Guru Fisika Bertaraf Internasional

Guru Fisika Bertaraf Internasional

THE PASSIVE VOICE Compiled by Marina Canapero

Who WAS television invented by?

Compare: When DID somebody INVENT television? (ACTIVE) When WAS television INVENTED? (PASSIVE) Fritjof Capra WROTE "The Tao of Physics" (ACTIVE) "The Tao of Physics" WAS WRITTEN by Mauro Capra (PASSIVE)

In most scientific discourse, it is not the person, but his/her invention, theory, innovation that is more important. Therefore, the PASSIVE VOICE is used widely in scientific texts and papers. The scientist is pushed "into the background" so to speak. The PASSIVE is formed by combining the verb TO BE + past participle (-ed or irregular). The form of TO BE changes according to the tense:

SUBJECT +

FORM OF "TO BE" (DIFFERENT TENSES) +

PAST PARTICIPLE

TENSE	FORM OF "TO BE"	PAST PARTICIPLE
PRESENT SIMPLE	It IS	PRODUCED
PRESENT CONTINUOUS	It IS BEING	PRODUCED
PAST SIMPLE	It WAS	PRODUCED
PAST CONTINUOUS	It WAS BEING	PRODUCED
PAST PERFECT	It HAD BEEN	PRODUCED
PRESENT PERFECT	It HAS BEEN	PRODUCED
FUTURE (WILL)	It WILL BE	PRODUCED
FUTURE (GOING TO)	It IS GOING TO BE	PRODUCED
FUTURE PERFECT	It WILL HAVE BEEN	PRODUCED

Passive + BY: The television WAS INVENTED BY John Logie Baird in 1925.

ACTIVE	PASSIVE
They MAKE paper from wood pulp	Paper IS MADE from wood pulp
Albert Einstein DEVELOPED the "Theory of Relativity"	The "Theory of Relativity" WAS DEVELOPED by Albert Einstein
They IMPORT rubber from India	Rubber IS IMPORTED from India
They MAKE butter from milk	Butter IS MADE from milk
Alexander Graham Bell INVENTED the telephone in 1876	The telephone WAS INVENTED by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876
They MAKE the 'fizz' in fizzy drinks with carbon dioxide	The 'fizz' in fizzy drinks IS MADE using carbon dioxide
They DROVE the first cars in Germany in 1885	The first cars WERE DRIVEN by Gottleib Daimler and Karl Benz in 1893

WORKSHEET TASK 1 Insert the appropriate VERB, and then answer the question. Use the PASSIVE where possible. For example: One hundred years ago, DID people DRIVE cars? (ACTIVE) Yes, they DID. The first petrol-driven cars WERE INVENTED, BUILT and DRIVEN in 1885 by Gottleib Daimler and Karl Benz. (PAST PASSIVE)