PASSIVE VOICE

PASSIVE VOICE

 

 

Voz activa

Many students use computers.

Voz pasiva

Computers are used by many students.

Estructura

La voz pasiva se construye con el verbo to be seguido del participio pasado del verbo principal.

                            Ejemplo:    to cause    to be caused

El objeto de la oración activa pasa a ser sujeto de la oración pasiva.

                           Ejemplo:   Alcohol causes many health problems.

                                            Many health problems are caused by alcohol.

El sujeto e la oración activa se transforma en el complemento agente de la oración pasiva, que va introducido por by.

                              Ejemplo:    The coach will choose the team.

                                                 The team will be chosen by the coach.

 

¡Recuerda!    que el complemento agente se omite cuando se quiere  destacar la        acción que expresa el verbo, sin importar demasiado quién la realiza.      Ejemplos: My purse has been stolen                     (Me han robado el bolso.)                     A new drug is being tested.                     (Están probando un medicamento nuevo.)

 

Usos

La voz pasiva se utiliza

• Para expresar acciones verbales destacando al objeto que afectan.

Ejemplos:    The doctors took a lot of samples.

                                A lot of samples were taken (by the doctors)                            

                               They have made huge progress.

                               Huge progress has been made.

                         

¡Recuerda!    que la voz pasiva se utiliza mucho más en inglés que en castellano. Por eso, ante la oración: He was asked a lot of questions, debemos evitar una traducción literal del tipo: Le fueron hechas muchas preguntas, y coger una frase que suene más natural en castellano: Le hicieron muchas preguntas.

Cambios de tiempos verbales

Tenses	Active	Passive
Present simple	makes / make	Is / are made
Present continuous	Is / are making	Is / are being made
Past simple	made	was / were made
Past continuous	was / were making	was / were being made
Present perfect	has / have made	has / have been made
Past perfect	had made	had been made
Future	will make	wll be made
Future perfect	will have made	will have been made
Conditional	would make	would be made
Perfect conditional	would have made	would have been made
Infinitive	to make	to be made
Perfect infinitive	to have made	to have been made
Can	can make	can be made
	can have made	can have been made
Should / ought to	should / ought to make	should / ought to be made
	should / ought to have       made	should / ought to have       made

 

  Ejemplos:    William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

                       Hamlet was written by William Shakespeare.

 

                       Someone should put these books away.

                       These books should be put away.

                       They are painting the walls pink.

                       The walls are being painted pink.

 

                        Someone has made the beds.

                        The beds have been made.

                        They could have solved this problem.

                         This problem could have been solved.                   

Verbos con dos objetos

• Cuando el verbo activo tiene dos objetos, el objeto indirecto generalmente pasa a ser el sujeto de la frase pasiva.

Ejemplo:    They offered Harry a good job.

                                          CI           CD

                                   Harry was offered a good job

                O bien:       A good job was offered to Harry.

• Entre los verbos que admiten estas estructuras cabe destacar: give, send, show, lend, ask, tell, offer, order, pay.

Ejemplo:    They didn’t send John an e-mail.

                    John wasn’t sent an e-mail.

                    An e-mail wasn’t sent to John