The passive voice Spot the passive constructions Read through the following sentences and underline the passive forms. Some forms are not passive constructions. 1. Criminal gangs can be found all over the world. 2. The train was still moving, thank God. 3. Scratch and I were still running away. 4. Three days later, the two teenagers were arrested. 5. The dead security guard was found near the railway tracks. Why passive constructions are used a) Go back to the extract from Paranoid Park on pages 100–102 and take a look at the phrases in bold print. All these phrases are in the passive voice. b) Explain why the passive is used there. Talking about a police investigation Use the clues below and write about a police investigation. Use passive constructions wherever possible and add words if necessary. Pay attention to the tenses. 1. After their arrest • the teenage robbers • interrogate • two police officers 2. They • accuse • of having robbed a mobile phone • from two teenage girls 3. They • put • in jail • for the night 4. On the next day • the two teenagers • release • because • the police • find • the robber Grammar For more details see G 8 The passive voice: Changing the focus Sentences in the passive voice are used • to focus on the action rather than on the people who perform the action. The bank in High Street was robbed on Tuesday morning. • when the speaker does not know/does not want to tell who the agent (= the person who does something) is or when the agent is unimportant (e.g. in scientific texts). I was pushed from the back, but I didn’t know who it was. If a crime is committed, a suspect is usually arrested. • to make a sentence more factual and more formal (e.g. in newspaper reports). Calls seeking further details were not returned until Monday night. • to place important information at the end of a sentence (for emphasis). The decision was made by the detectives. G 1 2 3 103 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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