Passive voice what is it
Passive voice what is it
Passive Voice — Страдательный (пассивный) залог в английском языке
В английском языке, как и в русском, глаголы могут иметь два залога: действительный (Active Voice) и страдательный (Passive voice).
I write a letter.
Я пишу письмо.
The letter is written by me.
Письмо написано мною.
В действительном залоге ПОДЛЕЖАЩЕЕ (существительное или местоимение) выражает ЛИЦО (или ПРЕДМЕТ), которое СОВЕРШАЕТ ДЕЙСТВИЕ. Действие направлено на лицо (или предмет), выраженное существительным или местоимением в функции дополнения.
В страдательном залоге ПОДЛЕЖАЩЕЕ (существительное или местоимение) выражает ЛИЦО (или ПРЕДМЕТ), НА КОТОРОЕ НАПРАВЛЕНО ДЕЙСТВИЕ, выраженное глаголом-сказуемым Действие производит лицо или предмет, выраженный существительным или местоимением в функции дополнения с предлогом by (кем). Но дополнение в страдательном залоге часто отсутствует, поскольку основное внимание направлено не на лицо (или предмет), совершающее действие, а на объект действия и его результат.
Непереходные глаголы, т. е. глаголы, которые не могут иметь при себе прямого дополнения (to live, to arrive и др.), не могут употребляться в форме страдательного залога.
Образование Passive Voice
Страдательный залог (Passive Voice) образуется при помощи вспомогательного глагола to be в соответствующем времени и Participle II смыслового глагола (или третьей формы смыслового глагола).
to be (изменяемая часть) + Participle II (неизменяемая часть)
В зависимости от употребляемой временной формы изменяется глагол to be, который является показателем лица, числа и времени.
The letter is written. Письмо написано.
The letter was written. Письмо было написано.
The letter will be written. Письмо будет написано.
Глагол to write в Passive Voice (в утвердительной форме)
| Indefinite | Continuous | Perfect | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | The book is written. | The book is being written. | The book has been written. |
| Past | The book was written. | The book was being written. | The book had been written. |
| Future | The book will be written. | The book will have been written. | |
| Future in the Past | The book would be written. | The book would have been written. |
Глаголы в Continuous Tenses в английском языке редко употребляются в Passive Voice.
Утвердительная форма
Форма глагола to tell в страдательном залоге в Simple/Indefinite Tenses
| Present | I am He (she, it) is We (you, they) are | told. | Мне говорят. Ему (ей, ему) говорят. Нам (вам, им) говорят. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | I (he, she) was We (you, they) were | Мне (ему, им) сказали. Нам (вам, им) сказали. | |
| Future | I (we) shall be He (she, they) will be | Мне (нам) скажут. Ему (ей, им) скажут. |
The text is written. (Present Indefinite Passive)
Текст написан.
I am sent to Moscow.(Present Indefinite Passive)
Меня посылают в Москву.
The boy was taken to the Zoo.(Past Indefinite Passive)
Мальчика повели в зоопарк.
This book was being translated by two students.(Past Continuous Passive)
Эта книга переводилась двумя студентами.
I have been invited to the theatre.(Present Perfect Passive)
Меня пригласили в театр,
The work will have been finished by Sunday.(Future Perfect Passive)
Работа будет закончена к воскресенью.
Отрицательная форма
Отрицательная форма образуется при помощи отрицательной частицы not, которая ставится после первого вспомогательного глагола.
| Present | I am (I’m) He is (He’s) We are (We’re) You are (You’re) They are | not told. | Мне Ему Нам Вам Им | не говорят. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past | I (he, she, it) We (you, they) | was not told. were not told. | Мне (ему, ей) Нам (вам, им) | не говорили. |
| Future | I (we) shall He (she, it, they) | will not be told. | Мне (вам) Ему (ей, им) | не скажут. |
I am not sent to Moscow. (Present Indefinite Passive)
Меня не посылают в Москву.
The book was not being translated. (Past Continuous Passive)
Книга не переводилась.
The students were not shown a new text-book.(Past Indefinite Passive)
Студентам не показали новый учебник.
I have not been invited to the thearte.(Present Perfect Passive)
Меня не пригласили в театр.
The work will not have been finished by Sunday. (Future Perfect Passive)
Работа не будет закончена к воскресенью.
Вопросительная форма
Вопросительная форма образуется путем постановки первого вспомогательного глагола перед подлежащим.
Is the text written? (Present Indefinite Passive)
Текст написан?
Am I sent to Moscow? (Present Indefinite Passive)
Меня посылают в Москву?
Was the boy taken to the Zoo? (Past Indefinite Passive)
Мальчика повели в зоопарк?
Were the students shown a new text-book? (Past Indefinite Passive)
Студентам показали новый учебник?
Have you been invited to the theatre? (Present Perfect Passive)
Тебя пригласили в театр?
Had the text been written by Sunday? (Past Perfect Passive)
Текст был написан к воскресенью?
Shall I have been invited there? (Future Perfect Passive)
Я буду приглашён туда?
Вопросительно-отрицательная форма
В ВОПРОСИТЕЛЬНО-ОТРИЦАТЕЛЬНОЙ ФОРМЕ вспомогательный глагол to be или первый вспомогательный глагол в сложной форме ставится перед подлежащим, а отрицание not после подлежащего.
Is the text not written? Текст не написан?
Текст написан?
Has the text not been written? Текст не написан?
I am shown.= I’m [aim] shown.
He is shown.= He’s [hi:z] shown.
The text has not been written.= The text hasn’t been written и т. д.
Употребление
Страдательный залог употребляется:
My window was broken yesterday. Моё окно было вчера разбито.
(Для меня важнее, что окно было разбито, чем то, кто его разбил.)
This school was built in a short time. Эта школа была построена за короткий срок.
(Кем была построена школа, нас не интересует. Главное — она была построена быстро.)
My case was stolen. Мой чемодан украли.
(Главное — факт кражи. Кто украл — неизвестно.)
Business letters are written on special forms. Деловые письма пишутся на специальных бланках.
It is said that she turned the job down. Говорят, что она отказалась от работы.
She is expected to win. Ожидают, что она выиграет.
Radio is known to have been invented by Popov. Известно, что радио было изобретено Поповым. (Радио изобрёл Попов.)
Прошедшее и будущее время группы Perfect страдательного залога употребляются довольно редко, а настоящее время группы Perfect (Present Perfect) часто употребляется с глаголами to ask, to send, to tell и др.
Passive voice — правила и примеры
В этой статье мы изучим правила образования пассивного залога в английском языке, а также на примерах разберемся в каких случаях он используется.
Далеко не всегда мы можем уточнить, кто выполняет действие, а порой нам это и вовсе не нужно. В таких случаях уместно употреблять пассивный или страдательный залог, который в английском языке называют passive voice. Давайте разберем, что такое passive voice и правила его образования, а затем рассмотрим случаи его употребления.
Образование passive voice
В английском языке существует два залога — активный (active voice) и пассивный или страдательный (passive voice). В активном залоге действие выполняет подлежащее. В пассивном залоге действие происходит над подлежащим. Давайте сравним:
Mary cleans the office every morning. — Мэри убирает офис каждое утро. (активный залог)
Подлежащее (Мэри) выполняет действие (убирает).
The office is cleaned every morning. — Офис убирают каждое утро. (пассивный залог)
Неизвестно, кто выполняет действие. Подлежащее (офис) подвергается действию (его убирают).
She asked her students to come earlier. — Она попросила студентов прийти раньше. (активный залог)
The students were asked to come earlier. — Студентов попросили прийти раньше. (пассивный залог)
Страдательный залог в английском языке образуется с помощью вспомогательного глагола to be и смыслового глагола в третьей форме. На месте подлежащего в утвердительных предложениях будет стоять человек или предмет, над которым будет производиться действие. Посмотрите на схеме ниже, как активный залог можно преобразовать в пассивный.
Образование пассивного залога в разных временах представлено в таблице ниже. Времена группы Perfect Continuous, а также Future Continuous в пассивном залоге не используются.
| Время | Когда используем | Формула | Пример |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | – регулярное действие – констатация факта | is/am/are + V3 | Thousands of dollars are spent on coffee in America every day. — Тысячи долларов тратятся на кофе в Америке каждый день. |
| Past Simple | – завершенное действие в прошлом | was/were + V3 | The radio was invented 150 years ago. — Радио изобрели 150 лет назад. |
| Future Simple | – действие произойдет в будущем | will be + V3 | The letter will be sent tomorrow. — Письмо отправят завтра. |
| Present Continuous | – действие происходит в момент речи, прямо сейчас | am/is/are + being + V3 | The car is being refueled now. — Машину заправляют сейчас. |
| Past Continuous | – действие происходило в определенный момент в прошлом, акцент на продолжительности действия | was/were + being + V3 | The exam was being taken yesterday morning. — Экзамен сдавали вчера утром. |
| Present Perfect | – действие уже завершилось, акцент на результат | has/have + been + V3 | The flowers have already been watered. — Цветы уже полили. |
| Past Perfect | – действие завершилось до определенного момента или другого события в прошлом | had + been + V3 | The police had been called before the burglars ran away. — Полицию вызвали до того, как воры убежали. |
| Future Perfect | – действие будет завершено до определенного момента в будущем | will + have + been + V3 | The article will have been rewritten by tomorrow morning. — Статью перепишут к завтрашнему утру. |
Для образования отрицательной формы пассивного залога необходима частица not. Ставим ее после вспомогательного глагола. Если вспомогательных глаголов несколько, ставим not после первого.
I left my camera on the bench and it was not stolen! — Я забыл камеру на лавочке, и ее не украли!
The car has not been transported yet. — Машину еще не перевезли.
Чтобы задать вопрос в пассивном залоге, необходимо поставить вспомогательный глагол на первое место.
Will the meeting be held next week? — Встречу проведут на следующей неделе?
Was the match canceled because of the weather? — Матч отменили из-за погоды?
Если есть необходимость указать, кем выполняется действие, в конце предложения ставим предлог by + того, кто выполняет действие.
The book was written by an unknown author. — Книга была написана неизвестным автором.
You will never be disappointed by your loyal employees. — Ты никогда не будешь разочарован своими верными сотрудниками.
Случаи использования passive voice
My project for English literature is ruined! Who did it? — Мой проект по английской литературе испорчен! Кто это сделал?
Your delegation will be met at the airport. You will see a card with your name. — Вашу делегацию встретят в аэропорту. Вы увидите карточку с вашим именем.
You may go to your room. Your suitcase will be taken there in a minute. — Вы можете проходить в свою комнату. Ваш чемодан принесут туда через минуту.
The local shop was robbed this morning. — Местный магазин ограбили этим утром.
A big discount will be provided for the first ten customers. — Большая скидка будет предоставлена первым десяти покупателям.
Quentin Tarantino is known all around the world. — Квентина Тарантино знают по всему миру.
His picture was described as the best artwork of the past year. — Его картина была описана, как лучшая работа прошедшего года.
Have you cancelled the meeting? — Ты отменил встречу? (прямой вопрос)
Has the meeting been cancelled? — Встречу отменили? (более вежливый вопрос).
You haven’t paid for electricity since January! — Вы не платите за электричество с января!
The electricity hasn’t been paid for since January. — За электричество не платят с января.
Другие формы passive voice
Разберем, в каких еще формах и конструкциях можно употреблять страдательный залог.
They expect the work to be done by the weekend. — Они ожидают, что работу закончат к выходным.
He was really surprised to have been granted a certificate. — Он был очень удивлен, что ему выдали сертификат.
I don’t remember having been asked to help her. — Я не помню, чтобы меня просили ей помочь.
It can be postponed till Tuesday. — Это можно отложить до вторника.
It was expected that they would come on Friday. — Ожидалось, что они приедут в пятницу.
They were expected to come on Friday. — Ожидалось, что они приедут в пятницу.
Давайте еще раз посмотрим, как из предложений в активном залоге образуются пассивные конструкции.
People say Anna is a gossiper. — Люди говорят, что Анна — сплетница.
It is said that Anna is a gossiper. — Говорят, что Анна — сплетница. (impersonal construction)
Anna is said to be a gossiper. — Говорят, что Анна — сплетница. (personal construction)
They know that Eric works for FBI. — Они знают, что Эрик работает на ФБР.
It is known that Eric works for FBI. — Известно, что Эрик работает на ФБР. (impersonal construction)
Eric is known to work for FBI. — Известно, что Эрик работает на ФБР. (personal construction)
I did my nails yesterday. — Я сделала маникюр вчера.
I had my nails done yesterday. — Мне сделали маникюр вчера.
His parents will build a house tree. — Его родители построят домик на дереве.
They will have their tree house built. — Им построят домик на дереве.
Эта конструкция может использоваться в разных временах. В зависимости от времени меняется вспомогательный глагол have.
| Время | Пример в активном залоге | Пример с конструкцией have something done |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | She cleans my flat every weekend. — Она убирает мою квартиру каждые выходные. | I have my flat cleaned every weekend. — Мою квартиру убирают каждые выходные. |
| Past Simple | I sent a parcel. — Я отправил посылку. | I had my parcel sent. — Мою посылку отправили. |
| Future Simple | We will paint the kitchen. — Мы покрасим кухню. | We will have our kitchen painted. — Нам покрасят кухню. |
| Present Continuous | They are repairing the road. — Они ремонтируют дорогу. | They are having the road repaired. — Им ремонтируют дорогу. |
| Past Continuous | We were changing the wheel. — Мы меняли колесо. | We were having the wheel changed. — Нам меняли колесо. |
| Future Continuous | I will be doing make-up. — Я буду делать макияж. | I will be having my make-up done. — Мне будут делать макияж. |
| Present Perfect | Our neighbours have just built a fence. — Наши соседи только построили забор. | Our neighbours have just had the fence built. — Нашим соседям только построили забор. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | I have been washing the car for two hours. — Я мою машину последние два часа. | I have been having the car washed for two hours. — Мне два часа моют машину. |
| Past Perfect | He had stolen the wallet. — Он украл кошелек. | He had had his wallet stolen. — У него украли кошелек. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | She had been sewing the dress. — Она шила платье. | She had been having the dress sewed. — Ей шили платье. |
В разговорной речи вспомогательный глагол have часто заменяют на get.
I want to get my purchase delivered. — Я хочу, чтобы мою покупку доставили.
He got the door installed. — Ему установили дверь.
Надеемся, наша статья была для вас полезной и вы разобрались в разных формах страдательного залога. Предлагаем пройти небольшой тест.
When To Pass on Passive Voice
There’s a time and place for passive voice. We’ll explain what it is and when you should (or shouldn’t) use it.
Most of the time, it’s best to avoid passive voice.
What Is Passive Voice?
To know when you should or shouldn’t use passive voice, you must first understand what it is. Passive voice is when a sentence puts the direct object before the verb, and the subject after the verb. In other words, a passive sentence emphasizes the results (or the recipient) of the action, instead of the subject that committed the action.
Usually, the active voice is the safer bet and results in clearer, more direct writing. However, there are a few circumstances where passive voice is appropriate. If you’re scratching your head and still asking yourself what passive voice is, don’t panic. You will learn everything you need to know about passive voice after reading this article.
A passive sentence can sometimes be unnecessarily wordy.What Is Passive Voice?
The school’s basketball team won the championship game.
In this sentence, the school’s basketball team is the subject (the person, place, or thing that performs the action). The verb (the word that refers to the action or state of being) is won. And the direct object (a noun or pronoun that follows an action verb) is the championship game.
The example sentence uses the active voice, meaning it has a subject-verb-direct object structure. In passive sentences, the direct object comes before the verb, and the subject after the verb. Here’s the example sentence in passive voice:
The championship game was won by the school’s basketball team.
Passive sentences are composed by using a form of to be followed by the past participle form of a verb. They also require a preposition.
The stove was turned on by the sous-chef.
The passive voice emphasizes the result of the action rather than who or what performed the action.
Remember that passive voice requires transitive verbs (verbs that demand an object).
Here are a few more examples of sentences in both active and passive voice:
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| We ordered takeout. | Takeout was ordered by us. |
| People from all over the world love the band. | The band is loved by people all over the world. |
| The fire destroyed many houses. | Many houses were destroyed by the fire. |
| The substitute teacher will provide instructions. | Instructions will be provided by the substitute teacher. |
| The students are learning Spanish. | Spanish is being learned by the students. |
What’s Wrong With Passive Voice?
Many writing guides advise avoiding passive voice. Why? What’s wrong with passive voice? It’s not that passive voice is grammatically incorrect (it’s not). But compared to active voice, it can be too wordy, unclear, and indirect.
Passive voice makes your readers work a little harder to decipher the message of your sentence. That’s why it’s best to use an active voice most of the time.
Notice how both sentences express the same thing, but the active sentence has four words, whereas the passive sentence has six. Because passive voice can make sentences unnecessarily long, it’s a good idea to avoid passive voice. There are some instances where the passive structure is appropriate, though.
Quick Tip
The passive voice comes up a lot in written text (and speech). Many writers don’t even notice when they’re using it, or that an alternative active sentence is possible. That’s why using LanguageTool can significantly strengthen your writing.
This intelligent text editor can detect passive voice and suggest rephrasing the sentence. It can also correct spelling and grammar mistakes, quickly provide synonyms, and recommend stylistic improvements. Keep in mind that users can turn off the passive voice rule whenever they want.
When Passive Voice is Okay To Use
When a sentence specifically mentions people, it’s best to use active voice. However, sometimes the subject is unknown or insignificant. In this situation, it’s best to use passive voice. Let’s consider the following sentences:
Active— Someone robbed The Shell Supermarket early yesterday morning.
Passive— The Shell Supermarket was robbed early yesterday morning.
Passive voice is appropriate in this example because the person who robbed the supermarket is unknown. It’s also suitable for emphasizing the recipient of the action rather than the subject who performed it.
The structure of the above sentence brings attention to “Wordle.” However, if you think “The New York Times” is what needs to be accentuated, then switch it to active voice:
To convert a sentence from passive voice to active, consider who or what is performing the action and shift them to the subject of the sentence.
Active— The parents took their children to the park.
Remember
The active voice structure is subject-verb or subject-verb-direct object. On the other hand, the passive voice structure is direct object-verb-subject. Although there are a few circumstances where using passive voice is okay, it’s usually better to write in the active voice. Doing this can help you avoid wordiness and is one of the many well-known tips that improve your writing. Now you know when and why you should pass on passive voice.
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What is Passive Voice
What is Passive Voice
A voice of a verb indicates whether the action indicated by the verb is performed by the subject or performed on/upon the subject. There are two voices in English; they are the active voice and passive voice. Active voice indicates that the subject itself is performing the action of the verb whereas the passive voice indicates that the action is performed on the subject. In this article, we are going to talk about passive voice in detail.
Passive voice is the opposite of active voice. A sentence is considered to be in passive voice when the action indicated by the verb is performed on the subject. The subject does not perform the action in the passive voice. The person or the thing that is performing the action is indicated at the end of the sentence, and it is introduced with the preposition by. In passive voice, the doer of the action is called agent.
The cake was eaten by the dog.
In this sentence, the subject (cake) is not doing the verb. In fact, the action (eating) is done to the subject. It is the agent (dog) who performs the action.
Another significant feature of passive voice is that a sentence cannot be turned into passive voice unless it has a direct object. It is this direct object (in active voice) that acts as the subject of the passive voice. For example, let us take an active voice sentence and see how it is turned into the passive voice.
As seen from the above example, the doer of the action becomes the subject in the active voice, while, in the passive voice, the receiver of the action becomes the subject.
This building will be completed by next year.
Examples of Passive Voice
Given below are some examples of passive voice. Observe how the passive verbs (underlined) have been formed.
His father was killed in an accident.
This hotel is designed by the renowned architect, Mathew Simpsons.
The old lady has been murdered.
Everyone was startled by the loud noise.
The building will be completed by 2018.
A tasty dinner is going to be made by my mother.
The road is being cleaned by the laborers.
Cakes are being eaten by him every day.
As observed from the above examples, the verb of passive sentences is a form of be verb combined with a participle.
The table below indicates the formation of active and passive voice forms of the verb eat.
He eats rice.
Rice is eaten by him.
He is eating rice.
Rice is being eaten by him.
He has eaten rice.
Rice has been eaten by him.
He ate rice.
Rice was eaten by him.
He was eating rice.
Rice was being eaten by him.
He had eaten rice.
Rice had been eaten by him.
He will eat rice.
Rice will be eaten by him.
He will have eaten rice.
Rice will have been eaten by him.
Passive Voice Usage and Examples for ESL/EFL
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The passive voice in English is used to express what is done to someone or something. Here are a few examples:
In each of these sentences, the subject of the sentences does nothing. Rather, something is done to the subject of the sentence. In each case, the focus is on the object of an action. These sentences could also be written in the active voice.
Choosing Passive Voice
The passive voice is used to place focus on the object rather than the subject. In other words, who does something is less important than what was done to something (focusing on the person or thing affected by an action). Generally speaking, the passive voice is used less frequently than the active voice.
That said, the passive voice is useful to switch the focus from who is doing something to what is being done, which makes it especially useful in business settings when the focus is placed on a product. By using the passive, the product becomes the focus of the sentence. As you can see from these examples, this makes a stronger statement than using the active voice.
Computer chips are manufactured in our plant in Hillsboro.
Your car will be polished with the finest wax.
Our pasta is made using only the finest ingredients.
Here are some other example sentences that a business might change to the passive form in order to change focus:
We have produced over 20 different models in the past two years. (active voice)
Over 20 different models have been produced in the past two years. (passive voice)
My colleagues and I develop software for financial institutions. (active voice)
Our software is developed for financial institutions. (passive voice)
Study the passive voice below and then practice your writing skills by changing passive sentences to active sentences, or vice versa.
Passive Voice Sentence Structure
Passive subject + to be + past participle
Note that the verb «be» is conjugated followed by the participle form of the main verb.
The house was built in 1989.
My friend is being interviewed today.
The project has been completed recently.
The passive voice follows the same usage rules as all the tenses in English. However, some tenses tend not to be used in the passive voice. Generally speaking, perfect continuous tenses are not used in the passive voice.
Using the Agent
The person or people taking an action are referred to as the agent. If the agent (the person or people performing an action) is not important for understanding, the agent can be left out. Here are some examples:
The dogs have already been fed. (It’s not important who fed the dogs)
The children will be taught basic math. (It’s clear that a teacher will teach the children)
The report will have been finished by the end of next week. (It’s not important who completes the report)
In some cases, it’s important to know the agent. In this case, use the preposition «by» to express the agent following the passive structure. This structure is especially common when speaking about artistic works such as paintings, books, or music.
«The Flight to Brunnswick» was written in 1987 by Tim Wilson.
This model was developed by Stan Ishly for our production team.
Passive Used With Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are verbs that can take an object. Here are some examples:
We assembled the car in less than two hours.
I wrote the report last week.
Intransitive verbs do not take an object:
She arrived early.
The accident happened last week.
Only verbs that take an object can be used in the passive voice. In other words, the passive voice is used only with transitive verbs.
We assembled the car in less than two hours. (active voice)
The car was assembled in less than two hours. (passive voice)
I wrote the report last week. (active voice)
The report was written last week. (passive voice)
Passive Voice Structure Examples
Here are examples of some of the most common tenses used in the passive voice: