Materi Pelajaran Bahasa Inggris Untuk Siswa SMA

THE PASSIVE VOICE

PASSIVE TENSES AND ACTIVE EQUIVALENTS

Notice that the tense of the verb to be in the passive voice is the same as the tense of the main verb in the active voice.

Example: to keep
TENSE / VERB FORM
ACTIVE VOICE
PASSIVE VOICE

Simple present
keeps
is kept

Present continuous
is keeping
is being kept

Simple past
kept
was kept

Past continuous
was keeping
was being kept

Present perfect
have kept
have been kept

Past perfect
had kept
had been kept

future
will keep
will be kept

Conditional present
would keep
would be kept

Conditional past
would have kept
would have been kept

present infinitive
to keep
to be kept

perfect infinitive
to have kept
to have been kept

present participle/gerund
keeping
being kept

perfect participle
having kept
having been kept


Example sentences:

Active: I keep the butter in the fridge.
Passive: The butter is kept in the fridge.

Active: They stole the painting.
Passive: The painting was stolen.

Active: They are repairing the road.
Passive: The road is being repaired.

Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

Active: A dog bit him.
Passive: He was bitten by a dog.

THE PASSIVE VOICE

GET / HAVE SOMETHING DONE

This construction is passive in meaning. It may describe situations where we want someone else to do something for us.

Examples:

a. I must get / have my hair cut.
b. When are you going to get that window mended?
c. We're having the house painted.

If the verb refers to something negative or unwanted, it has the same meaning as a passive sentence:

d. Jim had his car stolen last night. (= Jim's car was stolen)
e. They had their roof blown off in the storm. (= Their roof was blown off in the storm)

The construction can refer to the completion of an activity, especially if a time expression is used:

f. We'll get the work done as soon as possible.
g. I'll get those letters typed before lunchtime.

In all these sentences, we are more interested in the result of the activity than in the person or object that performs the activity.

'X' NEEDS DOING

In the same way, this construction has a passive meaning. The important thing in our minds is the person or thing that will experience the action, e.g.

a. The ceiling needs painting (= the ceiling needs to be painted)
b. My hair needs cutting (= my hair needs to be cut)