Unit 11: Voice – Chapter 1: Grammar Practice – Starter TOEIC – Third Edition – Building TOEIC Test-taking Skills – Anne Taylor – Casey Malarcher
🎯Target:
✔ Appropriate form of verbs in passive sentences
✔ Verbs which may not be used as passive forms
✔ Causative/Perceptual verbs in passive sentences
✔ Prepositions in passive sentences
1. Active vs. Passive Sentences
Active vs. Passive Sentences are two different ways of expressing actions in English, depending on whether we want to emphasize the person/thing doing the action or the person/thing receiving the action.
👉 Active sentences emphasize the person or thing performing the action.
Example: The chef cooked the meal.
👉 Passive sentences emphasize the person or thing receiving the action.
Example: The meal was cooked by the chef.
A. Formula
👉 Active Sentences: Subject + Verb + Object
The subject is the person or thing performing the action.
Example: The cat chased the mouse.
👉 Passive Sentences: Subject + be + past participle (p.p.) + preposition + Object
The subject in passive sentences is the person or thing receiving the action.
Example: The mouse was chased by the cat.
👉 How to Change from Active to Passive Sentences
✍️ Identify the object in the active sentence. This will become the new subject in the passive sentence.
Example: The teacher explains the lesson. → The lesson is the object.
✍️ Move the object to the start of the sentence and add the correct form of to be (matching the tense of the verb in the active sentence).
Example: The lesson is…
✍️ Change the main verb to its past participle (p.p.) form.
Example: The lesson is explained…
✍️ Add by + the original subject if needed.
Example: The lesson is explained by the teacher.
B. Use of “by + noun”
In passive sentences, by + noun is used when it is necessary to mention who or what performs the action.
If it is unnecessary or already clear, by + noun can be omitted.
Examples:
He was caught.
He was caught by the police.
2. Key Grammar Points for Passive Sentences
A. Only transitive verbs can be changed to passive forms.
Transitive verbs require an object to complete their meaning. Only these verbs can be used in passive form.
Examples:
🔸The ship has been disappeared. (incorrect) → “Disappear” is an intransitive verb and cannot have an object.
🔸English is spoken here. (correct) → “Speak” is a transitive verb, so it can be changed to passive.
B. Verbs like “make,” “tell,” and “ask” require a to-infinitive in passive sentences
When these verbs are used in passive form, the main verb is changed to a to-infinitive.
Examples:
🔸The boys were made to work very hard.
🔸She was made to cry by the situation.
🔸They were told to stay quiet by her.
🔸The students were told to complete their homework by the teacher.
🔸The girls were asked to stop laughing.
🔸The team was asked to submit the report on time by the manager.
C. Perceptual verbs (“see,” “observe,” “hear”) are followed by either a to-infinitive (for repeated or habitual actions) or an -ing form (for an action in progress) in passive sentences.
👉 To-infinitive: for repeated or habitual actions.
Example:
🔸The migratory birds were seen to return to the same forest every winter. → (Describes the repeated action of birds returning to the same place.)
🔸The students were seen to participate in the annual science fair every year. → (Highlights the regular habit of students participating in the event.)
🔸The team was seen to improve their performance in every match. → (Shows the team’s repeated pattern of improvement.)
🔸The planets were observed to follow elliptical orbits around the sun. → (Refers to the habitual or scientific observation of planets’ movements.)
🔸The employees were observed to arrive late during the winter months. → (Emphasizes a repeated behavior in a professional context.)
🔸The lions were observed to hunt in groups during the rainy season. → (Describes a recurring pattern in animal behavior.)
🔸The geese were observed to fly south every autumn.
🔸The song was heard to be played at every festival in the village. → (Describes the repeated occurrence of the song being played.)
🔸The neighbors were heard to argue loudly every weekend. → (Shows a habitual action of arguing in a specific setting.)
🔸The speaker was heard to emphasize the same points in all his speeches. → (Highlights the repetition of ideas in the speaker’s presentations.)
👉 -ing form: for actions in progress or happening at the moment of observation
Example:
🔸The geese were seen swimming in the pond.
🔸The birds were seen flying across the sky at sunset. → (The action of flying is happening at the moment of observation.)
🔸The players were seen practicing on the field before the match. → (The players were in the middle of their practice.)
🔸The children were seen playing in the park yesterday afternoon. → (The children were playing at that moment.)
🔸The monkeys were observed swinging from tree to tree in the jungle. → (The action of swinging is in progress.)
🔸The employees were observed discussing the new project in the meeting room. → (The discussion was ongoing when it was observed.)
🔸The cars were observed moving slowly during the rush hour. → (The slow movement was happening at the time.)
🔸The singer was heard performing live on stage. → (The action of performing was happening when it was heard.)
🔸The neighbors were heard shouting at each other late at night. → (The shouting was ongoing at the moment.)
🔸The announcement was heard informing passengers of the delay. → (The announcement about the delay was being made at that time.)
D. Complex verbs that consist of verb + preposition are treated as one unit when changed to passive.
When such verbs are changed to passive, the verb and the preposition stay together.
Examples:
🔸They laughed at him. → He was laughed at (by them).
🔸Nobody has slept in this room. → This room has not been slept in (by anybody).
🔸The team gave up the project due to lack of funding. → The project was given up due to lack of funding by the team.
🔸The nurse takes care of the elderly patients. → The elderly patients are taken care of by the nurse.
🔸Some people look down on those without a college degree. → Those without a college degree are looked down on by some people.
🔸She couldn’t put up with his bad behavior any longer. → His bad behavior couldn’t be put up with any longer by her.
🔸They ran out of fuel during the trip. → Fuel was run out of during the trip.
E. Besides by, the prepositions “at” and “with” may also be used in passive sentences.
👉 Using “at”: Common verbs: be alarmed at (This phrase expresses a sense of fear, worry, or concern caused by something), be surprised at (This phrase expresses astonishment or amazement caused by something unexpected)
Example:
🔸She was surprised at the news.
🔸The residents were alarmed at the sudden rise in water levels during the storm.
🔸The public was alarmed at the reports of increasing crime in the area.
🔸The doctors were alarmed at the patient’s rapidly worsening condition.
🔸She was surprised at being nominated for the award.
🔸The teacher was surprised at the students’ ability to solve such a difficult problem.
🔸The audience was surprised at the unexpected twist in the story.
👉 Using “with”: Common verbs: be pleased with, be covered with, be occupied with
Example:
🔸The manager was pleased with the results of the project. (Người quản lý hài lòng với kết quả của dự án.)
🔸The teacher was pleased with the students’ progress this semester. (Giáo viên hài lòng với sự tiến bộ của học sinh trong học kỳ này.)
🔸She was pleased with the meal her friend prepared. (Cô ấy hài lòng với bữa ăn mà bạn cô ấy chuẩn bị.)
🔸The mountains were covered with snow after the storm. (Những ngọn núi được bao phủ bởi tuyết sau cơn bão.)
🔸The table was covered with a beautiful lace cloth. (Chiếc bàn được phủ bằng một tấm khăn ren đẹp.)
🔸The walls were covered with colorful paintings by local artists. (Những bức tường được bao phủ bởi các bức tranh đầy màu sắc của các nghệ sĩ địa phương.)
🔸The table was covered with dust.
🔸The staff was occupied with preparing for the upcoming event. (Nhân viên bận rộn với việc chuẩn bị cho sự kiện sắp tới.)
🔸She was occupied with taking care of her children all day. (Cô ấy bận rộn với việc chăm sóc con cái cả ngày.)
🔸He was occupied with reading a new novel when the guests arrived. (Anh ấy đang bận đọc một cuốn tiểu thuyết mới khi khách đến.)
👉 Using either “at” or “with”: Common verbs: be delighted at/with, be disgusted at/with
Example:
🔸She was delighted with the promotion she received at work. (Cô ấy rất vui mừng với việc được thăng chức tại công ty.)
🔸He was delighted at the surprise gift from his colleagues. (Anh ấy rất vui mừng trước món quà bất ngờ từ đồng nghiệp.)
🔸The students were delighted with the results of their hard work. (Các học sinh rất hài lòng với kết quả của sự cố gắng.)
🔸They were disgusted at the unfair treatment of the workers. (Họ cảm thấy phẫn nộ trước sự đối xử bất công với những người lao động.)
🔸She was disgusted with the taste of the spoiled milk. (Cô ấy cảm thấy ghê tởm với hương vị của sữa bị hỏng.)
🔸We were disgusted at the way he spoke to the elderly man. (Chúng tôi cảm thấy ghê sợ trước cách anh ta nói chuyện với người lớn tuổi.)
