CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
How to form PASSIVE
We start from a positive sentence:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Peter builds houses
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Then we turn it into passive:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Houses are built by Peter
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
What happened?
Change in subject:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
The object of the active sentence becomes subject in the passive one:
ActiveSubject Verb ObjectPeter builds houses
PassiveSubject Verb ObjectHouses are built by Peter
Passive subject Active subjectHouses Peter
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
From subject to agentThe subject of the active sentence becomes "agent" in the passive one and it’s introduced by ‘by’.
Active subject AgentPeter by Peter
Change in verbThe verb construction is:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
to be + past participle of the verb↓
Active construction Passive constructionbuilds are built
The verb to be keeps the tense of the verb in the active sentence.
Active Tense Passivebuilds Simple Present are built
Other examples:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Present Continuous:Peter is building houses ↓Houses are being built by Peter
Simple Past:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Peter built houses ↓ Houses were built by Peter.
Present Perfect:Peter has built houses ↓Houses have been built by Peter
Simple Future:Peter will build houses
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
↓Houses will be built by Peter
Modals:Peter can build houses. ↓Houses can be built by Peter.
Summing up:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Subj. To be Past Part. AgentHouses ARE built by PeterHouses ARE BEING built by PeterHouses WERE built by PeterHouses HAVE BEEN built by PeterHouses WILL BE built by PeterHouses CAN BE built by Peter
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
BUT IT’S NOT OVER...
Turn the following sentence from active to passive:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
My mother never gives me moneySubject verb object
↓
Money (from object to ‘new’ subject)
is (never) given (Simple Present Active ‘gives’ ↓ Simple Present Passive‘is’ + Past Participle of give > ‘given’)
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
to me
by my mother (from Subject to Agent)
but the question is...
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
DOES IT SOUND GOOD?!?!
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Maybe this one is better:
I’m never given money by my mother
Let’s re-start from the beginning:
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
My mother never gives me moneySubject verb object1 object2
↓I’m never given money by mother
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
WHAT HAPPENED?!
I (from ‘receiver’ to Subject)
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
am (never) given (Simple Present Active ‘gives’ ↓ Simple Present Passive‘am’ + Past Participle of give > ‘given’)
money (it remains the object)
by mother (from active subject to agent)
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
This construction is very common in English with verbs like:
tell, say, give, offer... ↓SOMEONE > ‘receiver’ in the active form subject in the passive↓SOMETHING > Object in both forms
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Some examples:
Sarah told me an interesting gossip↓I was told an interesting gossip by Sarah
Jake offered me a good job position↓I was offered a good job position by Jake
CPIA Nord Est 2 – MILANO A.s. 2016-2017
Meaning of use:Passive and active don’t express the same meaning. We choose the passive or the active depending on what we focus on:
These amazing photos were taken by Jake(Passive: I’m more interested on the photos)
Jake took some amazing wildlife pictures(Active: I’m focusing on the photographer)