ACTIVE & PASSIVE
VERBS
Introduction
Look at the difference between these two
sentences:
You must submit your FYP
by April 30th at the latest.
Your FYP must be
submitted by April 30th at the latest.
The first sentence is an active sentence:
The subject (you, the person who did the action) comes first, followed
by the verb form and finally, the object (the FYP, the thing that received
the action).
The second sentence is a passive sentence:
The object of the first sentence (the FYP) has become the subject.
The verb form has also changed. Often, in a passive sentence, the person
doing the action is not mentioned.
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Passive
verb forms have two main
parts: an auxiliary verb (usually a tense of the verb to be) + the
past participle of the main verb |
e.g The results are updated regularly.
The passive (or active)
is not itself a tense. But it can be used with nearly any tense -
the tense is indicated by the form of the verb to
be.
Here are some
examples of the passive in different
tenses
Simple present : The
results are updated regularly.
Present progressive: The results are being
updated at the moment .
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Simple past: The results
were updated yesterday.
Past progressive:The results were being updated
yesterday when the computer crashed.
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Present perfect : Have the results been
updated yet?
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Past perfect: The results had already
been updated when the computer crashed.
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Future (with 'will'):The
results will be updated next week.
Future perfect: The results will have been
updated by 5p.m.
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With modal verbs:The
results can/must/should be checked
(etc)
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Common Errors
1. Use of incorrect past participle of irregular verbs.
e.g. |
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A memo was circulate to
all staff. |
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All delegates have been
chose by the committee. |
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The stolen documents have
been founded. |
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A memo was
circulated to all staff. |
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All delegates have been
chosen by the committee. |
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The stolen documents have
been found. |
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2. Missing auxiliary with
passive verbs
e.g. |
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The shipments
dispatched weekly. |
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She afraid that the
information would ruin her chances. |
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The shipments
are dispatched weekly. |
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She was
afraid that the information would ruin her chances. |
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3. Redundant auxiliary
with active voice
e.g. |
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He was decided
to publish his findings in a professional journal. |
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They were understood that
funding was impossible. |
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We wanted to explore the
opportunities we will be encounter next year. |
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He
decided to publish his findings in a professional
journal. |
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They
understood that funding was
impossible. |
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We wanted to explore the
opportunities we will encounter next
year. |
|
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4. Incorrect form of the
main verb
e.g. |
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All safety
procedures are review annually. |
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The largest population
sample was choose. |
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All safety procedures are
reviewed annually. |
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The largest population
sample was chosen. |
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5. Incorrect use of the
passive with intransitive verbs
e.g. |
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Several errors have been arisen
in the blueprint. |
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Several errors have arisen
in the blueprint. |
6. Redundant auxiliary
with active voice (modal verbs)
e.g. |
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During managerial meetings they
would be discuss policy. |
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Staff should have been completed their
assessments by Friday. |
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During managerial meetings they
would discuss policy. |
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Staff should have completed
their assessments by Friday. |
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Click here for a
short 10-question interactive quiz.
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