The Passive

Hello guys,

I’m in a rush a bit today! We’re going to the workshop. It was organized by our teacher, Mr Gordon. I think, it’ll be a laugh. We’re going to improve our communication skills.

Read the following article, please.

What can be done to teach communication skills in school?

The question has been answered by one school in the north of England. At Saint Andrew’s School, teachers believe that students weren’t taught how to communicate properly.

They have special classes where students are shown how to introduce themselves, how to give presentations and the importance of eye contact. These classes started last year, when teachers noticed some students were having difficulties in speaking exams.

Marks were lost in exams because of communication problems.

Since then, a number of additional workshops have been designed to help students practice these communication skills.

One of the activities the pupils must be taught is to prepare a short presentation. Students are recorded by their partner using a mobile phone. The phones are swapped and they give each other feedback. Students find it useful when they get feedback from another student rather than the teacher or the whole class, because it creates a safe environment.

Look through the underlined structures. Are they active or passive?

Today we are going to revise the usage and formation of the Passive Voice.

A sentence generally begins with the person who does the action – subject, then goes the verb and the object or person that the action is performed on. This is called an “Active” sentence.

If we start the sentence with the object or person that the action is performed on, we form a “Passive” sentence.

The question has been answered by one school in the north of England.

The pupils must be taught to prepare a short presentation.

A number of additional workshops have been designed. etc

We use the Passive:

·                   when the subject is unknown, unimportant or obvious from the context.

E.g.

Marks were lost in exams because of communication problems. (unknown subject)

All the tickets were sold out yesterday. (unimportant subject)

I haven’t been invited to Sam’s party. (by Sam - obvious subject)

·                   We also use the passive form when we are interested more in the action itself, not WHO performs it, such as in news reports, formal notices, instructions, processes, headlines, advertisements, etc.

E.g.

Feeding animals is not allowed. (written notice)

The local bank was robbed this morning. (news report)

Breakfast is served between 7-10.30 a.m. (formal notice)

·                   to make statements more formal or polite.

E.g. Passive: My car was broken. (more polite)

Active: You’ve broken my car. (less polite)

·                   to put emphasis on the subject.

E.g.  Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte.

Formation

We form the passive with the verb to be and the 3^rd form of the main verb (past participle).

You have to be careful because the form of to be needs to be put in different tenses!

Changing from Active into Passive

When a sentence is turned from active into passive:

·                   the object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence. (Дополнение в активном залоге становится подлежащим в пассивном залоге).

Remember that only verbs that take an object (transitive verbs – переходные глаголы) can become passive verbs:

E.g.

Active: His parents gave him some money.

Passive: Some money was given to him by his parents.

But: They slept well. (The verb sleep in this sentence is intransitive; not followed by an object. The sentence cannot be changed into the passive).

Some transitive verbs, such as have, fit, resemble, suit, seem, exist, etc. cannot be changed into the passive.

E.g.

I have got a dog.

These gloves fit me perfectly.

With verbs which take two objects such as bring, allow, award, buy, feed, give, hand, lend, offer, read, send, show, tell, write and etc., it is more usual to begin the passive sentence with the person.

We can make 2 different passive sentences.

Active: They sent her an email.

Passive: a) She was sent an email. (more usual)

b) An email was sent to her. (less usual)

The verbs make, see, help, and hear are followed by an infinitive without TO in the active, but by a to-infinitive in the passive.

Active: This song made me cry.

Passive: We were made to tidy up the house.

BY or WITH?    

In the passive sentences we can use by to say WHO or WHAT does the action (agent).

The bill was paid by Mr Grey.

The table will be covered by the waiter.

We can use with to talk about what instrument/material or ingredient is used to do the action.

The bill can be paid with the credit card.

The table will be covered with a white cloth.

In passive questions with who/whom/which we don’t omit BY.

Who was Antarctica discovered by?

What was the flood caused by?

What was the vase broken with?

The agent is not omitted when it is a specific or an important person, or when it is essential to the meaning of the sentence.

E.g.

America was discovered by Columbus.

By + agent is omitted when the agent is unknown, unimportant, obvious from the context or referred to by words such as people, one, someone/somebody, they, he, etc.

Active: He fixed the car.

Passive: The car was fixed. (by him is omitted)

Read and complete the dialogue.

Teacher: Hi, guys. OK, today’s game has been designed to help you communicate better with each other. In this game obstacles are placed around the room. The obstacles are chairs, a table, cushions and some water. One person is blindfolded and has to get to other side of the room.

Charlie: Cushions … cool. Can I be blindfolded?

Teacher: Sure. Now, when the instructions are given, listen carefully. OK. Other students decide where you want the obstacles. Remember: CLEAR instructions must be given.

Bella: Charlie! I said turn right.

Charlie: Clear instructions weren’t given.

Bella: They were! You were not listening!