Themain difference between the active and passive voice is that the doer is known in the former while it is unknown in the latter. In order to change the past tense verb from the active into passive voice, we have to do two things as follows: 1-Change the vowel of the first radical into đammah. 2-Change the vowel of the pre-final radical 16Tenses Lengkap dan Contoh Penggunaannya Hertian Pratiwi. active voice and passive Presentasi passive voice 1. GROUP 4 COMPILED BY : 1 . R U S M I YAT U N 2 . L I N DA A N D R I A N I 3. Simple Present Tense Active • S + V1 + O Passive • S + is/am/are + V3 + Example . Active : Somebody holds a ceremony. GfMA64. Before knowing the formula below, let us first understand the meaning of Active and Passive sentences, as well as any type of sentence that can be changed either from active to passive or from passive to active. This is important, because not all sentences can be changed or back and forth. To shorten the time, we just see the following explanation ACTIVE VOICE Active Voice is a type of sentence in which the subject acts as the actor of an action Who does what. If in ordinary Indonesian use the formula prefix and suffix “Me / me-kan / ter / ber / memper-kan, etc,” eat, read, play, etc.. Example Jessica S drank P a glass coffee O Rico S is crying P PASSIVE VOICE It is a sentence where the object is subjected to an action by the subject what is done. If in ordinary Indonesian use “Di / di-kan / ter-i, ect” eaten, read, played, etc.. Example A glass coffee O was drunk P by Jessica S The house O has been built P Information Sentences that can be changed from the active to the passive form and vice versa are only verbal expressions that have subject and direct object elements, called transitive verbs, like example number 1 of each of the above. Please remember yes, direct object is not an indirect object. For sentences with an arrangement like example number 2 without direct object in active sentence and without subject in passive sentence, called intransitive verb, can not be changed / reversed. After understanding the above understanding, we just see the formula of its use in the following 16 tenses SIMPLE PAST TENSE Formula Active S + V2 + O Passive O + was / were + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Johan wrote a letter. Passive A letter was written by Johan. PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + was / were + V1 + ing + O Passive O + was / were + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Tania was cooking those martabaks in the kitchen. Passive Those martabaks were being cooked by Tania in the kitchen. PAST PERFECT TENSE Formula Active S + had + verb 3+ O Passive O + had + been + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Ruhut had fixed his problem yesterday. Passive Ruhut’s problem had been fixed by him yesterday. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + had + been + V1 + ing + O Passive O + had + been + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Tika has been playing piano since 1 hour ago. Passive The piano had been being played by Tika since 1 hour ago. PAST FUTURE TENSE Formula Active S + would + verb 1+ O Passive O + would be + verb 3 + by + S Example Active I would buy the new shoes. Passive The new shoes would be bought by me. PAST FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + would + be + V1 + ing + O Passive O + would + be + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Rama would be calling Shinta for long time. Passive Shinta would be being called by Rama for long time. PAST FUTURE PERFECT TENSE Formula Active S + would + have + verb 3+ O Passive O + would + have been + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Alisa would have sent the gift- if she knew your house. Passive The gift would have been sent by Alisa- if she knew your house. PAST FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + would + have been + V1 + ing + O Passive O + would + have been + be + verb 3 + by + S Example Active They would have been opening the shop- before their boss came. Passive The shop would have been opened by them before their boss came. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE Formula Active S + verb 1 / verb 1-s / es + O Passive O + am / is / are + verb 3 + by + S Example Active My mom sells the foods and beverages. Passive The foods and beverages are sold by my mom. PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + Am / is / are + V1 + ing + O Passive O + am / is / are + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active The computer is processing the document. Passive The document is being processed by the computer. SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE Formula Active S + will + verb 1+ O Passive O + will + be + verb 3 + by + S Example Active We will spend our time-for learning English. Passive Our time will be spent by us- for learning English. FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + will + be + V1 + ing + O Passive O + will + be + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active The students will be finishing their homework – if they have been at the school. Passive The homework will be at the school. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE Formula Active S + have / has + verb 3+ O Passive O + have / has + been + verb 3+ by + S Example Active I have swept my house’s floors. Passive My house’s floors have been swept by me. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + have / has + been + V1 + ing + O Passive O + have / has + been + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Jarwo has been watching the TV- since 5 hours ago. Passive The TV has been watched by Jarwo- since 5 hours ago. FUTURE PERFECT TENSE Formula Active S + will + have + verb 3+ O Passive O + will + have + been + verb 3 + by + S Example Active I will have submitted my assignment- on Monday next week. Passive My assignment will have been submitted by on Monday next week. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE Formula Active S + will + have + been + V1 + ing + O Passive O + will + have + been + being + verb 3 + by + S Example Active Google will have been releasing Android newest version-next year. Passive The newest Android version will have been released by Google- next year. So explanation of active and passive voice. I can convey, hopefully can be easily understood and hopefully useful. If friends see any errors please be justified and if there are still less please added for the common good. Thanks for reading. Test your knowledge on grammar – English tenses active and passive voice. After submitting your answers, you will see how well you have done in the test. Hadrian's Wall Fill the gaps with the correct tenses active or passive voice. In the year 122 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian visit his provinces in Britain. On his visit, the Roman soldiers tell him that Pictish tribes from Britain's north attack them. So Hadrian give the order to build a protective wall across one of the narrowest parts of the country. After 6 years of hard work, the Wall finish in 128. It be 117 kilometres long and about 4 metres high. The Wall guard by 15,000 Roman soldiers. Every 8 kilometres there be a large fort in which up to 1,000 soldiers find shelter. The soldiers watch over the frontier to the north and check the people who want to enter or leave Roman Britain. In order to pass through the Wall, people must go to one of the small forts that serve as gateways. Those forts call milecastles because the distance from one fort to another be one Roman mile about 1,500 metres. Between the milecastles there be two turrets from which the soldiers guard the Wall. If the Wall attack by enemies, the soldiers at the turrets run to the nearest milecastle for help or light a fire that can / see by the soldiers in the milecastle. In 383 Hadrian's Wall abandon . Today Hadrian's Wall be the most popular tourist attraction in northern England. In 1987, it become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Active and Passive Voice has been a very important chapter in English Grammar. You must have read Active and Passive Voice since the beginning. Have you ever thought what active and passive voice is? In grammar perspective, we know that it is very important but what is its importance in our day to day life? Have you ever thought about it? For better understanding, we should relate the Grammar to our practical world. We should find out the use of active and passive voice in our life. Ok Let’s understand the important terms which we are going to use. They are Active voice and Passive voice. First, let us see how people define. See the definition given by Wikipedia. As we see the type and explanation of active and passive voice according to Wikipedia. But that is not easy to understand. Isn’t it? Now, let me do my part of the job. There are two types of voice. Active Voice Passive Voice Let us have an Active and Passive Voice definition. Active and Passive Voice Definition You must have read an active voice and passive voice definition before. But before going ahead, let us have a look at the format of sentences. Do you know what is the format of sentences? See below- SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT John teaches English. John is subject, teaches is verb/action word and English is an object It consists of Subject, Verb and Object. In other words, we can say that there are doer, action words and object in most of the sentences. Mostly, the subject is the doer of the action in many sentences. For example- John teaches English. Here in the above sentence, John is the subject and doer in the sentence. But in some cases, the subject of the sentence is not the doer of the action word. See the example below- English is taught by John. Here in this sentence, English is the subject of the sentence but not the doer of the action word. The doer is John which is at the place of the object. So this sentence is different from the first sentence. To conclude, let us find the final active and passive voice definition. Active Voice Definition If the subject of a sentence is the doer of the verb, it is called Active Voice. For instance- Carol beats the thief. Carol is the subject and the doer in the sentence. Passive Voice Definition If the subject of a sentence is only the subject of the sentence, not the doer of the verb, it is called passive voice. For instance- The thief is beaten by Carol. The thief is the subject only not the doer of the verb because the doer is Carol so it is a passive voice. Now, let us find out some more active and passive voice differences to make it clear. Active Voice The subject is the doer of the verb. The forms of verbs differ in the sentences according to the tenses. The subject is the hero of the sentence because it performs the action with the verbs. Passive Voice The subject is not the doer of the verb but the object is the doer in the sentence. The forms of the verbs do not differ in the sentences but remain the same third form of the verb. The object tries to become the hero but does not perform the action with the verbs. Finally, you must be clear about the active and passive voice definition. Let’s go ahead now and clear the basic rules of Active and Passive voice. First, we need practice to identify active and passive voice sentences. For the same, do the quiz. Active and Passive Voice Formula Basic Principles There are some basic principles for active and passive voice conversion. They are below- First, a sentence changes into passive voice if it contains a transitive verb. If it contains an intransitive verb, it does not change into passive voice. Secondly, the subject should always be changed into an object and Similarily, the object should always be changed into the subject. If it bears pronoun, that changes according to the case below and by’ is used before the object in the passive voice. 3- Thirdly, the forms of the verb is always in the third form in the passive voice. Active and Passive Voice Rules Basic Level You should start learning the rules with the Tenses. And for that, you should have the basic knowledge of Tenses. One more thing, if you learn the active and passive voice rules in details, you can not get it easily. On the other hand, if you try to study the rules with the chart below, it will make you easy to understand. You, therefore, should see the chart below You might think you are not going to read the rules in details. No, you will surely learn it but after it. Now, you can get the rules with the help of the chart above. And you must have got there are only 8 tenses that can be changed into passive voice. The remaining 4 tenses are not changed into passive voice. You can see it in another way as well. See how helping verbs changes in tenses. Do/Does change into Is/Am/Are. Is/Am/Are change into Is being/Am being/Are being. Has/ Have change into Has been/ Have been. Did changes into Was being/ Were being? Had changes into Had been. Will/ Shall change into Will be/ Shall be. Will have/ Shall have change into Will have been/ Shall have been. The rest of the 4 tenses do not change into passive voice. They are – Future Continuous Tense, Present Perfect Continous Tense, Past Perfect Continous Tense Future Perfect Continuous Tense. Let us go onto the next step explaining the rules in details. Basic Rules Active and Passive Voice in Details Now see the rules in details. Passive Voice of Present Indefinite Tense If the active voice is in present indefinite tense and s/es form of verbs/do/does’ is used, you should use is/am/are’ in the passive voice. See the examples below. For instance, He writes a letter. s/es forms of verbs – present indefinite tense Make an effort to change the following into passive voice. First, take the subject he to the object place a letter. He writes a letter. ………………………..him. in the objective case Then, take the object A letter to the subject place. He writes a letter. A letter…………………..him. Then, place by’ before the object. He writes a letter. A letter…………………..by him. Then, let us work on helping verb. Since the sentence is in the present indefinite tense, you should use is/am/are’. A letter’ is singular in number so you should use is’ He writes a letter. A letter is ………….. by him. Now, it’s time to work on the action word write’. As I already mentioned that in the passive voice, you should always use 3rd forms of verbs. He writes a letter. A letter is written by letter. Well done! you have changed the active voice in to passive voice. That’s it. You won the battle. The same goes in all the tenses. Click here for more Exercises of Present Indefinite Tense Passive Voice of Present Continuous Tense If the active voice is in a present continuous tense and the helping verbs is/am/are’ is used, you should use is being/ am being/ are being’ in the passive voice. For example, Sam is Playing football. Football is being played by Sam. Click here for more Exercises of Present Indefinite Tense Passive Voice of Present Perfect Tense If the active voice is in the present perfect tense and the helping verbs has/have’ is used, you should use has been/ have been’ in the passive voice. For example, I have taught him grammar. Grammar has been taught to him by me. Or He has been taught grammar by me. Note If there are two objects in the sentence, any of them can be used while making passive voice. Try to understand with the above example. There are two objects grammar and him. You can use either grammar as a subject or him as a subject. Both the sentences are right. Click for Exercises Passive Voice of Past Indefinite Tense If the active voice is in the past indefinite tense and 2nd forms of verbs/ did’ is used, you should use was/ were’ in the passive voice. For example, Ram wasted time. Time was wasted by Ram. Click for Exercises Passive Voice of Past Continuous Tense If the active voice is in the past continuous tense and was/were’ is used, you should use was being/were being’ in the passive voice. For example, She was taking a bath early in the morning. A bath was being taken by her early in the morning. Click for Exercises Passive Voice of Past Perfect Tense If the active voice is in the past perfect tense and had’ is used, you should use had been’ in the passive voice. For instance. Carol had completed her writings. Her writings had been completed by Carol. Click for Exercises Passive Voice of Future Indefinite Tense If the active voice is in the future indefinite tense and will/shall’ is used, you should use will be/shall be’ in the passive voice. For example. You will take medicine daily. Medicine will be taken daily by you. Click for Exercises Passive Voice of Future Perfect Tense If the active voice is in the future continuous tense and will have/shall have’ is used, you should use will have been/shall have been’ in the passive voice. For example. He will have finished work tomorrow. Work will have been finished tomorrow by him. Click for Exercises And as I mentioned above, the 4 tenses like the present perfect continuous tense, the past perfect continuous tense, the future perfect continuous tense and the future continuous tense do not change into passive voice. Do the quiz given below for Tense practice. Active and Passive Voice Rules with Examples – Modals and Imperative Having learnt about the different parts of speech in the English language and the 12 different tenses, the next topic that you should focus on is the active voice and the passive voice. In this article, you will learn all about the active and passive voice, what it means, its definition and usage. Along with the difference between the two voices and examples given in the article, you will be able to understand and use the active voice and passive voice accurately and effectively. Table of Contents ‘Voice’ – What Is It? The Two Voices in the English Language What is the Active Voice? – Meaning and Definition What is the Passive Voice? – Meaning and Definition Using the Active Voice and the Passive Voice – Points to Remember Difference between the Active Voice and the Passive Voice Rules to be Followed When Converting the Active Voice to the Passive Voice Examples of the Active and Passive Voice Check Your Understanding of the Active Voice and the Passive Voice Frequently Asked Questions on the Active Voice and the Passive Voice ‘Voice’ – What Is It? The term ‘voice’ is a term that is used to denote the form of the verb which shows if the subject in a given sentence is the doer or receiver of the action. The voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action and the participants subject or object in a sentence. The Two Voices in the English Language There are two voices in the English language and they are as follows Active Voice Passive Voice Let us look into the two voices a little in detail with the help of the meaning and definition given below. What is the Active Voice? – Meaning and Definition The active voice, in a sentence, denotes that the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in the sentence is the doer of the action. In other words, the subject performs the action or acts upon the verb. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the active voice is defined as “the form of a verb in which the subject is the person or thing that performs the action”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the active voice is defined as “a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing the action or causing the event or process described by the What is the Passive Voice? – Meaning and Definition The passive voice, on the other hand, represents that the subject is one acted upon by the action or verb in the sentence. It can also be said that the passive voice indicates that the subject in the sentence is no longer active but passive. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the passive voice is defined as “the form of a verb used when the subject is affected by the action of the verb”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the passive voice is “formed using be’ and the past participle of a verb. The subject of a passive clause does not perform the action expressed by the verb but is affected by Using the Active Voice and the Passive Voice – Points to Remember There are a few points that you have to bear in mind when using the active voice and the passive voice. In the English language, the active voice is used generally as they give the information in a direct and clear manner. Make sure you do not use the passive voice just because you think it sounds better. Use it only if it is necessary. Remember that the active voice has the subject doing the action and the passive voice has the subject receiving the action. If you want to communicate your thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively, especially in a professional setup, it would be best to use the active voice. A pro tip for you to master the active voice and the passive voice is to know the structure and formula by which they work. Active Voice – Subject + Verb + Object Passive Voice – Object + Verb + Subject Difference between the Active Voice and the Passive Voice Analysing the difference between the active voice and the passive voice is what will help you in a much better way to learn how to use the two voices effectively. Take a look at the following table to know how they differ. Active Voice Passive Voice Denotes that the subject is performing the action. Denotes that the subject is acted upon by the verb or action in the sentence. The active voice does not require a linking verb to make sense. The passive voice uses a linking verb followed by the past participle of the main verb. The active voice focuses on the doer of the action. The passive voice comes in handy when the doer of the action is undetermined. Has a direct, clear and strong tone. Has an indirect, weak and subtle tone. Examples I decorated the hall. Devi gave Shanthi a gift. Examples The hall was decorated by me. Shanthi was given a gift by Devi. Rules to be Followed When Converting the Active Voice to the Passive Voice When converting the active voice into the passive voice or vice versa, there are changes in the tenses and pronouns used in the sentences. The table given below shows you how the tenses change when converting the active voice to the passive voice and vice versa. Conversion Rules for Active Voice and Passive Voice Tense Voice Simple Tense Continuous Tense Perfect Tense Perfect Continuous Tense Present Active Brendon plays cricket. Brendon is playing cricket. Brendon has played cricket. Brendon has been playing cricket. Passive Cricket is played by Brendon. Cricket is being played by Brendon. Cricket has been played by Brendon. No Passive Past Active Brendon played cricket. Brendon was playing cricket. Brendon had played cricket. Brendon had been playing cricket. Passive Cricket was played by Brendon. Cricket was being played by Brendon. Cricket had been played by Brendon. No Passive Future Active Brendon will play cricket. Brendon will be playing cricket. Brendon will have played cricket. Brendon will have been playing cricket. Passive Cricket will be played by Brendon. No Passive Cricket will have been played by Brendon. No Passive Change of Pronouns Active Voice Passive Voice I Me We Us He Him She Her They Them It It There are a few other points that you have to know so that you can use the two voices effectively. They are as follows When converting a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice, the first thing that you have to do is interchange the subject and the object. The next part of speech you have to focus on is the verb. When converting the active voice into the passive voice, you just have to convert the main verb into its past participle or its third form. The third form of the main verb is the past participle form of the verb. When you are changing the tense of the main verb, make sure you use an auxiliary verb which maintains the tense the sentence represents. Always use the preposition, ‘by’ before the subject in a passive sentence. If there are any adverbs used in the sentence with the active voice, be sure to include it in the passive voice as well. Do not just drop it when you convert a sentence in the active voice to the passive voice or vice-versa. Given below are a few examples of how to convert the active voice into the passive voice. Active Voice – Twinkle likes adventure stories. Passive Voice – Adventure stories are liked by Twinkle. Active Voice – Latha is learning French this year. Passive Voice – French is being learnt by Latha this year. Active Voice – Kurt has brought macaroons. Passive Voice – Macaroons have been brought by Kurt. Active Voice – Sidharth played cricket. Passive Voice – Cricket was played by Sidharth. Active Voice – They were making invitation cards. Passive Voice – Invitation cards were being made by them. Active Voice – Becky had packed the bags. Passive Voice – The bags had been packed by Becky. Active Voice – Mira will buy the refreshments for the party. Passive Voice – The refreshments for the party will be bought by Mira. Active Voice – Sanjay will have given the forms to all the participants. Passive Voice – The forms will have been given to all the participants by Sanjay. Check Your Understanding of the Active Voice and the Passive Voice Now that you have seen a number of examples and learnt how the conversion is done, try converting the following sentences as directed. 1. Varun is helping Reshmi. Change into passive voice 2. A gift was given to Manassa by me. Change into active voice 3. Santana will sing All My Life at the Nationals. Change into active voice 4. A mouse was being chased by my cat. Change into active voice 5. Naveen loves Praveena. Change into passive voice 6. The decorations for the annual day will be done by Emma. Change into active voice 7. J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter novels. Change into passive voice 8. Ms. Holly will teach Spanish this year. Change into passive voice 9. Mike was hit by Nick. Change into active voice 10. Naslen is being scolded by his mom. Change into active voice Check out if you did the conversion right from the answers given below. 1. Reshmi is being helped by Varun. 2. I gave Manassa a gift. 3. All My Life will be sung by Santana at the Nationals. 4. My cat was chasing a mouse. 5. Praveena is loved by Naveen. 6. Emma will do the decorations for the annual day. 7. The Harry Potter novels were written by J. K. Rowling. 8. Spanish will be taught by Ms. Holly this year. 9. Nick hit Mike. 10. Naslen’s mom is scolding him. Frequently Asked Questions on the Active Voice and the Passive VoiceQ1 What is the active voice?The active voice, in a sentence, denotes that the noun or pronoun that acts as the subject in the sentence is the doer of the action. In other words, the subject performs the action or acts upon the What is the passive voice?The passive voice, on the other hand, denotes that the subject is acted upon by the action or verb in the sentence. It can also be said that the passive voice indicates that the subject in the sentence is no longer active but What is the definition of the active voice?According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the active voice is defined as “the form of a verb in which the subject is the person or thing that performs the action”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the active voice is defined as “a voice of verbs used to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing the action or causing the event or process described by the What is the definition of the passive voice?According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, the passive voice is defined as “the form of a verb used when the subject is affected by the action of the verb”, and according to the Collins Dictionary, the passive voice is “formed using ‘be’ and the past participle of a verb. The subject of a passive clause does not perform the action expressed by the verb but is affected by Give some examples of active voice and passive below are some examples of active and passive voice for your reference. Active Voice – Twinkle likes adventure stories. Passive Voice – Adventure stories are liked by Twinkle. Active Voice – Sidharth played cricket. Passive Voice – Cricket was played by Sidharth. Active Voice – Mira will buy the refreshments for the party. Passive Voice – The refreshments for the party will be bought by Mira. Download this explanation in PDF here. See all my exercises about the passive here. An active sentence like I drank two cups of coffee has the subject first the person or thing that does the verb, followed by the verb, and finally the object the person or thing that the action happens to. So, in this example, the subject is 'I', the verb is 'drank' and the object is 'two cups of coffee'. But, we don't always need to make sentences this way. We might want to put the object first, or perhaps we don't want to say who did something. This can happen for lots of reasons see the explanation further down the page. In this case, we can use a passive, which puts the object first Two cups of coffee were drunk we can add 'by me' if we want, but it isn't necessary. How to make the Passive in English We make the passive by putting the verb 'to be' into whatever tense we need and then adding the past participle. For regular verbs, we make the past participle by adding 'ed' to the infinitive. So play becomes played. Click here to learn about irregular verbs. TenseActivePassive present simple I make a cake. A cake is made by me. present continuous I am making a cake. A cake is being made by me. past simple I made a cake. A cake was made by me. past continuous I was making a cake. A cake was being made by me. present perfect I have made a cake. A cake has been made by me. pres. perf. continuous I have been making a cake. A cake has been being made by me. past perfect I had made a cake. A cake had been made by me. future simple I will make a cake. A cake will be made by me. future perfect I will have made a cake. A cake will have been made by me. Practise with these exercises Verbs with two objects Some verbs that have two objects can make two different active sentences, and so two different passive sentences too GiveActive He gave me the book / He gave the book to me. You can choose either of the two objects to be the subject of the passive sentence. Passive I was given the book by him/ The book was given to me by him. Other verbs like this are ask, offer, teach, tell, lend, promise, sell, throw. Try an exercise about this hereThe passive in subordinate clauses You can make the passive in a subordinate clause that has a subject and a normal conjugated verb. This is really the same as a normal passive. Active I thought that Mary had kissed John. Passive I thought that John had been kissed by Mary. Active He knew that people had built the church in 1915. Passive He knew that the church had been built in 1915. You can also make the passive using a passive gerund or a passive infinitive in the same place as a normal gerund or infinitive. The child loves being cuddled. She would like to be promoted. Try an exercise about this here When should we use the Passive? 1 When we want to change the focus of the sentence The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. We are more interested in the painting than the artist in this sentence 2 When who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant or obvious or 'people in general' He was arrested obvious agent, the police. My bike has been stolen unknown agent. The road is being repaired unimportant agent. The form can be obtained from the post office people in general. 3 In factual or scientific writing The chemical is placed in a test tube and the data entered into the computer. 4 In formal writing instead of using someone/ people/ they these can be used in speaking or informal writing The brochure will be finished next month. 5 In order to put the new information at the end of the sentence to improve style Three books are used regularly in the class. The books were written by Dr. Bell. 'Dr. Bell wrote the books' sound clumsy 6 When the subject is very long I was surprised by how well the students did in the test. More natural than 'how well the students did in the test surprised me'

16 tenses active and passive voice