V 3) |
| Letters are sent every day. — Letters are sent every day. | Letters were sent yesterday. — The letters were sent yesterday. | Letters will be sent tomorrow. — The letters will be sent tomorrow. | |
Formula Continuous |
is/am/are + being + V ed (V 3) | was/were + being + V ed (V 3) | ————————— |
| Letters are being sent now. — Letters are being sent now. | Letters were being sent at 5 yesterday. — Letters were sent at 5 o’clock yesterday. | ————————— | |
Formula Perfect |
has/have + been + V ed (V 3) | had + been + V ed (V 3) | will/shall + have/has+ been +V ed (V 3) |
| Letters have already been sent. - The letters have already been sent. | Letters had been sent before he phoned. — The letters were sent before he called. | Letters will have been sent by 5 tomorrow. — Letters will be sent tomorrow before 5 o’clock. | |
| Perfect Continuous | ———————————— | ———————————- | ————————— |
Note that the Perfect Continuous is not used at all in the passive voice. And Continuous time has no future segment. The interrogative and negative forms are identical in all tenses.
? - Recall. verb + mean + predicate
- Subject + auxiliary. verb + not + predicate
Were you invited to the party yesterday? — Were you invited to a party yesterday?
I wasn’t invited to the party yesterday. — I wasn’t invited to the party yesterday.
Are the flowers being planted now? —Are they planting flowers now?
The trees are not being planted now. — Trees are not being planted now.
Let's compare Active and Passive
The use of different tenses fully corresponds to their counterparts in the active voice. That is why it is recommended to study all the elements of this group, and then look in detail at. Let's look at a few examples to make it easier for you to understand everything and remember it at the right time.
Active |
Passive |
|
Present Simple |
She writes a new play for the theater every year. — She writes a new play for the theater every year. | A new play for the theater is written by her every year. — She writes a new play for the theater every year. |
Past Simple |
He stole food from the shop. — He stole food from the store. | Food was stolen from the shop by him. — The food was stolen from the store. |
Future Simple |
They will show a new musical on TV next month. — They will show a new musical on television next month. | A new musical will be shown on TV next month. — The new musical will be shown on television next month. |
Present Continuous |
My dad is repairing the car now. — My dad is repairing the car now. | The car is being repaired by my dad now. — The car is now being repaired by dad. |
Past Continuous |
At 9 my brother was loading the truck. — At 9 o’clock my brother was unloading the truck. | At 9 o’clock the truck was being loaded by my brother. — At 9 o’clock the truck was unloaded by my brother. |
Present Perfect |
My daughter has already translated the whole text. — My daughter has already translated the entire text. | The whole text has already been translated by my daughter. — The entire text has already been translated by my daughter. |
Past Perfect |
When we came to the kitchen, he had eaten the pie. — When we entered the kitchen, he had already eaten the pie. | When we came to the kitchen, the pie had been eaten. — When we entered the kitchen, the pie had already been eaten. |
Future Perfect |
We will have finished the work by 6 tomorrow. — Tomorrow we will finish work by six. | The work will have been finished by 6 tomorrow. — The work will be finished by six tomorrow. |
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this element of the language. First of all, determine the role of the subject: it acts or on him. Then determine the time (you can use hint words). If you need to use the passive construction, then our passive voice table is at your service. Choose the tense, auxiliary verb, predicate ending, and you're done. It is better to consolidate all this in exercises that can be completed online on our website.
"" is used to express an obligation coming from the speaker. Those. when the speaker says that he understands what he needs to do.
“ ” is an indispensable modal verb used in situations where we are talking about present or future obligations that cannot be violated.
“” is a well-known and frequently used verb that means “to be able to”, “to be able to”.
“ ” is a synonym for the verb “should”, its more polite version.
« Be supposed to" is a modal verb whose function is to tell what people need to do in accordance with the rules. Moreover, it is used when we talk about what is expected to happen.
Passive voice formula
What is the above mentioned: (to) be + V3? The answer is simple. When we change a sentence from "active" to "passive", we must change the predicate of the sentence. First, you need to put the verb “ to be" at the time used in the main sentence. Secondly, put the main verb in the third form (Past Participle).
So, to compose a sentence with a modal verb, we need to put the verb “ be" in combination with a modal verb. It will look like this:
Must be(it should be)
Have to be(it should be)
Ought to be(should be)
Can be(May be)
Should be(should be)
Be supposed to be(it is believed that; it is assumed that;)
The second stage is the same placement of the main verb into the third form.
A little practice
The secretary must write a letter. / Secretary must write letter.
The letter must be written by the secretary. / Letter must be written secretary.
He has to do this test. / He must perform this test.
This test has to be done by him. / This test must be completed them.
He was supposed to send an email an hour ago. /It was assumed, What He will send letter hour back.
The email was supposed to be sent by him an hour ago. / It was assumed, What electronic letter will sent hour back.
Try to change the sentences given in the article yourself from active voice ( Active Voice) to passive voice ( Passive Voice). This will allow you to remember the rule, as well as work out its transformation scheme in practice step by step.
In this lesson we will examine a very complex grammatical topic - Active and Passive Voice in English. Simply put, voice is an indicator of whether the subject is performing the action or the action is being performed on it.
There are two forms of voice in English: the Active Voice and the Passive Voice.
In the active voice, the verb denotes an action that is performed by the subject:
- I read twenty pages yesterday.
- Yesterday I read twenty pages.
In the passive voice, the verb denotes an action that is performed on the subject:
- Twenty pages were read by me yesterday.
- Yesterday I read twenty pages.
Compare the following examples:
- They usually sing such songs in class. (Active Voice)
- They usually sing such songs in class.
- Such songs are usually sang by them in class. (Passive Voice)
- Such songs are usually sung by them in class.
- Has the manager checked up your report? (Active Voice)
- Did the manager check your report?
- Has your report been checked up by the manager? (Passive Voice)
- Has your report been reviewed by the manager?
If you have reached the topic of voices in English, then by now you have already learned the tense forms of the verb in Active Voice. You already know that there are a total of 12 main active tenses in the English language. Each tense is formed in its own way, using endings and auxiliary verbs. What does the system of tenses in the passive voice look like?
The passive voice also has a tense system. But unlike the active voice, there are only 8 tense forms in it. All Perfect Continuous tenses, as well as the Future Continuous tense, are not used in Passive Voice.
To form tenses of the passive voice, we need the auxiliary verb to be, which must have the appropriate form of the active voice, and the past participle of the semantic verb. You already know that the past participle is formed using the -ed ending for regular verbs, or use the III form of irregular verbs from the table, which you need to know by heart.
The passive voice formation scheme for all tenses is as follows: How are tense forms of the passive voice formed?
Below, as examples, are tables of conjugation of the verbs to promote and to choose in the passive voice (affirmative form).
Simple Tenses in the Passive Voice −
Simple tenses in passive voice
| Present Simple Passive | Past Simple Passive | Future Simple Passive |
| I am promoted/chosen You are promoted/chosen He/ She/ It is promoted/ chosen |
I was promoted/chosen You were promoted/chosen He/ She/ It was promoted/ chosen |
I shall/ will be promoted/ chosen You will be promoted/chosen He/ She/ It will be promoted/ chosen |
| We are promoted/chosen You are promoted/chosen They are promoted/chosen |
We were promoted/chosen You were promoted/chosen They were promoted/chosen |
We shall / will be promoted / chosen You will be promoted/chosen They will be promoted/chosen |
Continuous Tenses in the Passive Voice -
Long tenses in passive voice
| Present Continuous Passive | Past Continuous Passive |
| I am being promoted/ chosen He/ She/ It is being promoted/ chosen |
I was being promoted/ chosen He/ She/ It was being promoted/ chosen |
| We are being promoted/chosen You are being promoted/ chosen They are being promoted/ chosen |
We were being promoted/chosen You were being promoted/ chosen They were being promoted/ chosen |
Perfect Tenses in the Passive Voice -
Perfect tenses in passive voice
| Present Perfect Passive | Past Perfect Passive | Future Perfect Passive |
| I have been promoted/chosen He/ She/ It has been promoted/ chosen |
I had been promoted/chosen He/ She/ It had been promoted/ chosen |
I shall/ will have been promoted/ chosen He/ She/ It will have been promoted/ chosen |
| We have been promoted/chosen You have been promoted/chosen They have been promoted/chosen |
We had been promoted/chosen You had been promoted/ chosen They had been promoted/chosen |
We shall / will have been promoted / chosen You will have been promoted/ chosen They will have been promoted/ chosen |
What verbs form Passive Voice forms?
All verbs in English have Active Voice forms. Not all verbs can form Passive Voice forms, mainly only Transitive Verbs.
Transitive verbs express an action directed at some object and take a direct, indirect or prepositional object.
Examples of transitive verbs in active and passive voices:
- Active: The pioneers have done much useful work on the collective farm.
- Passive: Much useful work has been done by the pioneers on the collective farm.
- Active: Jane’s friends gave her many presents for her birthday.
- Passive: Jane was given many presents for her birthday.
- Active: We shall build Communism in this country within the next twenty years.
- Passive: Communism will be built in this country within the next twenty years.
- Active: Everybody listened to the lecturer with great attention.
- Passive: The lecturer was listened to with great attention.
Intransitive Verbs express an action that characterizes the subject, but is not directed at any object. Intransitive verbs do not take objects. As a rule, they do not have passive voice forms or have them only in some cases.
Examples with intransitive verbs:
- We live in Russian Federation.
- I am a teacher.
There are verbs in English that, depending on their meaning, can be either transitive or intransitive. For example, the verb to grow meaning “to grow” is intransitive and does not form a passive voice form. In the meaning of “to grow” it is transitive and forms forms of the passive voice. Compare:
- Barley grows very fast - Barley grows very quickly (intransitive meaning, Active Voice)
- We grow many beautiful flowers in our small garden - We grow many beautiful flowers in our small garden (transitive meaning, Active Voice)
- Many beautiful flowers are grown in our garden - Many beautiful flowers are grown in our garden (transitive meaning, Passive Voice)
Constructions with verbs in Passive Voice
If a verb in Active Voice takes direct and indirect objects, then any of these objects can act as the subject of a sentence with a verb in Passive Voice.
Compare the following sentences:
- My parents told me many interesting facts about our family’s past. (verb to tell in Active Voice; indirect object - me, direct object - facts)
- I was told many interesting facts about our family’s past by my parents. (verb to tell in Passive Voice; the subject in sentence 2 corresponds to the indirect object in sentence 1 (I − me)
- Many interesting facts about our family’s past were told to me by my parents. (verb to tell in Passive Voice; the subject in sentence 3 corresponds to the direct object in sentence 1 (facts - facts)
Type 2 sentences in Passive Voice use the following verbs: to allow - to allow, to ask - to ask, to award - to assign, to forbid - to prohibit, to forgive - to forgive, to give - to give, to offer - to offer, to pay - to pay, to present - to give, to show - to show, to teach - to teach, to tell - to speak.
- My big brother was given many presents for his birthday - My older brother was given many gifts for his birthday
- They were asked some questions at the enter-exams - They were asked a couple of questions at the entrance exams
- We will be taught Spanish next year - We will be taught Spanish next year
- I was shown the way by a small girl - The little girl showed me the way
In Russian, sentences of type 2 are not used in Passive Voice. Instead, indefinite personal sentences or personal sentences with a verb in Active Voice are used. Compare:
- We were told many interesting stories − We were told many interesting stories (vaguely personal sentence)
- We were told many stories by our teacher − Our teacher told us many stories (personal sentence with a verb in Active Voice)
If a verb in Active Voice takes a prepositional object, then the prepositional object can act as the subject of a sentence with a verb in Passive Voice (with the preposition placed after the verb). Compare:
- People speak much about that film - People talk a lot about that film (Active Voice)
- That film is much spoken about - They talk a lot about that film (Passive Voice)
- Olga liked to wear very short dresses, and she was often made fun of by her classmates - Olga liked to wear very short dresses, which is why her classmates often laughed at her
Sentences of this type are not found in Russian. Instead, indefinite personal sentences or personal sentences with a verb in Active Voice are used:
- He is waited for − They are waiting for him
- He is waited for by his friends − His friends are waiting for him
Using Passive Voice Forms
Sentences with a Passive Voice predicate are used in English when the main interest is the object undergoing the action (the object of the action) rather than the one doing the action (the subject of the action), as in sentences with the Active Voice verb.
In sentences with Passive Voice, the object of the action is the subject, and the subject of the action is either expressed by a prepositional object with the prepositions by/with, or is not mentioned at all.
Examples of sentences with a verb in Passive Voice, in which the subject of the action is not mentioned:
- Tennis is played all over the world − Tennis is played all over the world
- The wounded were flown to hospital − The wounded were sent to the hospital by plane
- I am told you’re a bad player − I was told that you are a bad player
- Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 - Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14
- A new building is being built in my street - A new building is being built on my street
As you have probably already noticed, sentences of this type are translated into Russian as indefinite-personal sentences, or less often, sentences with a verb in the passive voice.
Examples of sentences with a verb in Passive Voice, in which the subject of the action is expressed by a prepositional object with the prepositions by/with:
- Many flowers were planted by our children last spring - Our children grew many flowers last spring
- The sky wasn’t covered with dark clouds - The sky was not covered with dark clouds
- The radio was invented by Popov In 1895 - Popov invented the radio in 1895
Tenses in the passive voice have the same meanings as the corresponding tenses in the active voice. The passive voice is used much more often in English than in Russian, where the same meaning is conveyed by indefinitely personal, impersonal or personal sentences with a verb in the active voice.
No matter how difficult the topic “Active and Passive Voice in English” may seem to you, you simply must master it, because The passive voice is very often used in both spoken and written English.
Watch the following video lessons on the topic: “Active and Passive Voice in English” (9
Votes: 4,11
out of 5)
Forms of passive voice - Passive forms
The tables present temporary ? e forms of the passive voice. The correct verb invite is given as an example.
Present - The present
|
Simple[?s?mp(?)l] Simple Alternative title: Indefinite[?n?def(?)n?t] Uncertain |
Continuous
Long-term Alternative title: Progressive Long lasting |
Perfect[?p??(r)f?kt] Perfect | ||||||||
| ... am/are/is + III. | ... am/are/is being + III. | ... have/has been + III. | ||||||||
| I | am | invited. | I | am | been invited. | I | have | been invited. | ||
| You | are | You | are | You | ||||||
| We | We | We | ||||||||
| They | They | They | ||||||||
| He | is | He | is | He | has | |||||
| She | She | She | ||||||||
| It | It | It | ||||||||
| I am invited. I am invited (usually, always, often). | I am being invited. I am invited (now). | I have been invited. I was invited (I'm already invited). | ||||||||
Past Past
|
Simple[?s?mp(?)l] Simple Alternative title: Indefinite[?n?def(?)n?t] Uncertain |
Continuous
Long-term Alternative title: Progressive Long lasting |
Perfect[?p??(r)f?kt] Perfect | ||||||||
| ... was/were + III. | ... was/were being + III. | ... had been + III. | ||||||||
| I | was | invited. | I | was | being invited. | I | had been invited. | |||
| You | were | You | were | You | ||||||
| We | We | We | ||||||||
| They | They | They | ||||||||
| He | was | He | was | He | ||||||
| She | She | She | ||||||||
| It | It | It | ||||||||
| I was invited. I was invited (usually, always, often). | I was being invited. I was invited (at the time.../at the time...). | I had been invited. I was invited (before...). | ||||||||
Future[?fju?t??(r)] Future
|
Simple[?s?mp(?)l] Simple Alternative title: Indefinite[?n?def(?)n?t] Uncertain |
Continuous
Long-term Alternative title: Progressive Long lasting |
Perfect[?p??(r)f?kt] Perfect | |||||||||||
| ... will /shall* be + III. | Absent in the passive voice (replaced by the Future Simple form) | ... will /shall* have been + III. | |||||||||||
| I | will /shall* | be invited. | I | will /shall* | have been invited. | ||||||||
| We | We | ||||||||||||
| You | will | You | will | ||||||||||
| They | They | ||||||||||||
| He | He | ||||||||||||
| She | She | ||||||||||||
| It | It | ||||||||||||
| I will be invited. I will be invited./I will be invited. | I will have been invited. I will be invited (by the time...). | ||||||||||||
Future in the past[?fju?t??(r) ?n ð? p??st] The future is in the past
|
Simple[?s?mp(?)l] Simple Alternative title: Indefinite[?n?def(?)n?t] Uncertain |
Continuous
Long-term Alternative title: Progressive Long lasting |
Perfect[?p??(r)f?kt] Perfect | ||||||||||||
| ... would /should* be + III. | Absent in passive voice (replaced by Future in the Past Simple) | ... would /should* have been + III. | ||||||||||||
| I | would/should* | be invited. | I | would/should* | have been invited. | |||||||||
| We | We | |||||||||||||
| You | would | You | would | |||||||||||
| They | They | |||||||||||||
| He | He | |||||||||||||
| She | She | |||||||||||||
| It | It | |||||||||||||
| I knew I would be invited. I knew that I would be invited./I knew that I would be invited. | I knew I would have been invited. I knew I would be invited (by the time...). | |||||||||||||
*Shall and should are obsolete forms of the future and future past tense auxiliaries respectively for the first person singular and plural (I and we) and are not usually used in modern English.
Note: In spoken English and in fiction books, Present Simple, Past Simple and Future Simple are often used instead of complex Perfect and Continuous forms. "Primordial" forms are mainly used in technical and scientific literature.
If the subject denotes a person or thing performing an action, then the predicate verb is used in the form active voice.
If the subject denotes a person or thing being acted upon by another person or thing, then the predicate verb is used in the form passive voice.
Formation of the passive voice
The passive voice is formed using the auxiliary verb to be at the required time And past participles semantic verb.
| Time | Active voice | Passive voice |
|
am/is/are + past participle |
My favorite author writes these humorous books - My favorite author writes these funny books. | These humorous books are written by my favorite author – These funny books are written by my favorite author. |
|
Present Continuous am/is/are being + past participle |
I am looking into it now - This is exactly what I’m doing now. | This matter is being looked into – This issue is being dealt with now. |
|
have/has been + past participle |
They have painted the fence recently - They recently painted the fence. | The fence has been painted recently - The fence was painted recently. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | – | – |
|
was/were + past participle |
They closed this store long time ago - They closed this store a long time ago. | This store was closed long time ago - This store was closed a long time ago. |
|
was/were being + past participle |
I knew they were talking about me - I knew that they were talking about me. | I knew I was being talked about - I knew that they were talking about me. |
|
had been + past participle |
They had introduced them to each other before I arrived - They introduced them to each other before I arrived. | They had been introduced to each other before I arrived - They were introduced to each other before I arrived. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | – | – |
|
will be + past participle |
Next week they will take the whole class to the museum – Next week they will take the whole class to the museum. | Next week the whole class will be taken to the museum - Next week the whole class will be taken to the museum. |
| Future Continuous | – | – |
|
will have been + past participle |
By next summer I will have finished this course - By next summer I will finish this course. | By next summer this course will have been finished - By next summer this course will be completed. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | – | – |
The table shows that the passive voice not used in such tenses as Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous, Future Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous. In such cases you can use:
1. Active voice
Tomorrow at this time I will be discussing this project with my colleague - Tomorrow at this time I will discuss this project with my colleague.
2. Passive voice. But it should be remembered that in this case it is necessary to replace tenses that are not used in the passive voice with those that are used in the passive voice.
- Future Continuous -> Future Simple
Tomorrow at 10 o"clock they will be holding a meeting - Tomorrow at 10 o'clock they will hold a meeting.
The meeting will be held tomorrow at 10 o"clock - The meeting will be held tomorrow at 10 o'clock. - Present Perfect Continuous -> Present Perfect
She has been cleaning her flat since morning - She cleans her apartment in the morning.
The flat has been cleaned since morning - The apartment is cleaned in the morning. - Past Perfect Continuous -> Past Perfect
They had been selling furniture for over 20 years before they closed down their shop - They were selling furniture for more than 20 years before they closed their store.
Their furniture had been sold for over 20 years before their shop was closed down – Their furniture was sold for more than 20 years before their store was closed. - Future Perfect Continuous -> Future Perfect
Next week I will have been painting this portrait for 3 months – Next week it will be 3 months since I painted this portrait.
Next week this portrait will have been painted for 3 months – Next week it will be 3 months since this portrait has been painted.
Using the Passive Voice
| Cases of use | Examples |
| 1. Passive voice is used when the speaker is more interested in the action itself, and not in who (or what) it was performed. | This building is very old. It was built many years ago – This building is very old. It was built many years ago. (the speaker is interested in the building itself, and not who built it) |
| 2. The passive voice is used in sentences that begin with an already known fact and end with some kind of “news”, a new additional fact. |
What a lovely book! What a wonderful book! |
| 3. Passive voice is used when talking about the same person or thing. | Yesterday my son spent the whole day at his granny"s. He was taken to the park for a walk. After that he had his lunch. At the end of the day he was given a portion of chocolate ice cream - Yesterday my son spent all day at his grandmother's. He went for a walk in the park. Then he had lunch. And at the end of the day he was given a portion of chocolate ice cream. (we are talking about the same person, the passive voice in this situation helps to avoid the use of the same constructions, making the speech varied) |
| 4. Long explanations are best placed at the end of the sentence. In some cases, this requires using the passive voice. | I will be seen by the same doctor who treated my father last week - I will be examined by the same doctor who treated my father last week. (a long explanation about the doctor is better to put at the end of the sentence, so for this sentence the passive voice is a better construction) |
| 5. Certain verbs that are much more common to use in the passive voice, despite their “active” meaning. |
|
Some features of the use of the passive voice
| Features of use | Examples |
| 1. Passive voice not used with intransitive verbs*. | I am arriving at 3 o"clock tomorrow - I arrive at 3 o'clock tomorrow. (arrive is an intransitive verb, and therefore it is impossible to compose a sentence with this verb in the passive voice) |
| 2. Past participles are used in both passive voice and active voice. Try not to confuse them! |
I have signed the paper - I signed the document. (active voice, Present Perfect Tense) The paper was signed - The document was signed. (passive voice, Past Simple Tense) |
| 3. In sentences with passive voice, the person performing the action is joined by a preposition by, and the instrument with which the action is performed is attached by a preposition with. |
The Pyramids were built by Egyptians – The pyramids were built by the Egyptians. (person who performed the action) The letter was written with a pencil - The letter was written in pencil. (the instrument with which the action was performed) |
|
4. In passive voice, phrasal verbs retain the preposition used with them. This preposition is put at the end of a sentence. |
The tickets have already been paid for – The tickets have already been paid for. (The preposition for belongs to the noun tickets, but is at the end of the sentence) |
*Intransitive verbs- these are those verbs with which it is impossible to use a direct object (translated into Russian as an object in the accusative case without a preposition).
Finally, they arrived - Finally, they arrived. (Arrive is an intransitive verb; it cannot be followed by a direct object)
Transitive verbs denote an action that, in its meaning, transfers to a certain object that can be expressed by a direct object. For example, you can only “wash” something: a window, dishes, a car. The very meaning of the verb implies the presence of an object.
I invited Sally and Sharon – I invited Sally and Sharon. (Invite is a transitive verb, Sally and Sharon is a direct object)
Many verbs in English can be both transitive and intransitive. Compare these offers:
The door opened - The door opened.
She opened the door - She opened the door.