Unit 17
B. Form of the Passive Voice am
are is was were
+ verb III (Past Participle)
will shall
can may must should
might could would
… to
be + verb III (Past Participle)
have has had
been + verb III (Past Participle) am
are is
- was were prep
being + verb III (Past Participle)
Transformation from Active to Passive Voice
Situation forms Active Passive
Simple Present keeps (menjaga) is kept (dijaga) Present Continuous is keeping (sedang menjaga) is being kept
(sedang dijaga) Present Perfect has kept (telah menjaga) has been kept
(telah dijaga) Present Perf. Cont. tidak dipakai dalam bentuk passive voice
Simple Past kept (menjaga-lampau) was/were kept (dijaga-lampau) Past Cont. was keeping (sedang menjaga
pada waktu lampau)
was being kept (sedang dijaga waktu lampau) Past Perfect had kept (telah menjaga waktu
lampau)
had been kept (telah dijaga pada waktu lampau) Future will keep (akan menjaga) will be kept (akan
dijaga) Future Perfect will have kept (akan selesai
menjaga)
will have been kept (akan selesai dijaga)
Infinitive "to" have to keep (harus menjaga) has to be kept (harus dijaga) Examples:
- I am always called by father every morning.
- This car is usually cleaned by me.
- The book was written by Darwin Dicky - The kite was made by my brother.
- This problem can be solved.
- The new hotel will be opened next year.
- Azhar might be sent to America by his campus in August.
- This room is going to be painted next week.
- Go away! I want to be left alone.
- The report will be written by the secretary.
- A big mosque had been built by people form Mataram.
- It has been stated by the experts that scarcity always exists.
- An old building of UIN Mataram was built in 1999 (affirmative).
- The new buildings of UIN Mataram were built in 1999 (affirmative)
- An old building of UIN Mataram wasn’t built in 1999 (negative).
- The new buildings of UIN Mataram weren’t built in 1999 (negative) - Was an old building of UIN Mataram built in 1999? (interrogative/
question).
- Were the new buildings of UIN Mataram built in 1999?
(interrogative/ question).
- Wasn’t an old building of UIN Mataram built in 1999? (negative interrogative).
- Weren’t the new buildings of UIN Mataram built in 1999? (negative interrogative).
C. Illustration of the Passive Voice
In our country, letters and packages are received at home or at the office, or it depends on the address which has been written on the envelop. Of course, the address of a person we are writing to must be written clearly so that it can be read easily. In big towns, many people have boxes. A letter is being put into that box. If there is no box, a letter will be given to a person he meets in one house. It is being handed hurriedly, but politely, because many others will be being delivered as soon as possible. If there is no person he meets in one house, a letter will be pushed through an opening in the door, or it will be offered to his neighbour. Anyhow, packages are almost never left beside the door because the mailman will be hesitating whether they will be received safely by the owners or takes by other people or stolen and taken away.
1. How is the mail service provided in your country?
2. Are letters delivered to each person's door?
3. Is mail kept at the post office until someone goes there to get it?
4. If someone lives far from a post office, how does he get his mail?
5. Where is a letter being put in a big town?
D. Use of Passive Voice
The passive voice is used when we want to focus attention on the person or thing affected by the action. Normally, the performer of the
action, or the agent, comes first and is made the subject of the verb and then we use the active form of the verb. The other person or thing is made the object of the verb.27
The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.
Examples:
- The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are interested in the passive voice, not in who uses it.)
- The house was built in 1999. (= we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)
- The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the road, not in the people who are doing the repairs.)28
Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don't know or do not want to express who performed the action.
Examples:
- I noticed that a window had been left open.
- Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
- All the cookies have been eaten.
- My car has been stolen!
The passive voice is often used in formal texts. Switching to the active voice will make your writing clearer and easier to read.
- A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words (passive voice).
A few well-chosen words convey a great deal of meaning (active voice).
- Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases (passive voice).
A mass of gases wrap around our planet (active voice).
- Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways (passive voice).
27 https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Passive_voice
28 https://www.ef.com/wwen/english-resources/english-
The city disposes of waste materials in a variety of ways (active voice).
If we want to say who or what performs the action while using the passive voice, we use the preposition by. When we know who performed the action and are interested in him, it is always better to switch to the active voice instead.
- "A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles.
- The Beatles wrote "A Hard Day's Night".
- The movie ET was directed by Spielberg.
- Spielberg directed the movie ET.
- This house was built by my father.
- My father built this house.29
E. Practice
a. Change the following sentences into the passive voice.
Example: We can solve this problem.
This problem can be solved.
1. My father eats his breakfast before seven.
2. His mother is making coffee for his father.
3. He smoked ten cigarettes yesterday.
4. He was taking a bath at 6.30 yesterday morning.
5. We will not enjoy the music tonight.
6. Will he be studying English at this time tomorrow?
7. Have you sent your package to her?
8. She had closed the windows before I asked her.
9. They will have discussed it by 12.00.
10.They always read some books in the library every day.
b. These are passives sentences. Put in the past participle of the verbs in brackets.
Example: Our school was ……….. (build) in 1999.
Our school was built in 1999.
29 Ibid.
1. The door is …………. (lock) every night.
2. These cups will be ……… (wash) again.
3. The thief was …………. (catch) yesterday.
4. She was …………. (hurt) in the right leg.
5. English is …………. (speak) all over the world.
6. The prisoner will be severely ……… (punish).
7. Two of the boxes have been ………….. (steal).
8. Orchids are ………….. (grow) in tropical countries.
9. Were you ………. (see) on your way to the cinema?
10. Has her mother been ………… (tell) of the accident?
11. She is being ……… (punish) by teacher.
12.You speaking course will ……….(teach) by Mr. John next meeting.
13. We have ………(wait) for 30 minutes by teaher.
14.The students are being………(inform) about their tuition.
15. Is your paper ………(present) in the international conference?