` Passive Voice

A. The Formation of the Passive

(i) Active Sentence: Subject Verb Object

(ii) Passive Sentence: Object be [+tense] Past Participle of the Verb by+ Subject

-change in the distribution of the arguments of the verb:

-subject demotion [an optional by-phrase]

-object promotion [it moves to subject position]

Examples:

(1) The Polar bear embraces the cub every day. [active]- The cub is embraced by the Polar bear every day.
[passive] {PRESENT SIMPLE}

(2) John wrote the this book. [active]- This book was written by John [passive]. {PAST SIMPLE}

(3) John has just killed the little mouse. [active] – The little mouse has just been killed by John. [passive]
{PRESENT PERFECT}

(4) John must paint the walls white [active] .- The walls must be painted white. [passive] {INFINITIVE}

B. Constraints on Passivization

(a) The Adjacency Constraint: Only a noun phrase adjacent to the passive verb can move to sentence-initial
position.

John gave Mary the book.- Mary was given the book.- *The book was given Mary.

BUT

Someone must talk to John.- John must be talked to.

You can rely on her.-She can be relied on.

(b) The Affectedness Constraint: The element which moves to subject position has to be affected.

e.g. The jar held oil.- *Oil was held by the jar. (to hold- state)

The King possessed great wealth.- *Great wealth was possessed by the king. (to possess- state)

C. The Domain of Passivization

(a) transitive verbs:

e.g. My father built this house.- This house was built by my father.

(b) ditransitive verbs:

e.g. John sent a letter to Mary.-A letter was sent to Mary.- *Mary was sent a letter to.
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 John sent Mary a letter.-Mary was sent a letter.-*A letter was sent Mary.

N.B. John sent Mary a letter.- only one passive counterpart, not two passive counterparts

(c) intransitive verbs with a prepositional object (argument):

e.g. You can rely on him.- He can be relied on.

(d) intransitive verbs followed by a PP (adjunct):

e.g. England was lived in by many people. –live in-a natural predicate/ a semantic unit (to inhabit)

(e) some idioms: A lot of consideration was given to him. BUT *A bucket was kicked by him.

D. The By-Phrase

-introduces the Agent

-can sometimes be omitted (if the Agent is considered unimportant, if the speaker wants to cover the
identity of the Agent a.o.)

e.g. John was killed, do you realise that?

E. The GET Passive

GET vs. BE

e.g. John was struck by lightning. vs. John got struck by lightning.-some responsibility/ control on the part
of the grammatical subject

Exercises

1. (T&M 82/ 123) Put the following into the passive voice. The Agent should not be mentioned:

1. You should open the wine about three hours before you use it.

2. Previous climbers had cut steps in the ice.

3. Somebody had cleaned my suit and brushed my suit.

4. We use this room only on special occasions.

5. You must not hammer nails into the walls without permission.

6. In some districts farmers use pigs to find truffles.

7. Someone switched on a light and opened the door.

8. Somebody had slashed the picture with a knife.

9. They are pulling down the old theatre.

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 10. Why didn’t they mend the roof before it fell in?

2. (T&M 83/ 124) Put the following into the passive, mentioning the agent where necessary:

1. They feed the seals at the zoo twice a day.

2. Who wrote it?

3. Compare clothes which we have washed with clothes which any laundry has washed.

4. He expected us to offer him a job.

5. They showed her the easiest way to do it.

6. Lightning struck the old oak.

7. Titian couldn’t have painted it as people didn’t wear that style of dress till after his death.

8. A jellyfish stung her.

9. The author has written a special edition for children.

10. Judges used to carry sweet herbs as a protection against jail-fever.

3. (T&M 84/ 125) Turn the following sentences into the active voice. Where no agent is mentioned one
must be supplied.

School notice: This door must be kept shut.

Students must keep this door shut.

1. Why don’t you have your eyes tested? (………….get an optician to………..)

2. This speed limit is to be introduced gradually.

3. The runways are being lengthened at all the main airports.

4. It is now 6 a.m. and at most of the hospitals in the country patients are being wakened with
cups of tea.

5. Byron is said to have lived on vinegar and potatoes.

4. (English Portfolio-Passive voice/ 122) Rewrite each sentence below so that the meaning stays the same.
Use passive voice.

1. They offered him the job.

2. He gave her one hour to finish the composition.

3. The boss paid Jim his salary in advance.

4. My friend showed me his new car.

5. Grannie told Mary an interesting story.