PASSIVE VOICE

What is the passive voice ?

A sentence generally begins with the performer of the action (subject), then the verb, then the object or person that the action is performed on. This is called an ‘Active’ sentence.

For an example :

                   Subject       +Verb          +Object

                   Jonathan    cleaned       the room

If we begin the sentence with the object or person that the action is performed on, we formulate a ‘ Passive’ sentence

For an example :

         

                   Object         + Verb             + by Subject

                   The room    was cleaned      by Jonathan

Note :

Not all verb in English take an object. Therefore, some sentences are complete without an object.

For examples :

                   John slept well                     

                   John lives far away 

       this type of sentence can not be changed into the passive voice

When should we use the passive voice ?

There are two main cases :

1.   We don’t know who the subject is, or it is not important who the subject is.

      For an example :

      Somebody cleaned the floor             : The floor was cleaned        

2.   When it is obvious to the listener or reader who the subject is because it is the person who usually does it.

      For an example :

      The cleaner cleaned the floor            : The floor was cleaned

How to formulate the Passive Voice ?

There are three steps to formulate a passive sentence :

1.   Put the object of the verb at the beginning of your sentence

2.   Conjugate the verb ‘to be’ in the same tense as the active sentence

3.   Put the main verb in the Past Participle form

      For examples :

 

The postman delivers the mail          : The mail is delivered

The decorator is painting my room   : My room is being painted      

Someone stole my wallet                  : My wallet was stolen

Note 1 :

If you want to mention the subject in a passive sentence, use ‘ by ’ :

For example :

          My room is being painted by the decorator

Note 2 :

If the active sentence begins with ‘no one’ or ‘nobody’ the passive sentence will be negative :

For example :

          Noone turned on the light : The light was not turned on

Note 3 :

If there is a preposition between the verb and the object, the preposition will remain after the verb :

For example :

          They talked about the issue : The issue was talked about

The Passive Voice of different Tenses

Tense                             Active                            Passive

Simple Present               I do it                              It is done by me

Simple Past                    He did it                          It was done by him

Simple Future                I will do it                        It will be done by me

Present Continuous        I am doing it                    It is being done by me

Past Continuous            She was doing it               It was being done by her

Future Continuous         I will be doing it                It will be being done by me

Present Perfect               We have done it                It has been done by us

Past Perfect                   They had done it               It had been done by them

Future Perfect                I will have done it             It will have been done by me

Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Tense can be used in three situations:

1. To indicate something that has happened at an indefinite time in the past :

    - I have seen that movie already.

    - She has left for California.

    - They have not eaten their dinner yet.

2. To indicate something which started in the past and continues until now :

    - I have lived in New York for nine years.

    - We have been here since Friday.

    - He has played football since he was a child.

3. To indicate something which occurred recently :

    - I have been sick lately.

    - She hasn’t slept much recently.

Notes:

When speaking about a specific time, use past tense.

A: I have seen that movie already.	(Non-specific time)
B: Oh really? When did you see it?
A: I saw it last week with Bob.	(Specific time)

Some words should not be used in situation 2 (above)

I have met John for five years.	(INCORRECT)
I have known John for five years.	(CORRECT)
I met John five years ago.	(CORRECT)
I have met John already.	(CORRECT)

Sometimes, but not always, present perfect continuous can be used instead of present perfect.

I have lived there for ten years.	(Okay)
I have been living there for ten years.	(Okay)
I have exercised a lot recently.	(Okay)
I have been exercising a lot recently.	(Okay)
I have seen that movie ten times.	(Okay)
I have been seeing that movie ten times.	(NOT Okay)

Present Progressive / Continuous

Present Progressive / Continuous

The present progressive tense takes the form be + V ing. The form of “be” is determined by the subject of the sentence : - He is singing. - She is listening. - They are sleeping. - I am going home. In English, the present progressive is used to indicate actions happening at the time of speaking, or right now : - Jake is speaking to his mother right now. - Please keep quiet. The baby is sleeping.

Simple Present Tense

PRESENT TENSE
What is the present tense?
A tense is a specific form of a verb that shows WHEN the action implied by the verb takes place. There are two tenses in English: the PRESENT and the PAST (note: WILL, which denotes the FUTURE, is not a tense by a MODAL). When a verb is at the present tense, it shows that the action implied by the verb is  : 
a) taking place NOW or 
b) is a valid and eternal truth. Examples ; I work today, The United States of America believes in free speech.
For most verbs in the simple present tense, you must add an "s" to the end of the verb for he/she/it, as in, "Devan hates the holidays." However, for some verbs, you have to add es for he/she/it, as in, "She watches a lot of TV," or, "He misses his mom."
So how do you know when es is necessary? One rule to remember is that any verb ending in ch, sh or ss needs an es, not s, for he/she/it.

WH - Questions

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

When? Where? Who? Why? How? What?

Time Place Person Reason Manner Object/Idea/Action

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

Which (one)? Whose? Whom? How much? How many? How long? How often? How far? What kind (of)?

Choice of alternatives Possession Person (objective formal) Price, amount (non-count) Quantity (count) Duration Frequency Distance Description

6. Expression necessity and obligation

Must is often used to indicate 'personal' obligation  what you think yourself or other people/things must do. The obligation comes from outside (a rule or law). 
Have to or need to are often used to indicate neccessity (but not always).   It means doesn't come from a rule or law.
Here are the expressions to show necessity and obligation :

 - It is necessary for you to be here on time.

 - You must finish your reports before the boss ask you.

 - We don't need to come to the party, I think.
 - You have to submit the report by June 2 ^{nd 
 - We must be here before the teacher comes}

 - The school must provide more sports facilities. 

 - You have to clean the keyboard regularly.
   - I really must get some exercise.   
   - People must try to be more tolerant of each other.
   - If you own a car, you have to pay an annual road tax.