THE PASSIVE Ch. 11

PASSIVE SENTENCES All of the verb tenses & forms we have learned about so far have been ACTIVE. That is, they focus on who or what PERFORMS the action. Passive sentences focus on the RECEIVER or the RESULT of an action. We use passive sentences A LOT in academic writing.

TRANSITIVE VERBS Transitive verbs are verbs that are followed by an object. Give an exam Give = verb Exam = object (what was given)

TRANSITIVE VERBS Throw a baseball Throw = Verb Baseball = Object (what was thrown)

IDENTIFY THE VERB AND THE OBJECT Bo took ESL classes this semester. Nuttika enjoys music. Henry ate lunch. Hakki is drinking a bottle of water. Kouiado hates tests.

ORDER OF PASSIVE SENTENCES The passive form changes the order of the subject and object in a sentence. The OBJECT becomes the subject The subject becomes a by-phrase at the end of the sentence OR It is not included in the sentence at all.

EXAMPLE: Active Sentence: Jonah sent the letter Passive Sentence: The letter was sent by Jonah

EXAMPLE: The storm damaged our roof. Subject = storm (what did the damage) Object = roof (what was damaged) Our roof was damaged by the storm

PRACTICE Complete Exercise 2 – p. 212

TENSE FORMS OF THE PASSIVE We can change active sentences in every verb tense into passive sentences:  Simple present & past  Present & past progressive  Future – will & be going to  Present, past, and future perfect  The progressive forms of the perfect tenses are rarely used in the passive.

SIMPLE PRESENT & PAST PASSIVE Be + Past Participle The boy is helped by Mary. The boy was helped by Mary. The National Anthem is sung at ball games. The National Anthem was sung at the ball game.

PRESENT AND PAST PROGRESSIVE Be + Being + Past Participle The boy is being helped by Mary. The boy was being helped by Mary. The National Anthem is being sung. The National Anthem was being sung.

FUTURE PASSIVE – WILL & BE GOING TO Will/Be Going To + be (the word, NOT a being verb) + past participle The boy will be helped by Mary. The boy is going to be helped by Mary. The National Anthem will be sung. The National Anthem is going to be sung.

PRESENT & PAST PERFECT PASSIVE Has/Had + Been + Past Participle The boy has been helped by Mary. The boy had been helped by Mary. The National Anthem has been sung. The National Anthem had been sung.

FUTURE PERFECT PASSIVE Will + Have + Been + Past Participle The boy will have been helped by Mary. The National Anthem will have been sung.

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 3, 4, and 5 – p

USES FOR THE PASSIVE The most common use is when the agent (the person who performs the action) is not known or not important: Rice is grown in India.  (Exactly who grows the rice is unknown or unimportant) Our house was built in  (Exactly who built the house is unknown or unimportant)

USES FOR THE PASSIVE Sometimes the passive is used when the speaker knows who performs an action. In this case, the passive is used with a by-phrase in order to focus attention on the subject of a sentence. This rug was made by my aunt.  The focus is on the rug, not on who made the rug. Life on the Mississippi was written by Mark Twain.  The focus is on the book, but the by-phrase is included because it contains important information about the book.

WHY WAS THE PASSIVE USED? My sweater was made in England. The new highway will be completed sometime next month. The World Cup soccer games are being televised all over the world. This composition was written by Ali. That one was written by Marco. The Washington Monument is visited by hundreds of people every day. Bananas originated in Asia but now are grown in the tropics of both hemispheres of the world. They were introduced to the Americas in 1516.

PRACTICE Complete Exercise 10 (Listening) – p. 216 Complete Exercise 15 (Listening) – p. 219

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 9 and 11, p Complete Exercises 14 and 16, p

PASSIVE FORM OF MODALS Modal + Be + Past Participle Tom will be invited to the picnic The window can’t be opened. Children should be taught to respect their elders This book had better be returned to the library before Friday. This letter ought to be sent before July 1. Mary has to be told about the change in plans. Fred is supposed to be told about the meeting.

PAST PASSIVE FORM OF MODALS Modal + Have Been + Past Participle The letter should have been sent last week. This house must have been built over 200 years ago. Eric couldn’t have been offered the job. Jill ought to have been invited to the party.

LISTENING PRACTICE Complete Exercise 22, p

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 18, 19, and 21, p

THE NON-PROGRESSIVE PASSIVE When the passive form is used to describe an existing situation or state, it is called the non-progressive passive. In the non-progressive:  No action is taking place; the action happened earlier  There is no by-phrase  The past participle functions as an adjective

THE NON-PROGRESSIVE PASSIVE Examples: I locked the door five minutes ago. NOW: The door is locked. Ann broke the window yesterday. NOW: The window is broken.

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 26 and 27, p

THE NON-PROGRESSIVE PASSIVE: Prepositions other than BY can follow non-progressive passive verbs: I am interested in Chinese art. He is satisfied with his job. Ann is married to Alex.

COMMON NON-PROGRESSIVE PASSIVE VERBS + PREPOSITIONS See chart 11-6 on p. 229 for a list of common non-progressive passive verbs and the prepositions that usually follow them. Examples: He is concerned about his graded. Water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen. She is frightened of spiders. He is associated with that law firm. You are bored with grammar class. She is dressed in slacks. He is divorced from his wife.

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 29, 31, and 32 – p

THE PASSIVE WITH GET GET may be followed by certain adjectives (see list on p. 233). GET gives the idea of change – the idea of becoming, beginning to be, or growing to be. I’m getting hungry.  I wasn’t hungry before, but now I’m beginning to be hungry.

THE PASSIVE WITH GET GET may also be followed by a past participle. The past participle functions as an adjective (it describes the subject) The passive with GET is common in spoken English, but not in formal writing. I stopped working because I got tired. They are getting married next month. The athlete got hurt by the ball. The students are getting prepared for their test. The girl got done with her chores. * See p. 233 for a list of common past participles used with GET

PRACTICE Complete Exercise 37, p. 234

PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES The present participle serves as an adjective with an active meaning. The noun it modifies performs an action. Example: The problem confuses the students VS. It is a confusing problem.  The noun in the first sentence, PROBLEM, does something; it confuses. Thus, in the 2 nd sentence, it is described as a CONFUSING PROBLEM. (Or, think of it as the problem doing the action of confusing)

PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVES The past participle serves as an adjective with a passive meaning. The students are confused by the problem VS. They are confused students.  The students are confused BY something. Thus, they are described in the 2 nd sentence as CONFUSED STUDENTS. (The problem is doing the action of confusing, but you are describing the object – or what is being confused)

PRACTICE Complete Exercises 41 and 45, p Complete Chapter Review Handout