Учебное пособие 1583

construction can be made the subject of a passive construction in English, which is quite impossible in Russian.

Thus the verbs advise, allow, ask, deny, forgive, give, grant, offer, order, pay, promise, refuse, show, teach, tell are widely used in the Passive Voice.

She was shown the way. We were told to wait. He is offered a better job. Negroes were denied civil rights in the U. S.

(2) Intransitive verbs taking a prepositional object can be used passively too, which is out of the question in Russian. Here belong the following verbs: account for, agree to, upon, arrive at (an agreement, a compromise, a conclusion, a decision), call for, call on, comment on, count on, depend on, hear of, insist on, interfere with, laugh at, listen to, look after, look at, look down on, look up to, look upon, provide for, put up with, refer to, rely on, run over, send for, speak about, of, to, talk about, over, to.

In this case the prepositional object of an active construction becomes the subject of a passive construction, the preposition being put after the passive verb.

The decision was arrived at. The statement was widely commented on. The film was much talked about. I'm not going to be talked to like this. He only spoke when he was spoken to.

Note: To send for can be used only in connection with people. "Where is the doctor?" "He has been sent for."

(3) Some other intransitive verbs such as live, sleep, etc. may be used in passive constructions similar to those with the abovementioned intransitive verbs. The peculiarity of this case is that the subject of a passive construction corresponds to the adverbial modifier of an active construction (or to that of the corresponding Russian sentence).

The bed had not been slept in. The room had been lived in too long.

(4) A number of phraseological verb + noun groups can also be used in the Passive Voice and thus form passive constructions. Here belong the following: find fault with, lose sight of, make fun of, make use of, pay attention to, put an end to, take care of, take (no) notice of, etc.

The boat was soon lost sight of in the fog. The child should be taken care of. His remark was taken no notice of. This bloodshed must be put an end to.

Note: Care should be taken not to confuse a simple predicate expressed by a verb in the passive with a compound nominal predicate consisting of the linking verb to be + a predicative in the form of participle II. The matter is that either of them is made up of the same elements. However, be + participle II denotes an action when it is a simple predicate and it denotes a state in case of a compound predicate. Compare these two sentences:

When I came, the gate had already been locked. (an action denoted by a simple predicate)

As it was a late hour, the gate was locked. (a state denoted by a compound predicate)

The use of tense forms depends on these two meanings of the group to be + participle II; it also affects the way of rendering it in Russian. Thus, it is … ворота уже заперли in the former of the two sentences, and … ворота были заперты in the latter.

NOTES ON RENDERING PASSIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN

RUSSIAN

As already said, passive constructions are much more used in English than in Russian. Therefore it is not always possible to retain a passive construction in translation from English into

Russian.

(1) When a verb in the original passive construction corresponds to a transitive verb in Russian, this construction may be rendered in two ways:

1. Подсудимый был

оправдан.

The defendants was acquitted. 2. Подсудимого оправдали.

The second variant is more conversational, while the first one is typical of formal or literary style.

Thus a passive construction of the original is sometimes transformed in translation in an active one for stylistical reasons.

A passive construction often retains in translations of newspaper articles and official documents.

The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority. –

Резолюция была принята большинством голосов.

The protest was timed for the third anniversary of the public execution of the young patriot. – Демонстрация протеста

была приурочена к третьей годовщине публичной казни молодого патриота.

(2) When a verb in the original passive construction corresponds to an intransitive verb in Russian, it is impossible to convey its meaning by a passive construction in Russian.

The report was followed by a long debate. – За докладом последовали долгие прения.

(3) This is also the case with sentences containing the so-called complex subject; such sentences are frequently used in reporting news.

The delegation is expected to arrive tomorrow.

The passive verb of this construction is conveyed in Russian either by an indefinite personal construction (неопределенноличный оборот) or by a parenthetical phrase (вводный оборот).

1.Ожидают, что

2.Ожидается, что делегация прибудет завтра.

3.Как ожидают,

Here are another two examples:

CHANGING FROM ACTIVE INTO PASSIVE

To change a sentence from the active into the passive:

a)the object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.

b)the active verb remains in the same tense, but changes into passive form.

c)the subject of the active sentence becomes the agent, and is either introduced with the preposition by or omitted.

Only transitive verbs (verbs followed by an object) can be changed into passive.

Active: My grandfather built this house. (transitive

verb)

Passive: This house was built by my grandfather.

But: We traveled to Spain last year. (intransitive verb)

Some transitive verbs such as have, fit, suit, resemble, etc. cannot be changed into the passive.

I have a rest every afternoon. (NOT: A rest is had

by me …)

We use by + agent to say who or what carries out the action. We use with + instrument/material/ingredient to say what the agent used.

The biscuits were made by Mary. They were made with eggs, flour, milk and butter.

The agent is often omitted in the passive sentence when the subject of the active sentence is one of the following words: people, one, someone/somebody, they, he, etc.

Active: Somebody has rearranged the furniture.

Passive: The furniture has been rearranged.

But: The agent is not omitted when it is a specific or important person or when it is essential to the meaning of the sentence.

A new law has been passed by the government.

The ‗Mona Lisa‘ was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

Object pronouns – me, you, him, etc. – become subject pronouns – I, you, he, etc. – in the passive.

Active: They offended him.

Passive: He was offended.

With verbs which take two objects such as bring, tell, send, show, teach, promise, buy, throw, write, award, hand, sell, owe, grant allow, feed, pass, post, read, take, offer, give, pay, land we can make two different passive sentences.

Active: Patrick gave Laura some flowers.

Passive: a) Laura was given some flowers by Patrick. (more usual)

b) Some flowers were given to Laura by

Patrick. (less usual)

When the verb of the active sentence is followed by the preposition, the preposition is kept in the passive sentence as well.

Active: They presented him with a medal.

Passive : He was presented with a medal.

When we want to find out did something, then the passive question form is as follows: Who/What … by?

Who was America discovered by?

What was the fire caused by?

The verbs hear, help, see, make are followed by the bare infinitive in the active but by the to-infinitive in the passive.

Active: They saw him cross the street.

Passive: He was seen to cross the street.

But: hear, see, watch + -ing form (active and passive)

Active: They saw him running down the

stairs.

Passive: He was seen running down the

stairs.

The verbs think, believe, say, report, know, expect, consider, understand, etc. are used in the following passive patterns in personal and impersonal constructions.

Active: People believe that he lied in the court. Passive: a) It is believed (that) he lied in the court

(impersonal construction)

b) He is believed to have lied in the court. (personal construction)

Active: They expect him to arrive soon.

Passive: a) It is expected (that) he will arrive

soon.

b) He is expected to arrive soon.

Exercise 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive tense.

1.A: That‘s a lovely shirt, is it new?

B:Yes. It …was bought … (buy) for me by my grandmother.

2.A: When do you have to have this report ready?

B:Well, it ……………….. (must/hand in) by Tuesday.

3.A: Did you read the newspaper this morning?

B:No. It ……………………. (not/deliver) by the time I left for work.

4.A: Where is your car?

B:At the garage. It ……………………… (repair).

5.A: Do you know your exam results well?

B:No. They …………………………. (not/announce)

yet.

6.A: Are you going to make dinner tonight?

B:No. it ……………………. (make) by Simon. He promised to do it.

7.A: Have you finished you homework yet?

B:No, but it ……………………. (finish) by eight o‘clock.

8.A: Who waters your plants for you when you‘re away?

B:They ………………………. (water) by my neighbour.