Passive Voice
Passive Voice
When communicating, sometimes we want to talk about the person who is actually affected by the action, not the person who performed the action. This is where the Passive Voice emerges in English.
In these sentences, an action is highlighted by the object, not the subject. Passive voices are actually used frequently in both Turkish and English. This structure creates different tones and emphasis when communicating.
In this article, we will improve our English language skills by seeing what "Passive Voice" is, how it is used and examples. Lets start!
passive voice
Passive Voice is the English version of the "passive voice" rule we use in Turkish. In this structure, it is not clear who did the job or it is not wanted to be stated because it is considered unimportant. In these sentences, the subject is the person who is affected by the action.
Passive Voice Structure and Usage
Structure of Passive Voice Sentences
Passive Voice in English is generally formed using the English auxiliary verb “to be” and the third form of the verb.
|
İngilizce |
Turkish |
| The pizza is cooked by the chef. | Pizza şef tarafından yapıldı. |
| The room was decorated by them. | Oda,onlar tarafından dekore edildi. |
Passive Voice in English
When creating Passive Voice in English, the auxiliary verb "to be" that we use in Passive Voice changes depending on the tense of the verb used in the sentence. Let's take a look at how it is used according to time!
| Time | Passive Voice Sentence | Turkish |
| Present Simple | The plants are watered by my father. | Bitkiler, babam tarafından sulanır. |
| Past Simple | The letter was written by him. | Mektup onun tarafından yazılmış. |
| Present Continuous | The test is being taken by the teachers. | Test, öğretmenler tarafından yapılmaktadır. |
| Present Perfect | The project has been finished. | Proje sona ermiştir. |
Passive Voice - Where to Use?
For Situations Where It Is Not Clear Who Performed The Action
The window was broken last week. It is unknown who broke the window.
Unimportant Situations Where the Person Who Performed the Action Does Not Want to Be Specified
The car is being repaired. (The car is being repaired.) It doesn't matter who repairs the car, what matters is that the car is repaired.)
Situations with Change of Emphasis
The cat was saved. Here we want to draw attention to the fact that the cat was saved, not who saved it.
Formal and Academic Writing:
The thesis was reviewed thoroughly. (The thesis has been thoroughly reviewed.) The emphasis here is on the examination of the thesis, not who reviewed it.
Passive Voice Sample Sentences
| Passive Voice | Turkish |
| This film was directed by a famous director. | Bu film, ünlü bir yönetmen tarafından yönetildi. |
| The cake is being baked by the famous chef. | Pasta, ünlü bir şef tarafından pişiriliyor. |
| The homework must be submitted by Monday. | Ödev, Pazartesi gününe kadar teslim edilmelidir. |
| The song in the concert is sung by the choir. | Konserdeki şarkı koro tarafından söylenmektedir. |
| The elderly patient was treated by the doctor. | Yaşlı hasta doktor tarafından tedavi edildi. |
| The breakfast is prepared by the restaurant chef. | Kahvaltı, restoran şefi tarafından hazırlanmaktadır. |
| The exam results will be announced two days later. | Sınav sonuçları iki gün sonra açıklanacak. |
You can reinforce this subject by practicing, such as the passive voice sentences we gave as examples. By learning this simple but effective subject thoroughly, you can construct your sentences more accurately when communicating. In this article, we learned what Passive Voice is.
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