Passive Voice

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• Passive Voice

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1. two types of passive voice

• Be-passive
• Get-passive

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observe the following sentences
Thousands of people got killed in the Indian
Ocean Tsunami.
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He had expected to get there on time but he got
delayed by a traffic jam.
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His bold idea about the origin of human life had
brought about great criticism from the public.
After his lifetime struggle, his idea finally got
recognized.
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You may use get-passive when

• the main verb is a dynamic one.
• you intend to stress the unexpectedness of the
  event.
• you intend to lay stress on the result of the
  action, often accompanied by such expressions as
  in the end, eventually, at last, etc.

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2. change of active into passive
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a modal or semi-auxiliary in the verb phrase
The government has to take effective measures to
combat bird flu.
Effective measures have to be taken to combat
bird flu.
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the active sentence being SVoO pattern
The Academy awarded Clint Eastwood Oscar for Best
Director.
Clint Eastwood was awarded
Oscar for Best Director was awarded to Clint
Eastwood.
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the by- phrase is maintained when

• the doer of the action must be stressed
• you want to keep the subject consistent
• you want to make the sentence balanced if it is
  top-heavy

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end focus
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
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Hamlet has attracted generations of people. It
was written by Shakespeare. Hamlet has attracted
generations of people. Shakespeare wrote it.
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end weight
Hamlet was written by Shakespeare, one of the
greatest English playwrights in both British
history and the whole worlds history. Shakespeare
, one of the greatest English playwrights in both
British history and the whole worlds history,
wrote Hamlet.
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constraints on the change of active into passive

• some transitional or stative verbs
• transitive verbs with reflexive or reciprocal
  objects
• some fixed verb phrase acting as an intransitive

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have leave belong to enter hold (??) reach
resemble benefit become (??) lack
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take place lose heart take root take effect
speak ones mind
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3. passive voice of phrasal verbs
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Phrasal verbs must be treated as a single verb.
look after attend to bring about do away with
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passive voice of verb noun preposition
People pay less attention to the Oscar Awards
nowadays.
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4. passive voice of non-finite verbs
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non-finite verbs?

• to- infinitive
• -ing participle
• -ed participle

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refer to Page 246-248 in your textbook
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5. cases in which passive is preferred
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1) when the doer of the action is unknown, or not
the point of interest, or difficult to identify
Hundreds of workers were killed in the gas
explosion in the coal mine.
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2) when you want to be more indirect and tactful
Your speech was considered not informative
enough. We consider your speech not informative
enough.
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3) When you want the sentence to connect with the
preceding one more naturally
Hamlet has attracted generations of people. It
was written by Shakespeare. Hamlet has attracted
generations of people. Shakespeare wrote it.
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Mary made the chocolate cookie. The chocolate
cookie was made by Mary.
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The family gave a dinner last night. They made
the food all by themselves. Mr. Brown made the
barbeque Mrs. Brown made the soup, and
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There was a variety of lovely food on the table.
The ice-cream was made by Jane the roast chicken
was made by Chris and
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6. active constructions expressing passive
meanings
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Tomatoes bruise easily. Cotton doesnt dry
quickly. The poem reads smoothly. The door wont
shut. The wood cant fire.
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compare
The poem reads smoothly. The poem was not read.
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7. passive constructions vs. linking verb
complement construction
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I was surprised by a pounding sound from above my
head. I am very surprised at your response.
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-ed participle or adjective?
be surprised be annoyed be pleased be
delighted
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(No Transcript)
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• 1) Professor Johnson is said ____ some
  significant advance in his research in the past
  year.
• having made B. making C. to have made D. to make
• 2) AIDS is said ____ the number-one killer of
  both men and women over the past few years in
  that region.
• being B. to be C. to have been D. having been
• 3) This food ____ them for another two weeks.
• lasts B. is lasted C. will be lasted D. will
  last
• 4) No one had expected that the motion ____ by
  such a large majority.
• was defeated B. would be defeated
• C. had been defeated D. is going to be defeated