The Passive Voice lesson will be split into two lessons:
Why we use the passive
How we form the passive
This is a large, complicated but essential grammar structure that is used in all areas of English: formal, informal, spoken and written.
Often, we use the passive without even realising, as many of the expressions we use in daily life contain the passive, because the structure makes it more natural and efficient.
I was born in Vancouver but my wife was born in Los Angeles.
The suspect was apprehended at approximately 2.15 in the morning and was taken to Canterbury Police Station.
First, your ID will be verified and then you will be taken to a room for questioning.
This chemical is widely known to be harmful to children.
The reasons why we use the passive are varied, and often very different from each other. However, generally
"We use the passive to remove the people in a sentence to make it more impersonal."
This tends to make passive structures more formal or more efficient.
This lesson is going to use the term AGENT frequently to explain the reasons for using the passive.
"The AGENT is the person or thing that performs the action."
Who or what is the AGENT in the following example sentences? Think carefully about the person or thing that does the action.
David bought a new phone. (Who does the buying? David does the buying.)
The teacher gave the students some homework. (Who gives the homework? The teacher gives the homework.)
I was given a new chair by my grandmother. (Be careful here. Who gives the chair? Not I. My grandmother gives me the chair.)
There are 6 reasons why we use the passive.
In these cases here, the AGENT will not be present (except in #5), because we are using the passive for the purpose of 'removing the people to make the sentence more formal or efficient.
1. The AGENT is OBVIOUS
The man was arrested for stealing a television and a radio.
Who is the AGENT in this sentence? Who does the arresting? In real life, think about a person or profession that 'arrests' people. The answer is 'a police officer'.
We use the passive when the AGENT is obvious. Other examples where the agent is obvious include:
A lot of homework was assigned last night to do over the spring break. (The agent is a teacher.)
Following the accident, the driver and the passenger were rushed to the local hospital. (The agent is an ambulance worker or paramedic.)
2. The AGENT is UNKNOWN
The building was burnt down at 3 in the morning.
The AGENT is not obvious, but rather 'unknown'. We may guess that the agent is a criminal, or arsonist (sb who likes to destroy things using fire), but it could also be an accident or an act of nature. Therefore, in this case, the agent is unknown.
The passive is preferred here because in formal language, it is better to use the passive than to start a sentence with something unspecific, unknown or general. For example:
Someone burnt down the building at 3 in the morning. (very informal and casual)
3. The AGENT is UNIMPORTANT
A security pass will be handed out on arrival.
Here, the AGENT is could be obvious or unknown, but is generally predictable, and therefore the agent doesn't matter. In this example, who is the agent? It's most likely a security guard or receptionist at the entry or reception of a building. But the main thing is that the agent really does NOT matter. The main reason we use the passive here is to emphasise the action (i.e. what's happening, not who's doing it).
New employees will be given a welcome pack on their first day.
In this case here, the agent is not important. We don't know and don't care who gives new employees a welcome pack. What is important is the fact that new employees will receive a welcome pack.
4. To AVOID BLAME, FAULT or RESPONSIBILITY
Unfortunately, nothing can be done without a receipt.
The AGENT is generally known in these cases. However, the passive is used to remove the agent because the speaker is trying to remove the idea of BLAME, FAULT or RESPONSIBILITY from the sentence.
In this example, we can predict that this sentence comes from a dialogue between a shop assistant and a customer. It looks like a customer is trying to get a refund or replacement because a product is faulty. Naturally, the fault belongs to the shop or shop assistant because they sold a faulty or broken product to the customer. The shop assistant has chosen their words very carefully and has used the passive to avoid saying that the shop or shop assistant has made a mistake or is responsible for the faulty product. The (possibly unintentional) effect of this is that it looks like the customer is at fault, or has made the mistake, and the shop doesn't need to do anything about the faulty product.
This passive construction is very common in business, retail and politics, where making mistakes and being responsible for a problem can be very costly.
Mistakes were made and these will be investigated immediately. (Imagine a politician saying this in a public announcement. It's definitely not clear who made the mistakes and who will be trying to fix them.)
5. To EMPHASISE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
A: Do you know who invented the radio? B: It was invented by Guglielmo Marconi.
This is the only passive where the AGENT is mentioned in the sentence. The agent is mentioned because it is information the listener does NOT know and would LIKE to know. We mention the agent in a 'BY' phrase at the end of a clause. It's placed at the end of the clause because it is the information we are most likely to remember as it is the last thing we hear.
This passive structure is often used in teaching, when asking for information, and giving important information.
Jaws, (which was) directed by Steven Spielberg, won several Academy Awards.
The brand new Alpha20 blender was designed by a German astronaut.
6. With certain REPORTING VERBS to say 'Many people think...'
It is said that he is the greatest guitarist to have ever lived.
This is a formal structure, often found in academic texts, to say 'many people say...'. By removing the generic people from the subject, the sentence sounds much more formal and sophisticated.
This structure will be explained in more detail in another lesson as it is combination of passive voice and reported speech grammar.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS from the video
TASK:
Identify the passive structure
Identify which reason the passive is used
QUESTIONS:
I'm so glad you like this painting. Did you know it was painted by my late grandmother and sold for 2 million dollars?
Once upon a time, the Earth was believed to be the centre of the universe and that all celestial bodies revolved around it.
The whistle blew loudly and the player in blue was given a red card for a reckless and dangerous tackle.
Your photo identification will be checked prior to the commencement of each part of the exam.
That's odd, the lights have been switched off. Could you go and turn them on for me please?
I'm sorry to do this but we're having a meeting today because I would like to give one of our staff members the opportunity to right their wrong. It seems that a video camera has been taken from the office storage, but fortunately there is CCTV in there. Management knows who you are and we would like to give you the opportunity to return the video camera privately without punishment.
(scroll down for answers)
ANSWERS:
was painted (#5 emphasise important information) was sold (#2 agent is unknown)
was believed (#6 to replace 'many people believe...')
was given (#1 agent is obvious: referee)
will be checked (#3 agent is unimportant)
have been switched off (#2 agent is unknown)
has been taken (#4 avoid blame, fault or responsibility)
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