Passive VoicePassive Voice

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Active - PassiveActive - Passive• In English, sentences can be in either active or

passive voice.• In active voice the “doer (subject)” is important.

We know the doer.

Görkem writes these stories. (Ali is the doer, “stories” is the object)

• In passive voice we don’t know the “doer” or the “doer” is not important.

These stories are read by all the students. (“These stories” is emphasized.)

Present PassivePresent Passive• I wash my car every week.

• My car is washed every week.• We can add the “doer” if we want:• My car is washed by me every week.--------------------------------------------------

Warning: Not every verb can be passive, intransitive verbs (fall, go, come, return, die, live, climb, etc.) don’t have

passive forms because they take no object.)I return to Afyon.

Afyon is returned by me. (WRONG)

am/is/are V3

ExercisesExercises• She makes a cake on Sundays.• A cake is made by her on Sundays.• The secretary writes the letters• Letters are written by the secretary• We learn new words every day.• New words are learned by us every day.• The dog eats bone.• Bone is eaten by the dog.• Girls don’t play football.• Football is not played by the girls.• He doesn’t sell fruit.• Fruit is not sold by him.• Linda doesn’t study German.• German is not studied by Linda.

Any => NoAny => No• I don’t eat anything in the mornings.• Nothing is eaten by me in the mornings.

• I don’t love anybody.• Nobody is loved by me.

• She doesn’t drink any alcohol.• No alcohol was drunk by her.

Passive with ModalsPassive with Modals• When making the modals passive,

“be” is used instead of “am, is, are” after the modal.

• I can solve this problem.• This problem can be solved by me.

• We have to wear a tie.• A tie has to be worn.

• They should finish the project.• The project should be finished.

Simple Past PassiveSimple Past Passive• When making past passive, was / were are used instead of

am,is,are before the verb.

• He painted this wall yesterday.• This wall was painted by him yesterday.

• She helped me last week.• I was helped by her last week.

ExercisesExercises• He saw Lisa in Antalya last year.• Lisa was seen in Antalya last year.• They wrote paragraphs yesterday.• Paragraphs were written by them yesterday.• The teacher didn’t answer the question.• The question was not answered by the teacher.• We didn’t decide the place for the party.• The place for the party was not decided by us.• She prepared this report.• This report was prepared by her.

Question formQuestion form• Do you remember the answers?• Are the answers remembered by you?• Does she sing “Ağrı Dağı Türküsü”?• Is Ağrı Dağı Türküsü sung by her?• Did they wash the dishes?• Were the dishes washed by them?• Did you visit him at the hospital?• Was he visited by you at the hospital?

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