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The PassiveWe use the Passive when we do not know
who did an action or when it is not important to say who did it.
1. Forming the PassiveIn the passive, the object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
Active: We isolate infected patients.
Passive: Infected patients are isolated (by us).
subjectsubject objectobjectverbverb
SubjectSubject verbverb agentagent
Only Only transitivetransitive verbs are used in the passive. It is verbs are used in the passive. It is not possible to use not possible to use intransitiveintransitive verbs (such as verbs (such as happen, sleep, come, seem) in the passive.happen, sleep, come, seem) in the passive.
Form of the passive:be + past participle
Active Passivesimple present
The scientist clones the sheep.
The sheep is cloned by the scientist
present progressiv
e
The scientist is cloning the sheep.
The sheep is being cloned by the scientist.
present perfect
The scientist has cloned the sheep.
The sheep has been cloned by the scientist.
simple past
The scientist cloned the sheep.
The sheep was cloned by the scientist.
past progressiv
e
The scientist was cloning the sheep.
The sheep was being cloned by the scientist.
past perfect
The scientist had cloned the sheep.
The sheep had been cloned by the scientist.
simple future
The scientist will clone the sheep.
The sheep will be cloned by the scientist.
be going to
The scientist is going to clone the sheep.
The sheep is going to be cloned by
fut. perf.The scientist will have
cloned...The sheep will have been
cloned...
Rewrite the following active sentences in the passive.
1) Most countries have banned human reproductive cloning.
Human reproductive cloning has been banned by most countries.
Rewrite the following active sentences in the passive.
2) No one can reduce parenting to some new lifestyle choice.
Parenting cannot be reduced to some new lifestyle choice.
Rewrite the following active sentences in the passive.
3) People should not do it lightly.
It should not be done lightly.
Rewrite the following active sentences in the passive.
4) People are unlikely to halt the global march of ever-more-exotic forms of reproductive technology. .
The global march of ever-more-exotic forms of reproductive technology is unlikely to be halted.
