PASSIVE & CAUSATIVE IN ENGLISH

Study the example… This house was built in 1930. (“was built” is passive). Compare active and passive: Somebody built this house in 1930. (active) (object to subject) This house was built in 1930. (passive)

We use an ACTIVE VERB to say what the subject does: My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1930. It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people. We use a PASSIVE VERB to say what happens to the subject: This house is quite old. It was built in 1930. Two hundred people are employed by the company.

If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by…: When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant: A lot of money was stolen in the robbery. Is this room cleaned every day? If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by…: This house was built by my grandfather. Two hundred people are employed by the company.

Somebody cleans this room every day This room is cleaned every day PASSIVE FORMS Present simple (affirmative) Somebody cleans this room every day This room is cleaned every day Careless driving causes many accidents Many accidents are caused by careless driving

PASSIVE FORMS Present simple (negative) Somebody does not clean this room every day This room is not cleaned every day People don’t use this road very often This road is not used very often

PASSIVE FORMS Present simple (interrogative) Does anybody clean this room every day? Is this room cleaned every day? How do people learn languages? How are languages learnt?

Somebody cleaned this room yesterday This room was cleaned yesterday PASSIVE FORMS Past simple (affirmative) Somebody cleaned this room yesterday This room was cleaned yesterday They cancelled all flights because of fog All flights were cancelled because of fog

She did not write a story A story was not written (by her) PASSIVE FORMS Past simple (negative) She did not write a story A story was not written (by her) They didn’t invite Sally to the party Sally was not invited to the party

PASSIVE FORMS Past simple (interrogative) Did Matt bring the ingredients? Were the ingredients brought (by Matt)? Did you wash the car before the trip? Was the car washed before the trip?

Somebody will clean the room later The room will be cleaned later PASSIVE FORMS Future simple (affirmative) Somebody will clean the room later The room will be cleaned later We will sell all our books All our books will be sold

Somebody is cleaning the room The room is being cleaned PASSIVE FORMS Present continuous (affirmative) Somebody is cleaning the room The room is being cleaned John is watering the plants The plants are being watered (by John)

Somebody was cleaning the room The room was being cleaned PASSIVE FORMS Past continuous (affirmative) Somebody was cleaning the room The room was being cleaned My mother was baking a cake A cake was being baked (by my mother)

PASSIVE FORMS Present perfect (affirmative): The room looks nice. Somebody has cleaned it The room looks nice. It has been cleaned They have invited John to the party John has been invited to the party

PASSIVE FORMS Past perfect (affirmative): The room looked nice. Somebody had cleaned it The room looked nice. It had been cleaned They hadn’t told us the good news We hadn’t been told the news (by them)

They should clean this room! This room should be cleaned! PASSIVE FORMS Modals: They should clean this room! This room should be cleaned! You could take some sweets! Some sweets could be taken!

PASSIVE FORMS Modal perfects: They should have cleaned this room! This room should have been cleaned! You should take coats for the kids! Coats should have been taken for the kids!

They have to clean this room! This room has to be cleaned! PASSIVE FORMS “Have to”: They have to clean this room! This room has to be cleaned! He has to wash that jumper! That jumper has to be washed!

And now… your turn!!!

CAUSATIVE

Causative structure: to have/ get + past participle I cut my hair I have my hair cut Causative structure: to have/ get + past participle

CAUSATIVE He washes his car once a month She usually checks her teeth He has/gets his car washed once a month She usually has/gets her teeth checked