Student

Learning Active & Passive

Centre
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
The active voice tells you what the subject of the sentence does or is. The children broke the window.

The passive voice tells you what happens to or is done to the subject. The window was broken (by the children).

In the first sentence, the children are the subject of the sentence. In the second, the window is the subject.

FORMATION
The passive verb is formed from the verb to be + past participle, with the Jones wrote the report.
tense shown in the verb to be.
wrote is in the past simple. Put the verb to be in the past simple and The report was written by Jones.
make wrote into a past participle.
The main verb must always be transitive (able to take a direct object). e.g. analyse, discuss, report, decide.

Only transitive verbs (verbs which take a direct object) can The report analysed three alternative approaches.
be made passive. Three alternative approaches were analysed in the report.

Intransitive verbs (verbs which do not take a direct object) This resulted in a review of the methods.
cannot be made passive. Not - A review of the methods was resulted.

WHEN TO USE THE PASSIVE

The passive is particularly useful in academic writing, where it is not always necessary to state the subject of a
sentence. It is used when the doer of an action is not known or is not important.
The subject of the passive needs to be affected by the action of the verb. This I weigh 50 kilos.
means that many stative verbs, such as weigh or cost, are not used passively. Not: 50 kilos is weighed by me.

In general, a verb with an indefinite agent is more acceptable when making She is liked by everybody.
passives out of stative verbs. Not: She is liked by me.

MIDDLE VOICE
(adapted from Celce-Murcia, M and Larsen-Freeman, D 1999, The grammar book, 2nd edn, Heinle & Heinle, USA, and Salzman, A (n.d.), Change of state
(ergative) verbs, University of Illinois, viewed 11 May 2004, <http://www.iei.uiuc.edu/structure/structure1/ergative.html>)

All the sentences to the right are correct. The third sentence, written in Active: Someone broke the window.
the middle voice, contains an ergative verb. This ergative verb can Passive: The window was broken.
change an object into a subject without needing to use a passive. Middle: The window broke.
An ergative verb is a kind of intransitive verb. It is different from an Middle: The window broke.
ordinary intransitive verb (such as cough, die, sneeze) because it can be OR
made passive. We can say: Passive: The window was broken.
Janet sneezed. (active)
Ordinary intransitive verbs cannot appear in the passive voice:
Not: Janet was sneezed.

Active: The ball broke the window

The passive voice allows an agent:
The middle voice does not allow an
agent:
Passive: The window was broken by the ball. (agent given)
Passive: The window was broken. (agent not given)
Active: The ball broke the window.
Middle: The window broke.
We cannot say: The window broke by the ball.

Active & Passive 11/2012 SLC 1 of 4

Ergative verbs can appear in the active, passive or middle voice:
Active Passive Middle

The ball broke the window. =The window was broken (by the ball) =The window broke

Learners sometimes find it hard to decide whether a verb can be used passively or in the middle voice.
Strategy: Decide if the verb is transitive or intransitive. If it is intransitive, can it be linked back to a passive? Use the
list of ergative verbs at the end of this leaflet to help you decide.
Active Passive Middle
James dropped the ball. The ball was dropped by James The ball dropped.

Peter kicked the ball. The ball was kicked by Peter. We cannot say: The ball kicked.

Peter laughed. - -

Exercise: Can you fill in the following chart? (Answers at the end of the leaflet)
Active Passive Middle
The fire burned the wood.

Jack coughed.

Farmers grow crops.

They booked a hotel room.

The revolution happened in 1974.

Oswald killed Kennedy.

CHANGING ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

To make the passive form of a verb:
Find the tense and person of the verb in the active voice.
Put the verb to be into that tense and number.
Make the other verb into a past participle.
Move the object into subject position.
Decide if you still need the subject of the active sentence.
An example: Active: Sam eats the chocolate.

Find the tense and person of the verb in the active voice - eats is present simple and third person singular.
Put the verb to be into that tense and number - is
Make the other verb into a past participle - eaten
Move the object into subject position - the chocolate
Decide if you still need the subject of the active sentence - by Sam
Active: Sam eats the chocolate. Passive: The chocolate is eaten (by Sam).

Another example: Active: I poured the liquids into the test tubes.

Find the tense and number of the verb in the active voice - past simple and third person plural
Put the verb - to be into that tense and number - were
Make the other verb into a past participle - poured
Move the object into subject position - the liquid
Decide if you still need the subject of the active sentence by me (no need to include this)
Another example: Active: I poured the liquids into the test tubes. Passive: The liquids were poured into the test tubes.

Active & Passive 11/2012 SLC 2 of 4

 Tense Active Passive
Present simple Sam eats the chocolate. The chocolate is eaten (by Sam).
Present continuous Sam is eating the chocolate. The chocolate is being eaten (by Sam).
Present perfect Sam has eaten the chocolate. The chocolate has been eaten (by Sam).
Past simple Sam ate the chocolate. The chocolate was eaten (by Sam).
Past continuous Sam was eating the chocolate. The chocolate was being eaten (by Sam).
Past perfect Sam had eaten the chocolate. The chocolate had been eaten (by Sam).
Future simple Sam will eat the chocolate. The chocolate will be eaten (by Sam).
Future continuous Sam will be eating the chocolate. The chocolate will be being eaten (by Sam).
Future perfect Sam will have eaten the chocolate. The chocolate will have been eaten (by Sam).

Ergative verbs The following list is compiled from Collins Cobuild learners dictionary 1996, HarperCollins Publishers,
London; and Celce-Murcia, M & Larsen-Freeman, D 1999, The grammar book, 2nd edn, Heinle & Heinle, USA.

Accelerate Clear Devolve Flutter Mark (=stain) Prick up Settle Stampede Train
Accumulate Click Dig Focus Marry Puff Sharpen up Start Transfer
Adjust Clink Dilute Fold up Mass Put up Shatter Stick Translate
Age Clip Dim Form Match Quadruple Shear off Stiffen (up) Transmute
Amalgamate Clog up Diminish Fray Match up Qualify Shorten Still Treble
Assimilate Close Disband Freak (out) Meet (with) Quieten Shrivel Stir Trickle
Average out Close up Disengage Funnel Melt Quieten down Shut Stop Triple
Awake Close down Disperse Fuse Mesh Radiate Shut down Straighten Turn
Bake Coil Dissipate Get Metamorphose Rain down Shut up Strengthen Twang
Balance Combine Dissolve Graze Mist (over) Rank Shuttle Stretch Twine
Beat Commence Divide Grill Mix Rate Sign up Strike up Twirl
Begin Compress Dock Group Mould Rattle Sink Submerge Twist
Belch out Conflate Double Grow Move Rearm Slacken Substitute Unfold
Bend Conflict Double-park Grow out Move along Redouble Slam Suckle Unfurl
Blacken Connect Drain Gush Multiply Reflect Slew Suffocate Unify
Blare Contort Dress up Halt Muster Reform Slide Sweep Unravel
Blister Contract Dribble Hang Mutate Refuel Slim down Swell Unroll
Blow Contribute Drip Harden Narrow Register Slop Swerve Unzip
Blow up Convene Drive Heal Naturalise Relate Slot Swill Vaporise
Blur Convert Drop Hush Navigate Relax Slow Swing Vibrate
Boil Convulse Drown Ignite Nestle Reopen Slow up Swirl Waft
Boil away Cook Dry off Inch Nose Reorganise Slow down Swivel Waggle
Boil down Cool Dry out Incline Open Resettle Slur Tack Wake (up)
Boil down to Condense Dry up Increase Open up Resolve Snap Tan Waken
Bond Co-ordinate Ease Industrialise Open out Rest Sober up Tangle Warm up
Break Correlate Edge Inflate Operate Restart Soften Taper Wash
Break off Crack Emanate Integrate Organise Reunite Solidify Tarnish Weaken
Break up Crash Empty Interlink Originate Rev Sound Taxi Wear away
Brighten Crash land End Interlock Ossify Rev up Speed up Tear Wear down
Bruise Crease Engage Interweave Overheat Revive Spew Tense (up) Wear out
Buckle Crisp Enrol Jam Pair off Rewind Spill Terminate Weather
Budge Crumple up Evaporate Jerk Pair up Rhyme Spill out Thaw Wed
Build up Crystallise Even out Kick off Pan Ring Spin Thaw out Whirl
Bulk up Curl Expand Knot Parachute Ripen Splash Thicken Widen
Bulk out Darken Fade Land Pass Rock Splinter Thin Wind down
Burn Decompose Fasten Leak Peel Roll Split Thrash about Winter
Burn down Decrease Fatten Lengthen Percolate Rotate Split up Thump Withdraw
Burn up Deepen Fill Lessen Petrify Ruffle Spray Tie in/up with Worsen
Burst Deflate Finish Lighten Pile up Run Spread Tighten Wrinkle
Capsize Demobilise Fix + on Line up Play Rupture Sprout Tilt
Catapult Derail Flare Liven up Plop Rush (into) Spurt Toll
Centre Derive Flatten Lower Plunge Scuff Square with Toot
Change Detach Flick March Plunge into Sell Squeeze Topple
Cheer up Develop Float Marinate Pour into Separate Stall Touch
Active & Passive 11/2012 SLC 3 of 4
 Answers to exercise:
Active
The fire burned the wood.
Jack coughed.
Farmers grow crops.
They booked a hotel room.
The revolution happened in 1974.
Oswald killed Kennedy.
Passive Middle
The wood was burned by the fire. The wood burned.
- -
Crops are grown by farmers. Crops grow.
A hotel room was booked. -
- -
Kennedy was killed by Oswald. -

STUDENT LEARNING CENTRE

REGISTRY BUILDING ANNEXE

TEL: 61-8-8201 2518

E-MAIL: slc@flinders.edu.au

INTERNET: http://www.flinders.edu.au/SLC
POSTAL: PO BOX 2100, ADELAIDE, SA 5001
Active & Passive 11/2012 SLC 4 of 4