1.
THE USE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE<br />Author: Yolanda Loja C. <br />

2.
In English , all sentences are either in active or passive voice.<br />ACTIVE VOICE<br />Alexander Graha Graham Bell invented the telephone. <br />This sentence is in the active voice because Alexander Graham Bell is responsible for the action. He is the performer of the action. <br />In active voice the subject does the acting . <br />

3.
PASSIVE VOICE <br />The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell..<br />This sentence is in the passive voice because the subject, <br />Alexander G.B, is acted upon and the object becomes the subject. <br />In Passive voice, the subject of an active voice sentence becomes the object. <br />

4.
When do we use the passive voice? <br />a) When we want to emphasize the receiver or agent of an action rather than the doer of the action. <br />Ex: Batman’s pet was shot by the hunter.<br />

5.
b) When we don’t know the identity of the doer of the action<br />Ex: The car was stolen from the parking lot. <br />c) When the doer or actor of an action is irrelevant<br />Ex: The wedding invitation will be mailed next Monday. <br />

6.
d) When we are talking about general truths <br />Ex. Rules are to be torn.<br />In this sentence, we want to emphasize in a general way the fact that rules are always broken . <br />

7.
How to form the passive form? <br />The structure of passive voice is very simple:<br />Subject + auxiliary (verb be) + main verb (past participle) + agent <br />Ex: Waterisdrunk by everybody.<br />subj aux verb agent<br />Remember that in active voice the agent is the subject of the sentence. <br />Everybody drinks water.<br />subj verb object <br />

8.
How can I determine the tense in a passive voice?<br /> In passive voice sentences, the auxiliary “be” identifies the tense.<br />Ex: <br />Jesuscrist is worshiped by Christians. <br />The auxiliary “be” is in the simple present tense; therefore, this passive voice sentence is in the simple present tense. <br />

9.
Passive voice tenses:<br />These are examples with most possible tenses.<br />Active sentence: people wash peaches before eating them.<br />Passive voice: <br />

10.
Active sentence: Ecuador sells oil to Europe. <br />Passive voice: <br />

11.
Active sentence: People have bought many LCD this year. <br />Passive voice : <br />