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Uses of the passive

The passive is used:

A When it is not necessary to mention the doer of the action as it is obvious who he is/was/will be:

The rubbish hasn 't been collected.

The streets are swept every day.

Your hand will be X-rayed.

B When we don't know, or don't know exactly, or have forgotten who did the action:

The minister was murdered. My car has been moved!

You'll be met at the station. I've been told that...

C When the subject of the active verb would be 'people':

He is suspected of receiving stolen goods. (People suspect him of …)

They are supposed to be living in New York. (People suppose that they are living . . .)

D When the subject of the active sentence would be the indefinite pronoun one: One sees this sort of advertisement everywhere would usually be expressed:

This sort of advertisement is seen everywhere.

In colloquial speech we can use the indefinite pronoun you and an active verb:

You see this sort of advertisement everywhere.

But more formal English requires one + active verb or the more usual passive form.

E When we are more interested in the action than the person who does it:

The house next door has been bought (by a Mr Jones).

If, however, we know Mr Jones, we would use the active:

Your father's friend, Mr Jones, has bought the house next door.

Similarly:

A new public library is being built (by our local council) though in more informal English we could use the indefinite pronoun they and an active verb:

They are building a new public library

while a member of the Council will of course say:

We are/The council is building etc.

F The passive may be used to avoid an awkward or ungrammatical sentence. This is usually done by avoiding a change of subject:

A) When he arrived home a detective arrested him

would be better expressed:

When he arrived home he was arrested (by a detective ).

b) When their mother was ill neighbours looked after the children.

would be better expressed:

When their mother was ill the children were looked after by neighbours.

1. Use either active or passive, in any appropriate tense, for the verbs in parentheses.

1. The Amazon valley is extremely important to the ecology of the earth. Forty percent of the world's oxygen (produce) ______________ there.

2. Right now Roberto is in hospital. He (treat) _____________ for a bad burn on his hand and arm.

3. The game (win, probably) _______________ by the other team tomorrow. They're a lot better than we are.

4. There was a terrible accident on a busy downtown street yesterday. Dozens of people (see) ______________ it, including my friend, who (interview) _________________ by the police.

5. In my country, certain prices, such as the price of medical supplies, (control) _____________ by the government. Other prices (determine) _____________by how much consumers are willing to pay for a product.

6. Yesterday a purse-snatcher (catch) ________________ by a dog. While the thief (chase) ________________by the police, he (jump) ___________ over a fence into someone's yard, where he encountered a ferocious dog. The dog (keep) ______________ the thief from escaping.

7. The first fish (appear) ____________ on the earth about 500 million years ago. Up to now, more than 20,000 kinds of fish (name) ________________ and (describe) ______________ by scientists. New species (discover)______________ every year, so the total increases continually.

8. Richard Anderson is a former astronaut. Several years ago, when he was 52, Anderson (inform) ___________ by his superior at an aircraft corporation that he could no longer be a test pilot. He (tell) _____________ that he was being relieved of his duties because of his age. Anderson took the corporation to court for age discrimination.

9. Frostbite may occur when the skin (expose) _______________ to extreme cold. It most frequently (affect)________________ the skin of the cheeks, chin, ears, fingers, nose, and toes.

10. In 1877, a network of lines (discover) _____________ on the surface of Mars by an Italian astronomer, Giovanni Schiaparelli. The astronomer (call) _____________ these lines "channels," but when the Italian word (translate) _____________ into English, it became "canals." As a result, some people thought the lines were waterways that (build) ________________by some unknown creatures. We now know that the lines are not really canals. Canals (exist, not)_____________ on Mars.

11. Carl Gauss (recognize) ________________ as a mathematical genius when he was ten. One day a professor gave him an arithmetic problem. Carl (ask) ______________ to add up all the numbers from 1 to 100 (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5, etc.). It (take) _____________ him only eight seconds to solve the problem. How could he do it so quickly? Can you do it quickly? Carl could do it quickly because he (know) __________ that each pair of numbers — 1 plus 100, 2 plus 99, 3 plus 98, and so on to 50 plus 51 — equaled 101. So he (multiply) ____________ 50 times 101 and (come) ______________ up with the answer: 5,050.