Grammar: Passives

PASSIVES

A) Form:

The verb to be + past participle:

- Present simple: Goods worth $750 million are stolen from shops each year.

- Present continuous: A man is being questioned in connection with the robbery.

- Present perfect: Photos of the suspects have been put around the town.

- Past simple: He was taken away in a van.

- Past continuous: The burglar didn't realize he was being filmed.

- Past perfect: Two people had been mugged there on the previous day.

- Future simple: All football supporters will be searched at the airport.

- Infinitive: He is hoping to be released from prision next week.

- Gerund: I can't even remember being hit on the head.

- Modal verbs: He should be sentenced to life imprisonment.

B) Use:

The passive is used to focus attention on the person or thing affected by the action, rather than on the agent (the 'doer' of the action). If we are interested in the agent, we use the preposition by:

Sue and Mark were brought up by their grandparents.

When we talk about the instrument used by the agent to do the action, we use the preposition with:

He was hit on the head with a vase.

The agent is not usually included when:

- It is clear from the context who the agent it.

Colin was arrested for dangerous driving. (by the police)

- We don't know who the agent is or was.

My car was stolen yesterday afternoon.

- When the agent is not important.

Stamps are often sold in supermarkets in England.

- The passive is also used in formal notices.

Food may not be consumed on the premises.

C) Passive constructions with the infinitive:

The infinitive can be used after the passive of verbs such as: believe, consider, expect, know, say, think.

The President is expected to arrive at 9:30 am.

The perfect infinitive (have + past participle) is used to refer to the past.

15 people are known to have died in the accident.