The passive voice in English is a fairly simple topic to master, if before this the methods of formation of the second participle, especially the table of irregular verbs , were well studied .
What is a passive voice?
In English, it is used very actively, so understanding its essence is the first thing to start with. Compare two sentences: “He speaks”, “They speak about him”. In the second case, not the object itself performs the action, but the action is performed on it. Passive voice is also called passive. “The dress was sewn”, “The criminal was taken into custody”, “Coffee will be brought to the room” - everywhere the subject performs a passive, passive role, is the object of someone’s actions. At the same time, it is not necessary to indicate the source of the action. The criminal is taken into custody by someone specific or not - this is not so important. It is clear from the construction of the phrase that such a source exists, but it is secondary.
Passive voice: grammar
The grammar of the passive voice in English is quite simple, and all forms can be reduced to the following scheme:
- subject + auxiliary verb to be or to have in the corresponding form + second participle.
Not all verbs can be used in the passive voice. Compare the two verbs: travel (to travel) and write (to write). The second verb can have an object over which it performs an action (write what? - a letter, a book, an essay), and the first verb cannot have such an object. This object is called a direct complement. And verbs that may have such a complement are called transitive. As you already understood, only transitive verbs can be used in the passive voice.
The passive voice in English has only eight grammatical forms. Three tenses - future, present and past, plus three states of time - simple, long and complete. It would seem that there should be nine forms of passive voice, however, the future for a long time is not used in passive voice.
By studying this topic, you will appreciate how simple and logical the English language is. The passive voice, the table of forms of which is given below, is based on a harmonious grammatical scheme. Based on the table, you can easily make the right sentences. Despite the fact that this topic is considered quite complicated (it is considered at the Intermediate level), it usually does not cause special problems for students.
| The present | Past | Future |
| Simple | am / is / are + built / called | was / were + built / called | will + be + built / called |
| Long | am / is / are + being + built / called | was / were + being + built / called | - |
| Completed | have / has + been + built / called | had + been + built / called | will + have + been + built / called |
Special attention should be paid to the passive voice in the form of the “Future in the Past” time.
How to transfer passive voice
In English, if you forget about Russian and immediately understand the meaning, everything is very simple. Here is the object, here is the action, here is a simple table in three columns on three rows. But in our language, the passive voice is grammatically realized much richer and more complicated. Therefore, there can be several ways to translate the same English sentence.
1. Using the verb "to be" and the sacrament. This is especially convenient when it comes to past or future tenses. As you know, in the Russian language the verb "to be" in the present tense (the form "is") is used very rarely.
- The houses were built here last year . - The houses were built here last year.
- The parcel will be sent tomorrow . “The package will be sent tomorrow.”
2. Reflexive verbs (with ending -s ). This method is convenient for the present.
- Letters are delivered at 7 every day . - Letters are delivered daily at seven o’clock.
3. Indefinitely personal construction. The verb in this case is in the plural. Suitable for any time, but used only when the object performing the action is not specified.
- The houses were built here last year . - The houses were built here last year.
- Letters are delivered at 7 every day . - Letters are delivered daily at seven o’clock.
- My lawn mower already has been repaired . “My lawnmower has already been repaired.”
- These offices are being cleaned now . - In offices now clean.
- The parcel will be sent tomorrow . “The package will be sent tomorrow morning.”
How to quickly master a passive voice? The English language, exercises for which are abundantly represented in many modern textbooks, is really very easy to learn, if only because you are not limited by anything. At your service is a tremendous methodological base that allows you to build a language mastering for a person with almost any features and needs. Imagine that you are learning a less popular language, such as Korean or even Spanish. Especially there will be nothing to choose from, and in many respects it will be necessary to be independent, which is fraught with “not there” and “not so” movements. Here, only persistence is required of you. Keep a table with passive voice forms with you and try to translate everything that caught your eye, starting with the sentences in your textbook and ending with your own thoughts.