Etiqueta: B1

Passive Sentences

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Passive voice verbs are used in writing much more often than in speech, and they are used in some types of writing much more often than in others. Passives are used more in journalism (newspapers, magazines) than in fiction (novels, stories), but most journalists and fiction writers use far more active than passive sentences. However, passives are very common in all types of scientific and technical writing. Scientific articles often contain more passive than active sentences. You should not use passive voice verbs unless you have a good reason.

  1. Relationship between active and passive:
  2. The objectof the active verb is the subject of the passive verb (“English” in the example sentences below). Therefore, verbs which cannot be followed by objects (intransitive verbs) cannot be used in passive voice.

These are some common intransitive verbs: appear, arrive, come, cry, die, go, happen, occur, rain, sleep, stay, walk. These verbs cannot be used in passive voice.

  1. The passive verb always contains a form of the auxiliary verb be. The form of bein the passive verb phrase corresponds to the form of the main verb in the active verb phrase (see the underlined words in the example sentences below). That is, if the active main verb is simple present tense, then a simple present tense form of be is used in the passive verb phrase; if the active main verb is -ING, then the -ING form of be is used in the passive verb phrase; and so on.
  2. The main verb in a passive predicate verb phrase is always the participleform of the verb.
  3. Some examplesof active and passive sentences:

ACTIVE: They speak English.
PASSIVE: English is spoken.

ACTIVE: They spoke English.
PASSIVE: English was spoken.

ACTIVE: They will speak English.
PASSIVE: English will be spoken.

ACTIVE: They are going to speak English.
PASSIVE: English is going to be spoken.

ACTIVE: They are speaking English.
PASSIVE: English is being spoken.

ACTIVE: They were speaking English.
PASSIVE: English was being spoken.

ACTIVE: They have spoken English.
PASSIVE: English has been spoken.

ACTIVE: They had spoken English.
PASSIVE: English had been spoken.

ACTIVE: They will have spoken English.
PASSIVE: English will have been spoken.

  1. Perfect progressiveverb forms are generally used in active voice only. That is, these are good English sentences:

ACTIVE: They have been speaking English.
ACTIVE: They had been speaking English.
ACTIVE: They will have been speaking English.

But sentences like these are rarely used:

PASSIVE: English has been being spoken.
PASSIVE: English had been being spoken.
PASSIVE: English will have been being spoken.

  1. Most passive sentences do not contain an agent; all active sentences contain an agent.
  2. An agentis the subject of the active verb. In the example sentences above, the agent is “they” in all the active sentences; the passive sentences do not contain an agent.
  3. When a passive sentence contains an agent, it is in a prepositional phrase following the verb. For example:

English is spoken by them.

In the following sentences, the noun “teachers” is the agent in both sentences. “Teachers” is also the subject of the active verb, but “exams” is the subject of the passive verb.

ACTIVE: Teachers prepare exams.

PASSIVE: Exams are prepared by teachers.

  1. You should not use passive voice unless you have a good reason.

Here are some good reasons for using passive voice:

  1. Passive voice is often used when the agent(the doer of an action; the subject of an active verb) is obvious, unknown, or unnecessary:

Oranges are grown in California.
Toyotas are made in Japan.
Her purse was stolen.

  1. Passive voice is often used when the agentis known, but the speaker/writer doesn’t want to mention it:

She was given bad advice.
A mistake has been made.

  1. Passive voice is often used when the agentis very general such as people or somebody.

English is spoken here.
The door should be locked.

  1. Passive voice is often used when the speaker/writer wants to emphasize a result:

Several thousand people were killed by the earthquake.

  1. Passive voice is often used when the speaker/writer wants to keep the same subjectfor two or more verbs but this would not be possible if both verbs were the same voice (active or passive).

For example, in a conversation about George, a speaker would probably use sentence a below rather than sentence b (both sentences are correct).

  1. George hadseveral interviews before he was hired by a software company.
    b. George had several interviews before a software company hired him.

Forming Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

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One-syllable adjectives.
Form the comparative and superlative forms of a one-syllable adjective by adding – er for the comparative form and –est for the superlative.

One-Syllable Adjective
Comparative Form Superlative Form

tall taller tallest
old older oldest
long longer longest

 Mary is taller than Max.
 Mary is the tallest of all the students.
 Max is older than John.
 Of the three students, Max is the oldest.
 My hair is longer than your hair.
 Max’s story is the longest story I’ve ever heard.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with an e, just add –r for the comparative form and –st for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective with Final -e
Comparative Form Superlative Form

large larger largest
wise wiser wisest

 Mary’s car is larger than Max’s car.
 Mary’s house is the tallest of all the houses on the block.
 Max is wiser than his brother.
 Max is the wisest person I know.

If the one-syllable adjective ends with a single consonant with a vowel before it, double the consonant and add –er for the comparative form; and double the consonant and add –est for the superlative form.

One-Syllable Adjective ending with a Single Consonant with a Single vowel before it
Comparative Form Superlative Form

big bigger biggest
thin thinner thinnest
fat fatter fattest

 My dog is bigger than your dog.
 My dog is the biggest of all the dogs in the neighborhood.
 Max is thinner than John.
 Of all the students in the class, Max is the thinnest.
 My mother is fatter than your mother.
 Mary is the fattest person I’ve ever seen.

Two-syllable adjectives.
With most two-syllable adjectives, you form the comparative with more and the superlative with most.

Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form

peaceful more peaceful most peaceful
pleasant more pleasant most pleasant
careful more careful most careful
thoughtful more thoughtful most thoughtful

 This morning is more peaceful than yesterday morning.
 Max’s house in the mountains is the most peaceful in the world.
 Max is more careful than Mike.
 Of all the taxi drivers, Jack is the most careful.
 Jill is more thoughtful than your sister.
 Mary is the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met.

If the two-syllable adjectives ends with –y, change the y to i and add –er for the comparative form. For the superlative form change the y to i and add –est.

Two-Syllable Adjective ending with -y
Comparative Form Superlative Form

happy happier happiest
angry angrier angriest
busy busier busiest

 John is happier today than he was yesterday.
 John is the happiest boy in the world.
 Max is angrier than Mary.
 Of all of John’s victims, Max is the angriest.
 Mary is busier than Max.
 Mary is the busiest person I’ve ever met.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in –er, -le, or –ow take –er and –est to form the comparative and superlative forms.

Two-Syllable Adjective ending with -er, -le, or -ow

Comparative Form Superlative Form

narrow narrower narrowest
gentle gentler gentlest

 The roads in this town are narrower than the roads in the city.
 This road is the narrowest of all the roads in California.
 Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
 Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.

Adjectives with three or more syllables.
For adjectives with three syllables or more, you form the comparative with more and
the superlative with most.

Adjective with Three or More Syllables

Comparative Form Superlative Form

generous more generous most generous
important more important most important
intelligent more intelligent most intelligent

 John is more generous than Jack.
 John is the most generous of all the people I know.
 Health is more important than money.
 Of all the people I know, Max is the most important.
 Women are more intelligent than men.
 Mary is the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.

Exceptions.
Irregular adjectives.
Irregular Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form

good better best
bad worse worst
far farther farthest
little less least
many more most

 Italian food is better than American food.
 My dog is the best dog in the world.
 My mother’s cooking is worse than your mother’s cooking.
 Of all the students in the class, Max is the worst.

Two-syllable adjectives that follow two rules. These adjectives can be used with -er
and -est and with more and most.

Two-Syllable Adjective Comparative Form Superlative Form

clever cleverer cleverest
clever more clever most clever
gentle gentler gentlest
gentle more gentle most gentle
friendly friendlier friendliest
friendly more friendly most friendly
quiet quieter quietest
quiet more quiet most quiet
simple simpler simplest
simple more simple most simple

 Big dogs are gentler than small dogs.
 Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the gentlest.
 Big dogs are more gentle than small dogs.
 Of all the dogs in the world, English Mastiffs are the most gentle.