Understanding the Active and the Passive

E. Siler

    Some verbs (not all!) in English can be expressed in two ways: the active and the passive.  The active is the most common way to express a verb.  The active can be expressed in many tenses.

    If a verb has a direct object (like two eggs in the examples above), it is called transitive.  It can also be expressed in the passive.   The function of the passive is to rearrange the parts of the sentence, usually for emphasis.  To make the passive, you must do all of the first three steps:

1. Remove the subject.  Move the object to the place where the subject was.
   Ex.      Two eggs eats every day.
2. Add the form of the verb "be" that is the same tense as the verb.
   Ex.     Two eggs are (present tense of "be") eats every day.
3. Change the verb to the past participle form.
   Ex.    Two eggs are eaten every day.
4. If you think it is important for the sentence, add "by" to the removed subject and place it directly behind the verb.
   Ex.    Two eggs are eaten by the man every day.

If you don't do ALL of steps 1-3, you will have an incomplete passive.  Incomplete passives are a common verb form mistake.  As a practice in making the passive, maek the rest of the sentences passive: