Page 170 - Grammar for Great Writing B

Grammar Forms

12.1 Passive Voice

In a passive sentence, the receiver of the action is in the subject position.

Active voice: The doctor examined the child.
S V O
Passive voice: The child was examined (by the doctor).
S V

Verb Form Be + Past Participle Example

1. Simple present am / is / are + (not) + New cars are tested before they are
past participle delivered to the market.
New cars are not delivered to the
market before they are tested.

2. Simple past was / were + (not) + A new species of wild tomato was
past participle discovered recently.
Tomatoes were not grown in England
until the late 16th century.

3. Present perfect has / have + (not) + Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles,
been + past participle have been used by the American
military since World War I.
An accurate way to predict earthquakes
has not been found.

4. Modals modal + (not) + be + Many coastal cities may be affected by
past participle rising seas in the future.

Pets should not be left in cars in hot
weather.

Notes
1. Only transitive verbs (verbs that can have a direct object) can be made passive.
2. The form of be or have/has agrees with the subject of the sentence.
3. For passive modals, the base form of be is used and the modal form does not change.
4. Progressive passives are rarely used in academic writing.
5. See Appendix 4, Irregular Verbs, page 220, for irregular past participles.

160 Unit 12 Using Passive Voice

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Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
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