Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

• the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
• the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
• the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive 

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Simple Present	Active:	Rita	writes	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is written	by Rita.
Simple Past	Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was written	by Rita.
Present Perfect	Active:	Rita	has written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	has been written	by Rita.
Future I	Active:	Rita	will write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will be written	by Rita.
Hilfsverben	Active:	Rita	can write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	can be written	by Rita.

Examples of Passive 

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Present Progressive	Active:	Rita	is writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is being written	by Rita.
Past Progressive	Active:	Rita	was writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was being written	by Rita.
Past Perfect	Active:	Rita	had written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	had been written	by Rita.
Future II	Active:	Rita	will have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will have been written	by Rita.
Conditional I	Active:	Rita	would write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would be written	by Rita.
Conditional II	Active:	Rita	would have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would have been written	by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects 

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

	Subject	Verb	Object 1	Object 2
Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter	to me.
Passive:	A letter	was written	to me	by Rita.
Passive:	I	was written	a letter	by Rita.

.

As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

PASSIVE VOICE

La voz pasiva

Funciones de la voz pasiva

La voz pasiva se utiliza para mostrar interés por la persona o cosa que es objeto de una acción, en lugar de la persona o cosa que realiza dicha acción. Dicho de otro modo, la persona o cosa más importante pasa a ser el sujeto de la oración.

Ejemplos

• The passive voice is used frequently. (= nos interesa la voz pasiva, no quién la usa.)
• The house was built in 1654. (= nos interesa la casa, no quién la construyó.)
• The road is being repaired. (= nos interesa la carretera, no quién la está arreglando.)

En ocasiones empleamos la voz pasiva porque desconocemos o no queremos mencionar quién realizó la acción.

Ejemplos

• I noticed that a window had been left open.
• Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
• All the cookies have been eaten.
• My car has been stolen!

La voz pasiva suele utilizarse en textos formales. Cambiar a la voz activa hará que lo que escribes resulte más claro y fácil de leer.

Pasiva	Activa
A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words.	A few well-chosen words convey a great deal of meaning.
Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases.	A mass of gases wrap around our planet.
Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways.	The city disposes of waste materials in a variety of ways.

Si queremos decir quién o qué realiza la acción en una construcción en pasiva, empleamos la preposición "by". Cuando sabemos quién realizó la acción y el sujeto nos interesa, siempre es mejor optar por la voz activa.

Pasiva	Activa
"A Hard Day's Night" was written by the Beatles.	The Beatles wrote "A Hard Day's Night".
The movie ET was directed by Spielberg.	Spielberg directed the movie ET.
This house was built by my father.	My father built this house.

Consulta más información sobre la voz pasiva y sus equivalentes en activa para todos los tiempos verbales del inglés.

Formación de la voz pasiva

En inglés, la voz pasiva está compuesta por dos elementos:
la forma apropiada del verbo "to be" + "past participle"

Afirmativa	Negativa	Interrogativa	Interrogativa negativa
The house was built in 1899.	The house wasn't built in 1899.	Was the house built in 1899?	Wasn't the house built in 1899?
These houses were built in 1899.	These houses weren't built in 1899.	Were these houses built in 1899?	Weren't these houses built in 1899?

"To clean", voz pasiva

Sujeto	+ "to be" (conjugado)	+ "past participle"	+ resto de la oración
Simple present
The house	is	cleaned	every day.
Present continuous
The house	is being	cleaned	at the moment.
Simple past
The house	was	cleaned	yesterday.
Past continuous
The house	was being	cleaned	last week.
Present perfect
The house	has been	cleaned	since you left.
Past perfect
The house	had been	cleaned	before they arrived.
Future
The house	will be	cleaned	next week.
Future continuous
The house	will be being	cleaned	tomorrow.
Present conditional
The house	would be	cleaned	if they had visitors.
Past conditional
The house	would have been	cleaned	if it had been dirty.
Inifinitivo
The house	must be	cleaned	before we arrive.

La voz pasiva con infinitivos

El infinitivo en la voz pasiva se emplea detrás de los verbos modales y de la mayoría de los verbos que normalmente van seguidos de infinitivo.

Ejemplos

• You have to be tested on your English grammar.
• John might be promoted next year.
• She wants to be invited to the party.
• I expect to be surprised on my birthday.
• You may be disappointed.

La voz pasiva con el "gerund"

El "gerund" en la voz pasiva se utiliza después de las preposiciones y verbos que normalmente van seguidos de "gerund".

Ejemplos

• I remember being taught to drive.
• The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.
• The children are excited to be taken to the zoo.
• Most film stars hate being interviewed.
• Most film stars hate to be interviewed.
• Poodles like to be pampered.
• Poodles like being pampered.

Uso de "to be born"

"To be born" es una formación pasiva y suele emplearse en pasado. Sin embargo, en algunos casos, el presente o el futuro resultan apropiados.

Ejemplos

• I was born in 1976.
• Where were you born?
• Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
• We don't know on exactly which day the baby will be born.

TERCER PERIODO

HILO CONDUCTOR

How can we recognize the difference between verbal times and change sentences to passive voice

TÓPICO GENERATIVO

*Passive voice

*Know different cultures

*TV, radio and news

*Reported speech

*Curriculum vitae

META ESPECIFICA

The student will understand the difference between verbal times and change sentences to passive voice.

PRESENT PERFECT WORK CLASS MAY 26th/2020 TUESDAY

Fill in the correct form of the Present Perfect tense! 

1. The earth __________________ here for billions of years (be).
2. We ________________________ cards for the last few hours (play).
3. We ________________________ problems with our new car recently (have)
4. ____________________________ on anything interesting lately ?(you work)
5. Cuba ________________________ a socialist country since 1959 (be)
6. I ________________________ care of my neighbour’s cats while they are away (take)
7. I ________________________ my car for three years (have).
8. ________________________________ an important fight? (the boxer , ever, win)
9. John and Mary ________________________ with each other since the day they got married (quarrel).
10. It ________________________ hard since last night (rain).
11. I’m tired because I ________________________ well lately. (not feel)
12. _________________________________ your problems? (your parents, always, understand)
13. The patient ________________________ penicillin for several days now (take)
14. A big earthquake ________________________ San Francisco since 1906. (not hit)
15. They ___________________________ in San Francisco since they arrived in the USA 20 years ago. (live)
16. He got ill five weeks ago and ________________________ yet. (not recover)
17. Everyone in the Middle East ________________________ about the situation for decades (worry).
18. We ________________________ very cold weather this year (have)
19. Where ________________________ the money? (you, hide)
20. At last ,my favourite team ________________________ against its most important rival (win) 21. I ________________________ for 6 years. (marry)
22. Dad ________________________ a number of jobs in the last few years (have).
23. The bank is still closed. It ________________________ yet. (not open)
24. Our daughter ___________________________ lipstick since she was 16 (wear).
25. She is angry because her boyfriend ________________________ up yet and she ________________________ for half an hour. (not show, wait).
26. I’m still waiting for an answer. They ________________________ up their minds yet. (not make) 27. How many times ________________________ the cat today? (Kim feed)
28. The kids ________________________ on my nerves. They ________________________ too much noise (get, make).
29. My company ________________________ a lot of money in the last few years. They ________________________ hard on an important project. (make, work).
30. They ________________________ our new refrigerator yet, but they will any day now. (not deliver

PRESENT PERFECT

PRESENT PERFECT

El presente perfecto es un tiempo verbal en el idioma inglés que narra hechos que ya han ocurrido en un momento específico o en el pasado pero que siguen teniendo una relevancia en el presente. En este sentido, contrasta con el pasado simple, que se usa para referirse a acciones que tuvieron lugar en el pasado pero que ya no tienen, necesariamente, vigencia alguna con el presente, como en los siguientes ejemplos:

• presente perfecto: I have been married for two years. (He estado casado por dos años.).
• pasado simple: I was married for two years. (Estuve dos años casado).

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)

Form (Forma)

Para formar el presente perfecto, se usa el verbo auxiliar “to have” en el presente y el participio pasado del verbo. Para verbos regulares, el participio pasado es la forma simple del pasado. Ver la lección sobre el pasado simple para más información sobre como formar el pasado.

Sujeto	Verbo auxiliar	Forma Corta	Participio Pasado
I, you, we, they	have	I’ve, you’ve, we’ve, they’ve	talked, learned, traveled…
he, she, it	has	he’s, she’s, it’s	talked, learned, traveled…

Nota: Ten en cuenta que hay muchos participios pasados irregulares en inglés. A continuación tienes una lista de unos de los participios pasados irregulares más comunes.

Verbo	Pasado Simple	Participio pasado
be	was/were	been
do	did	done
go	went	gone
make	made	made
see	saw	seen

Structure (Estructura)

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + participio pasado…

Ejemplos:

I have [I’ve] talked to Peter.(He hablado con Peter.)

She has [She’s] gone to work.(Ha ido a su trabajo.)

We have [We’ve] been to London.(Hemos ido a Londres.)

They have [They’ve] learned English.(Han aprendido inglés.)

2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to have) + “not” + participio pasado…

Ejemplos:

I haven’t talked to Peter.(No he hablado con Peter.)

She hasn’t gone to work.(No ha ido a su trabajo.)

We haven’t been to London.(No hemos ido a Londres.)

They haven’t learned English.(No han aprendido inglés.)

3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

Verbo auxiliar (to have) + sujeto + participio pasado…?

Ejemplos:

Have you talked to Peter?(¿Has hablado con Peter?)

Has she gone to work?(¿Ha ido a su trabajo?)

Have you been to London?(¿Has ido a Londres?)

Have they learned English?(¿Han aprendido inglés?)

Uses (Usos)

Se usa el presente perfecto para acciones que ocurrieron en un tiempo no concreto antes de ahora. El tiempo específico no es importante. Por lo tanto, no solemos usar expresiones de tiempo específicas (“this morning”, “yesterday”, “last year”…) con el presente perfecto. Se puede usar el presente perfecto con expresiones de tiempo no concretas (“never”, “ever”, “many times”, “for”, “since”, “already”, “yet”…). Este concepto de tiempo no específico es bastante difícil de comprender, por este motivo, a continuación tienes los usos particulares del presente perfecto.

1. Se usa el presente perfecto para describir una experiencia. No lo usamos para acciones específicas.

Ejemplos:

I have never flown in a plane.(Nunca he volado en un avión.)

He has worked in many different museums.(Ha trabajado en muchos museos diferentes.)

We have been to Río de Janeiro.(Hemos ido a Río de Janeiro.)

2. Se utiliza el presente perfecto para un cambio en el tiempo.

Ejemplos:

I have become more timid in my old age.(Me he vuelto más tímido en mi vejez.)

Their English has improved a lot this year.(Su inglés ha mejorado mucho este año.)

He has learned to be more patient.(Ha aprendido a ser más paciente.)

3. Se usa para los éxitos o logros.

Ejemplos:

Our football team has won the championship three times.(Nuestro equipo de fútbol ha ganado el campeonato tres veces.)

Dan has finished writing his first novel.(Dan ha terminado de escribir su primera novela.)

Scientists have succeeded in curing many illnesses.(Los científicos han tenido éxito en la curación de muchas enfermedades.)

4. Usamos el presente perfecto para acciones que todavía no han sucedido. El uso del presente perfecto en estos casos indica que aún estamos esperando la acción, por eso, frecuentemente usamos los adverbios “yet” y “still”.

Ejemplos:

The plane hasn’t arrived yet.(El avión no ha llegado todavía.)

Our team still hasn’t won a championship.(Nuestro equipo aún no ha ganado un campeonato.)

You haven’t finished your homework yet?(¿No has acabado todavía los deberes?)

5. Se utiliza el presente perfecto para hablar sobre acciones en diferentes momentos en el pasado. El uso del presente perfecto en estos casos indica que son posibles más acciones en el futuro.

Ejemplos:

We have spoken several times, but we still can’t reach an agreement.(Hemos hablado varias veces, pero todavía no podemos llegar a un acuerdo.)

Our team has played 4 games so far this year.(Nuestro equipo ya ha jugado 4 partidos este año.)

I love New York! I have been there 5 times already and I can’t wait to go back.(¡Me encanta Nueva York! Ya he estado allí 5 veces y no puedo esperar para regresar.)

6. En general, usamos el presente perfecto continuo para situaciones que han empezado en el pasado pero siguen en el presente. Pero como hemos visto, hay algunos verbos que no podemos usar en los tiempos continuos. En estos casos, usamos el presente perfecto.

Ejemplos:

How long has Michael been in Barcelona?(¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado Michael en Barcelona?)

I have loved you since the day I met you.(Te he querido desde el día que te conocí.)