THE PASSIVE AND ACTIVE VOICE

Verbs are also said to be eitheractive(The executive

committeeapprovedthe new policy.) orpassive(The new policywas approvedby
the executive committee.) invoice. In the active voice, the subject and verb
relationship is straightforward: the subject is a be-er or a do-er and the verb
moves the sentence along. In thepassive voice, the subject of the sentence is
neither a do-er or a be-er, but is acted upon by some otheragentor by something
unnamed (The new policy was approved.).
The Passive Voice is formed with the appropriate tense of the verb to be
and the Past Participle of the verb.
While the common aspect of a passive verb may occur in all tenses and
moods, its continuous aspect is used only in the Indicative Mood Present Tense
and Past Tense. Such form as:
My phone has been being repaired for three days.
though theoretically possible, is not used because it contain too many auxiliaries,
and English, like any other language, tends to its own simplification. The simple
aspect of the verb mentioned above will be preferred here:
My phone has been repaired for three days.
However, the be + Past Participle may often be ambiguous, that is it
may be a passive form, and thus it is a verbal predicate, or an active one, which
is a compound nominal predicate. When this construction is passive, the Past
Participle has a verbal value, and when it is active, the Past Participle has an
adjectival value.
In order to avoid confusion, the be + Past Participle construction will be
passive when:
a) the doer of the action is mentioned or understood :
Such novels are read by mom every day.
b) it is accompanied by an adverbial modifier of frequency, of place, of time:
You have often been told to go in a vacation.
Saras dog was found in the central park.
The documents were signed in the 17th century.
c) the verb is in the continuous aspect:
My brother is being told what to do now.
To be + Past Participle construction will be active when:
a) the Past Participle expresses a state:
The clock was cracked.
b) the Past Participle is linked with an adjective:
His room was clean and refreshed.
The Passive Voice should not be regarded as a mere formal variant of the
Active Voice, but as a matter of emphasis. Generally speaking, the subject of a
sentence attracts the main interest. So, if the interest is focused on the doer of
the action, the Active Voice is used:
John closed that window.
If the interest is focused on the action or on the receiver of the action, the
Passive Voice is used:
That window was closed by John.

We can say that the Passive Voice is used:

1. To replace an active verb whose subject is either unknown or unimportant
(generally expressed by an pronoun: one; somebody; people; etc.)
2. When the doer of the action is so obvious that there is no need to mention
it:
The fish was caught this morning . (by the fisherman)
3. When, for special reasons (tact, modesty, etc.), it is preferable not to
mention the performer of the action:
The story had been told.
4. When we want to emphasize the direct object:
That really hot coffee was drank only by Sarah.
5. When the work resulted from that action is as well or better known than its
performer:
The gravity was discovered by Isaac Newton.
6. In scientific, technical texts where the question of who is the agent (the
performer of the verb) is unimportant, and thus irrelevant.
7. In Nominative + Infinitive constructions:
She is known to be a great singer.
8. To avoid a clumsy change of subjectwithin a sentence. So, a sentence like :
The dog escaped from the leash and was caught by the flayer.
is preferable to:
The dog escaped from the leash and a flayer caught him.
9. Sometimes, to disclaim resposibility for an unwelcome announcement:
Our exam has been reprogramated because of the profesors
strike.
Although, theoretically, all transitive verbs (those that can take a direct
object) can be turned into the passive, there are some verbs that in the active
voice may occur with the direct object, but which cannot be used in the passive.
Such verbs are: to cost; to have (= to posses); to fit; to hold; to last; to
lack; to like; to owe; to wish; etc).
Verbs of incomplete predication (to be; to become; to seem) cannot be
used in the passive voice either.
In English, there are some verbs that can take two direct objects (usually
an animate one and an inanimate one). Such verbs, also called complex
transitive verbs to ask; to call (somebodys name); to declare; to make;
to teach; etc. also can be turned into the passive but, normally, it is the
animate object that is made the subject of the passive construction:
He asked us where is the bathroom.
We were asked by him where the bathroom is.
The ditransitive verbs (those that can take both a direct object and an
indirect one) can be turned into the passive. Among the most frequent
ditransitive verbs, mentions must be made of: to allow; to award; to cause;
to command; to enable; to forbid; to give; to hand; to order; to permit;
to tell; to say; etc.
Although, theoretically, both the direct object and the indirect object of the
active sentence may become the subject of the passive construction, the indirect
object is usually preferred:
Some intransitive verbs, followed by preposition or the adverbial particles,
can be turned into the passive, the preposition or the adverbial particle
remaining immediately after the verb:
Everybody spoke about him.
He was spoke about by everybody.

Other verbs of this type are the following : to account (for); to accuse
(of); to address (to); to agree (with); to appeal (to); to approve (of); to
ask (for); to blame (for); to blow (up); to break (into); to bring (about,
up); to call (for); to charge (with); to send (for); etc.
The constructions made up of verb + noun + preposition such as: to
catch hold of; to find fault with; to lose sight of; to make fun of; to
make use of; to put an end to; to shake hands with; to take care of; to
take notice of; etc.
The mayor took care of the new project.
The new project was taken care of by the mayor.
As it has been seen, the usual auxiliary in a passive construction is to be.
But some other auxiliaries, too, may be involved in the passive:
To get usually used in informal style expresses the getting into a state
or condition. Such a passive construction is also called actional / dynamic
passive. It is used with no agent:
While waiting, his coffee got cold.
To become, in passive constructions, shows the change from one
condition to a new one:
These scientific terms have become established in our every day
language
Other auxiliaries that may occur in passive constructions are: to grow; to
feel; to stand.
In English, there are some verbs which, though active, have a passive
meaning:
a) verbs expressing necessity of some kind ( to need; to want) followed by an
ing form. This ing form may also be replaced by a Passive Infinitive:
Our TV needs repairing. ( to be repaired)
Your hair wants cutting. (to be cut)
b) active verbs whose subjects are acted upon: to act; to beat; to eat; to feel;
to milk; to wear; etc.
This dress wears easily.
Tom acts stupidly.
Even if they are not true passive, the passive like causative constructions
(have/get + noun + Past Participle) have a passive meaning. The perform of such
actions is usually omitted because it is either obvious or it is not important:
Lilly has had her dress sewed today.