passives 1: passive structures and verb forms

active and passive structures
Compare:
They built this house in 1486. (active)
This house was built in 1486. (passive)
Austrians speak German, (active)
German is spoken in Austria, (passive)
A friend of ours is repairing the roof, (active)
The roof is being repaired by a friend of ours, (passive)
This book will change your life, (active)
Your life will be changed by this book, (passive)
When A does something to B, there are often two ways to talk about it. If we want A (the doer) to be the subject, we use an active verb: built, speak, is repairing. If we want B (the ‘receiver’ of the action) to be the subject, we use: was built, is spoken, is being repaired, will be changed.
The object of an active verb corresponds to the subject of a passive verb.
In most cases, the subject of an active verb is not expressed in the corresponding passive sentence. If it does have to be expressed, this usually happens in an expression with by; the noun is called the ‘agent’ (see passives 2: agent). This house was built in 1486 by Sir John Latton.
passive verb forms
We normally make passive forms of a verb by using tenses of the auxiliary be followed by the past participle (= pp) of the verb. (For get as a passive auxiliary, see get 1: basic structures.5.) Here is a list of all the passive forms of an ordinary English verb.
Name
Construction
Example
(simple) future future perfect
simple present present progressive
present perfect simple past past progressive past perfect
will be +pp will have been +pp
ami are Us + pp am! are Us being + pp
have/has been +pp was! were + pp was 1 were being + pp had been + pp
You’ll be told soon enough. Everything will have been done by Tuesday English is spoken here.
Excuse the mess; the house is being painted.
Has Mary been told?
I wasn’t invited, but I went.
I felt as if I was being watched. I knew why I had been chosen.
?
Future progressive passives (will be being + pp) and perfect progressive passives (has been being + pp) are unusual.
Examples of passive infinitives: (to) be taken-, (to) have been invited.
Examples of passive -ing forms: being watched; having been invited.
Note that verbs made up of more than one word (see two-part verbs 1: phrasal verbs-600) can have passive forms if they are transitive.
The furniture was broken up for firewood.
She likes being looked at. I need to be taken care of.
He hates being made a fool of.
For itiore about structures with prepositions at the ends of clauses, see prepositions 5: at the ends of clauses.
use of tenses
Passive tenses are normally used in the same way as active tenses. So for example the present progressive passive is used, like the present progressive active, to talk about things that are going on at the time of speaking (see present tenses 4: progressive or ‘continuous’). The papers are being prepared now.
The secretary is preparing the papers now.
And the present perfect passive can be used, like the present perfect active, to talk about finished actions with present consequences (see present perfect 1: basic information).
Alex has been arrested! The police have arrested Alex!
verbs not used in the passive
Not all verbs can have passive forms. Passive structures are impossible with intransitive verbs (see verb complementation: what can follow a verb?.2) like die or arrive, which cannot have objects, because there is nothing to become the subject of a passive sentence. Some transitive verbs, too, are seldom used in the passive. Most of these are ‘stative verbs’ (verbs which refer to states, not actions). Examples are fit, have, lack, resemble, suit.
They have a nice house, (BUT NOT A nice house is had by them.)
My shoes don’t fit me. (BUT NOT I’m not fitted by my shoes.)
Sylvia resembles a Greek goddess, (BUT NOT A Greek goddess is resembled by Sylvia.)
Your mother lacks tact, (BUT NOT Tact is-ktcked …)
She was having a bath, (BUT NOT A bath was being had by her.)
confusing forms
Students often confuse active and passive verb forms in English. Typical mistakes:
I was very interesting in the-lesson.
We -were questioning by the immigration -officer.
She has put in prison for life.
Mistakes like these are not surprising, because:
Be is used to make both passive verb forms and active progressive tenses.
Past participles are used to make both passive verb forms and active perfect tenses. Compare:
He was calling, (active – past progressive)
He was called, (passive – simple past)
He has called, (active – present perfect)
For active verb forms, see abbreviated styles0.