THE PASSIVE VOICE

ACTIVA: TOM HAS WRITTEN TEN LETTERS TO MARY TODAY.

Suj. Verbo C. Directo C. Indirecto

PASIVA: MARY HAS BEEN WRITTEN TEN LETTERS TODAY BY TOM.

Suj. Pasivo Verbo Pasivo C. Directo C. Agente

PASIVA: TEN LETTERS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN TO MARY TODAY BY TOM.

Suj. Pasivo Verbo Pasivo C. Indirecto C. Agente

1º) Buscar el sujeto de la oración pasiva que va a ser el C. Indirecto (o el C. Directo si no hay C. Indirecto) de la oración activa.

2º) Pasar el verbo a pasiva:

1. Mirar en qué tiempo está el verbo en activa. PRESENT PERFECT

2. Poner el verbo “to be” en ese tiempo. (Suj.: TEN LETTERS) HAVE BEEN

3. Poner el verbo de la oración activa en participio pasado -ED

WRITTEN
3ªCOLUMNA
3º) Poner el resto de complementos y por último el sujeto de la oración activa precedido de BY, es el llamado Complemento Agente.
THE PASSIVE VOICE

ACTIVA: TOM WRITES TEN LETTERS EVERYDAY.

Suj. Verbo C. Directo

PASIVA: TEN LETTERS ARE WRITTEN EVERYDAY BY TOM.

Suj. Pasivo Verbo Pasivo C. Agente

1º) Buscar el sujeto de la oración pasiva que va a ser el C. Indirecto (o el C. Directo si no hay C. Indirecto) de la oración activa.

2º) Pasar el verbo a pasiva:

1. Mirar en qué tiempo está el verbo en activa. PRESENT SIMPLE

2. Poner el verbo “to be” en ese tiempo. (Suj.: TEN LETTERS) ARE

3. Poner el verbo de la oración activa en participio pasado

-ED
WRITTEN
3ªCOLUMNA

3º) Poner el resto de complementos y por último el sujeto de la oración activa precedido de BY, es el llamado Complemento Agente.
Si es un pronombre, lo ponemos en forma de Pro. Objeto (me, you, him, ...)

HAVE / GET + SOMETHING + DONE

I cut my hair yesterday. => Me corté el pelo ayer.

I had my hair cut yesterday. => Me cortaron el pelo ayer.

SUJETO + VERBO HAVE / GET + COSA + VB. PRINCIPAL

SUJETO = PERSONA A LA QUE SE LE HACE ALGO

VERBO HAVE / GET = EN EL TIEMPO EN Q. ESTÁ EL VB. PRINCIPAL, LA ACCIÓN Q. NOS HACEN

COSA = EN LA Q. NOS HACEN ALGO

VB. PRINCIPAL = EN PARTICIPIO PASADO

1. Fill the gaps with have and the verb in brackets in their correct forms.

1 We ___________ the roof ___________ last year. It cost us a packet. (repair)

2 Anne ___________ her hair ___________ every Friday afternoon. (do)
3 I ___________ the brakes ___________ three times a year. (check)
4 The government ___________ the whole town ___________ yesterday. (evacuate)
5 I ___________ my hard drive ___________ for a bigger one last week. (change)
6 When did you last ___________ the airconditioning ___________? (service)
7 You don't think Liv Tyler's beautiful?! You should ___________ your eyes ___________. (test)
8 After the plague of fleas, the boss ___________ the office __________. (disinfect)
9 Your cat's coughing. You need to ___________ him ___________ for parasites. (treat)
10 Daphne ___________ her legs ___________ once a fortnight. (do)

2. Rewrite these sentences using have or get.

1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.
_______________________________________________________________________
2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
_______________________________________________________________________
3. A decorator has repainted our house.
_______________________________________________________________________
4. A friend of mine, who´s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.
_______________________________________________________________________
5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner´s.
_______________________________________________________________________
6. The town hall has just been rebuilt for the council.
_______________________________________________________________________

3. Match a word from 1-8 with something that is done by that person or in that place. Then make sentences using all the information and the verb in brackets.
You may have to change the words or add new ones. An example is given.

1. hairdresser´s vaccinate dogs (have)

2. optician´s do annual accounts (have)
3. dentist´s service cars (get)
4. doctor´s test eyes (have)
5. vet´s design new houses (have)
6. garage cut hair (get)
7. architect take out teeth (have)
8. accountant take blood pressure
1. Tomorrow I´m going to the hairdresser´s to get my hair cut.
2. Yesterday…
3. This afternoon…
4. Last week…
5. Next Saturday…
6. The day before yesterday…
7. Last year…
8. Next week…

IMPERSONAL PASSIVE. Se usa con verbos de habla y de pensamiento (think, believe, say, report, know, consider, presume, hope…)

Example: They say that women live longer than men. => Dicen que las mujeres viven más que los hombres.
 1ª frase 2ª frase

 It is said that women live longer than men. => Se dice que las mujeres viven más que los hombres.
a) Ponemos de sujeto => It
b) Ponemos el verbo de la 1ª frase en pasiva en el mismo tiempo que está en la frase original + that => It is said that
c) Ponemos la 2ª frase tal cual está => It is said that women live longer than men.

 Women are said to live longer than men. => Se dice que las mujeres viven más que los hombres.

a) Ponemos de sujeto el sujeto de la 2ª oración => Women

b) Ponemos el verbo de la 1ª frase en pasiva en el mismo tiempo que está en la frase original + to => Women are said to
c) Ponemos el verbo de la 2ª frase en infinitivo seguido del resto de complementos => Women are said to live longer than men.
Hay cuatro formas de infinitivo, dependiendo del tiempo en que esté el verbo de la 2ª frase usaremos un infinitivo u otro.
 Infinitivo Simple = TO WRITE (escribir). Cuando el verbo de la 1ª frase está en Presente Simple o Futuro Simple.
They say she works hard. => She is said to work hard.
 Infinitivo Continuo = TO BE WRITING (estar escribiendo). Cuando el verbo de la 1ª frase está en algún tiempo continuo.
Ex.: They believe he is having an affair. => He is believed to be having an affair.
 Infinitivo Perfecto = TO HAVE WRITTEN (haber escrito). Cuando el verbo de la 1ª frase está Pasado Simple, Pasado
Perfecto o Presente Perfecto.
Ex.: They say she played well. => She is said to have played well.
 Inf. Perfecto Continuo = TO HAVE BEEN WRITING (haber estado escribiendo)
Ex.: They believe he has been having an affair. => He is believed to have been having an affair.
Impersonal Passive
1. People believe that English is the most widely spoken language

 It is believed that English is the most widely spoken language.

 English is believed to be the most widely spoken language.
2. Police have reported that it was Peter who caused the accident.
 It has been reported that it was Peter who caused the accident.
 Peter has been reported to have caused the accident.
3. A journalist reports that they are leaving Las Vegas tomorrow night.
 It ________________________________________________________________
 They _____________________________________________________________
4. The lecturer thought that Columbus never realized that he had discovered America.
 It ________________________________________________________________
 Columbus _________________________________________________________
5. Their parents thought that the teenagers were dancing at the disco.
 It ________________________________________________________________
 The teenagers ______________________________________________________
6. Everybody thinks that she sings beautifully
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
7. The children reported that their friends were swimming when they disappeared.
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
8. People believed that they had killed the animals during the night.
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
9. My friends think that my parents are the best parents in the world.
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________

10. They believed that the horse was a present.

 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
11. People are thinking that drugs are very dangerous.

 __________________________________________________________________
  __________________________________________________________________
12. They knew that Mr. Brown was stealing iron from the factory.

 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
13. Ancient people thought that the stars would fall on them.

 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
14. People consider that the team will be classified for the final.
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
15. Everybody says that he settled the business.
 _________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________
16. The reporters believed that the meeting would finish soon.
 _________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________
17. They have thought the sportsmen are arriving today.

 _________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________
18. Citizens presume that the government is responsible for the accident.
 _________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________
19. The newspapers are reporting that the most outstanding athletes represent their country.
 _________________________________________________________________
 _________________________________________________________________
20. The shareholders thought that the group had rejected the offer.
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
21. They say that the meeting will be held here
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
22. The hooligans expected that their team would win
 __________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
SOME VERBS HAVE SPECIAL PASSIVE FORMS:

 MAKE AND HELP

They are followed by a bare infinitive in the active, but take a to-infinitive in the passive

Active: Her two sisters made him clean the house

Passive: He was made to clean the house by her two sisters.

 LET
In the passive, let is replaced by allowed and is followed by a to-infinitive.

Active: The teacher let us leave early

Passive: We were allowed to leave early (by the teacher)

 SEE AND HEAR

Some verbs of the senses can be followed by either a to-infinitive or a gerund form in the passive.

Active: They heard the baby cry / crying.

Passive: The baby was heard to cry / crying.

 PASSIVE SENTENCES

1. The students all know that Shakespeare was born in Stratford.

2. We saw the baby crawl towards the window.

3. My parents used to let me go out at night.

4. In the Middle Ages, people thought the devil sometimes got into their bodies

5. The teacher helped his students finish the exercise.

6. Reporters at the airport are expecting that the president will be arriving soon.

7. My mother always made me do the housework.

8. Football fans have thought that their team is arriving today.

9. Everybody knew that Peter had copied at his access exam.

10. Doctors consider that lung cancer will have a cure in the next fifty years.

11. The police always thought that he had escaped and that he was living in Sweden.

12. We could usually hear an opera singer singing upstairs.

13. The headmaster made them sit down and stay there until 5 o’clock.

14. The usher didn’t let us go into the theatre.

15. People in the town believed that the heavy rainfall was the reason for the bursting of the dam.
HAVE STH. DONE. Answers

1 We had the roof repaired last year. It cost us a packet. (repair)

2 Anne has her hair done every Friday afternoon. (do)
3 I have the brakes checked three times a year. (check)
4 The government had the whole town evacuated. (evacuate)
5 I had my hard drive changed for a bigger one. (change)
6 When did you last have the airconditioning serviced? (service)
7 You don't think Liv Tyler's beautiful?! You should have your eyes tested. (test)
8 After the plague of fleas, the boss had the office disinfected. (disinfect)
9 Your cat's coughing. You need to have him treated for parasites. (treat)
10 Daphne has her legs done once a fortnight. (do)
Exer. 2 Rewrite these sentences using have or get.
1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.
I had the oil in my car changed.
2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.
I had my hair cut in a completely new style.
3. A decorator has repainted our house.
We have had our house repainted.
4. A friend of mine, who´s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.
I´m going to have my DVD player repaired next week by a friend of mine, who´s an electrician.
5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner´s.
I´m having my jacket cleaned at a specialist cleaner´s.
6. The town hall has just been rebuilt for the council.
The council have just had the town hall rebuilt.

Exer. 3
Match a word from 1-8 with something that is done by that person or in that place. Then make sentences using all the information and the verb in brackets.
You may have to change the words or add new ones. An example is given.
1. Tomorrow I´m going to the hairdresser´s to get my hair cut.
2. Yesterday I went to the optician´s to have my eyes tested.
3. This afternoon I´m going to the dentist to have a tooth taken out.
4. Last week I went to the doctor´s to have my blood pressure taken.
5. Next Saturday I´m going to the vet´s to have my dog vaccinated.
6. The day before yesterday I went to the garage to get my car serviced.
7. Last year I saw the architect to have my new house designed.
8. Next week I´m talking my accountant to have my annual accounts done.