Verbs 12: The Passive

Materials by Liz Siler

The passive

• The passive is the most misunderstood structure in the English language.

• English teachers love to make pronouncements about it (as in “Avoid passives”) -- but many can not recognize passives!

• Part of the hatred for the passive is actually based on a dislike for the verb “BE,” which is an integral part of the passive.

Recognizing a Passive

• There are two features that a verb phrase MUST have to be recognized as a passive: – an auxiliary form of the verb “be” and – a lexical verb in the past participle form.

• There are other restrictions, but without these two -- forget it.

Beat the English teacher: find the passives

1. Has been taught

2. Is teaching

3. Have been being taught

4. Teaches

5. Is taught

6. Is being taught

7. Will teach

8. Taught

9. Will be being taught

Beat the English teacher: SOLUTIONS

1. Has been taught > passive (been/ taught)

2. Is teaching > not passive

3. Have been being taught > passive (been/being/taught)

4. Teaches > not passive

5. Is taught > passive (is/taught)

6. Is being taught > passive (is/being/taught)

7. Has taught > not passive

8. Taught > not passive

9. Will be being taught > passive (be/being/ taught)

“Avoid Passives”

• This is English-teacher-speak for two style concepts that we should address before continuing to actually learn something about the passive: – avoiding wordiness (wordy) and – avoiding relatively content-free verbs (usage).

• These sins are not passives. • They are part of a kind of weak, flaccid style, but that doesn’t

make them passives.

• In short, many teachers wrongly use “passive” and “flaccid”

synonymously.

Wordiness: (wordy)• Here’s a sentence that an English

teacher mistakenly marked as passive.

• It’s not passive --- but it’s not a particularly good sentence either.

• When he first saw New Bedford, Mass., Douglass was doubtful of his own eyesight.

Wordiness Described

• Wordiness is characterized by more words than the writer requires to express his/her point.

• Wordiness can sometimes be the result of using a form of “be” as the lexical verb. This can force the use of extra words.

Wordiness Corrected

• Wordy: When he first saw New Bedford, Mass, Douglass was doubtful of his own eyesight.

• Corrected: When he first saw New Bedford, Mass., Douglass doubted his own eyesight.

“Avoid Forms of the Verb Be”• This is another injunction that English

teachers love.

• They confuse “be” as the lexical verb with “be” as part of the passive.

• Because they wrongly hate the passive, they target all forms of the verb “be” for extinction.

Example

• Here’s a sentence that another English teacher wrongly marked as passive.

• His reaction was noisy.

Think About It• If you listened to most English teachers

with advice such as “avoid forms of be” you’d end up with:

• His reaction noisy.

• This is great Arabic, but bad English.

Correction

• Instead English teachers should say:

• “If possible restate sentences in which ‘be’ is the lexical verb. Choose a verb that has nuances and more precise meaning.”

• He reacted noisily.