The Passive Voice

The Passive Voice is always used in the following constructions:

• It is/was said that…
• It is/was known that…
• It is/was believed that…
• It is/was expected that…
• It is/was reported that…
• It is/was understood that…
• It is/was considered that…

E.g. It is known that many Ukrainian people live in Great Britain.

      It was expected that people would live better. 

       With the combination of words to be born the predicate is always used in the Past Simple Passive Voice [4; 238-239].

       E.g. He was born in London. – When was he born?  

       The following guidelines, which are culled from many sources as well as from our own observations, may be of use in the absence of a complete and definitive usage study:

       The passive is often used:

1. When the agent is redundant, i.e., easy to supply, and therefore not expressed.

E.g. Oranges are grown in California.

2. When the writer wants to emphasize the receiver or result of the action.

E.g. Six people were killed by the tornado.

3. When the writer wants to make a statement sound objective without revealing the source of information. (Although this sentence is more complicated than the other passives discussed here.)

E.g. It is assumed/believed that he will announce his candidacy soon.

4. When the writer wants to be tactful or evasive by not mentioning the agent or when he or she cannot or will not identify the agent.

E.g. Margaret was given some bad advice about selecting courses.

      Based on the total figure, it appears that an error was made in the budget.

5. When the writer wishes to retain the same grammatical subject in successive clauses, even though the function of the noun phrase changes from agent to theme.

E.g. George Foreman beat Joe Frazier, but he was beaten by Muhammad Ali.

6. When the passive is more appropriate than the active (usually in complex sentences).

7. When the theme is given information and the agent is new information.

e.g. – What a lovely scarf! – Thank you. It was given to me by Pam [5; 228-229]. 

1.2.5. Stative passives

       Most of the guidelines above describe usages of the Passive that express actions or processes:

         Grown

       Killed

                                              To be     given

       Made

         Beaten

       A significant number of passive sentences in English are Stative passives; i.e., they function more like predicate adjectives than like passive verbs. This distinction will become clearer if we consider the following pair of sentences:

       E.g. the wells are located near the edge of the reserve.

              The wells were located by two engineers.

       Even though the verb to locate appears in both sentences, two different meanings are being expressed. The first sentence is a Stative passive without an agent and without an active voice counterpart; it gives the reader or listener the location of the wells. Note also that the present tense is used. This is typical though not universal for Stative passives. The second sentence, however, does have an agent (i.e., the engineers), and it tells us that the engineers discovered the location of the wells; also, an active voice counterpart is possible. Some linguists maintain that Stative passives are really adjectives, not true passives. Whatever analysis is used, you should be aware of the fact that some sentences that look like normal passives are in fact Stative passives that have no agent and no active voice counterpart [5; 229]. 

 

CHAPTER II. THE PECULIARITIES OF THE USE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE IN THE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE

       While analyzing the practical usage of the Passive Voice, it should be mentioned that the greatest examples taken from the scientific literature deals with the usage of the Passive Voice mostly in Present Indefinite and affirmative form and also with modal verbs.

       We want to present the scientific article taken from the source of medical literature. It deals with the great usage of the Passive Voice that is printed in italics. The article is the following: 

         Chewing Gum & Gum Chewing

       The United States is a major producer of chewing gum, and Americans are major consumers – chewing an average of 183 sticks of gum per person annually. However, the love affair with this chewing confection is not restricted to the geographic borders of the United States.¹ After a slump in the mid-1980s, chewing-gum sales rebounded. Gum has now emerged as a multibillion-dollar commodity with worldwide popularity.

       Currently, gum chewing is marked as part of a healthy lifestyle.² Both manufacturers and researchers proclaim its benefits: gum chewing helps reduce plaque buildup when brushing is not an option; it temporarily hides bad breath; and it even improves concentration and relieves the boredom associated with long-distance driving. In addition, gum chewing is promoted as an alternative to such bad habits as overeating and smoking.³

       Gum was long believed to contribute to tooth problems because of its high sugar content.⁴ now it is enjoying redemption of sorts. Recent studies show that gum chewing stimulates saliva flow, which helps rid the mouth of food particles that ultimately contribute to decay. In fact, the studies show that chewing a stick a gum for 15 minutes after eating can prevent dental cavities. Another study suggests that you need not chew sugarless gum to derive benefits. Researchers say that the sugar in gum is quickly rinsed out of the mouth by saliva, and therefore is not a factor in tooth decay.⁵

       Chewing gum is made with three main ingredients: gum base, sugar, and corn syrup.⁶ (The gum base is especially strong and elastic in bubble gum.) The desired appearance and taste are achieved with the addition of natural and artificial colors and flavorings (most often fruit, cinnamon, or mint).⁷ in general, 90 percent of the sugar and 50 percent of the flavor is released during the first few minutes of chewing⁸ [10; 83]. 

       The sentence “1” is the example of the Present Indefinite form of the Passive Voice; it is negative; it consists of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Present Indefinite tense with the negative particle “not” and the Participle II.

       The example “4” represents the Past Indefinite Passive that consists of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Past Simple and the Participle II.

       “2”, “3”, “5”, “6”, “7” and “8” are the representatives of the Present Indefinite form of the Passive Voice; they are affirmative; they consist of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Present Indefinite tense and the Participle II.

       This article is the example of frequent usage of the Passive Voice in the scientific literature. It is necessary to say that in colloquial speech the Passive Voice is not so widely used. 

       Now we would like to suggest another article that contains a lot of sentences with the Passive Voice. It is used in different forms, constructions and with the modal verbs. 
 
 

       All about Chocolate

       Chocolate, like most fruits and nuts, comes from trees. The seed of the “chocolate tree”, as it is sometimes called¹, can be spun off in a number of guises.² those derivates can be further altered in flavor, ³ consistency, and nutritional value through combination with such items as sugars and dairy products. Thus, standards have been devised so that consumers who prefer the creamy lightness of milk chocolate, for instance, to the zestier bite of bittersweet can satisfy their cravings.⁴ […]

       What makes milk chocolate different from dark chocolate? All chocolate is derived from the seeds (beans) of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, native to the American tropics.⁵ The heart of the beans, that are called “nibs”⁶, are contained in footlong pods and are additionally protected by individual outer shells.⁷ When finely ground, nibs become “chocolate liquor”, consisting of both cocoa solids and cocoa butter, which are separable. Proportions of these constituents used in chocolate products can be important to the consumer (one may be more or less costly than another). These proportions also affect flavor.

       The FDA standards for cacao products were updated in 1993,⁸ and the final amended regulations were published in the May 21, 1993, Federal Register.⁹ Those rules are highly technical, down to prescribing analytic techniques and specifying approved processing methods. Specifications for cacao nabs themselves are offered (they may contain “not more than 1.75 percent by weight” of residual shell),¹⁰ as are the definitions of intermediate and end products, including chocolate liquor (“contains not less than 50 percent nor more than 60 percent by weight of cacao fat,” among other requirements). There are also standards for breakfast cocoa, sweet chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate, skim-milk chocolate, and so on [10; 84-85]. 

         The sentences “1”, “5”, “6”, “7” and “10” are the examples of the Present Indefinite form of the Passive Voice; they consist of the auxiliary verbs “to be” in the Present Indefinite tense and the Participle II.

       The Passive Voice is used in the sentences “2”, “3” in the Present Indefinite with the modal verb “can” to express possibility in the present and prediction and suggestion in the future accordingly. It is formed by means of the modal verb “can” in the Present Simple, the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II.

       The sentence “4” is the example of the Present Perfect form of the Passive Voice; it is formed by means of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Present Perfect tense and the Participle II.

       “8” and “9” sentences are representatives of the Past Indefinite Passive that consists of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Past Simple and the Participle II. 

        The next article is called “Feet First” by Ellen Trevor and a few examples from it are the following:  

       E.g. Two-thirds of foot problems can be attributed to ill-fitting shoes [10; 17]. –

       The Passive Voice is used here in the Present Indefinite with the modal verb “can” to express possibility in the present. It is formed by means of the modal verb “can” in the Present Simple, the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II. 

       E.g. Joints are formed wherever two bones knitted [10; 17]. –

       The Present Indefinite Passive is formed by means of the Present Simple of the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II.  

       E.g. Now bad news: even if you take care of your feet, they may still get irritated from time to time [10; 18]. –

       The Present Indefinite Passive is formed by means of the modal verb “May” in the Present Indefinite, auxiliary verb “to get” and the Participle II. The Passive Voice is used here to express future prediction. Also this sentence is the example of such kind of the passive sentences as simple passives with “to get”. 

       E.g. These problems are common, but they can be helped [10; 19]. –

       The Passive Voice is used here in the Present Indefinite with the modal verb “can” to express possibility in the present. It is formed by means of the modal verb “can” in the Present Simple, the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II. 

       The Passive Voice is also found in the works of legal scholarship. The source that I have worked up is the scientific writing about the Constitution of the United States of America. Some examples of the Passive Voice taken from this source are the following:  

       E.g. Anything you say can be used against you in court [13; 564]. –

         The Passive Voice is used here in the Present Indefinite with the modal verb “can” to express future prediction and suggestion. 

       E.g. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, a lawyer will be provided without charge [13; 564]. –

       The Future Indefinite Passive is used in this sentence in the Future Indefinite form and it is formed by means of the auxiliary verb “to be” with the Participle II. 

       E.g. Freedom to believe is unlimited, but freedom to practice a belief can be limited [13; 537]. –

       The first part of the sentence contains the Present Indefinite form of the Passive Voice expressed by means of the Present Indefinite of the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II. Also there is the Passive Voice in the second part of the sentence that is formed by means of the modal verb “can” expressing possibility and ability in the present, the auxiliary verb “to be” and the Participle II.  

       E.g. The Supreme Court has consistently held that the establishment clause requires government to maintain a position of neutrality toward religions and to maintain that position in cases that involve choices between religion and nonreligion. However, the clause has never been held to bar all assistance that incidentally aids religious institutions [13; 538]. –

       This sentence is the example of the Present Perfect form of the Passive Voice; it is negative; it is formed by means of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Present Perfect tense and the Participle II. 

       We would like to analyze another article where the Passive Voice is widely used. It is the following: 

       Government support of religion

       In 1879, the Supreme Court contended, using Thomas Jefferson’s words, that the establishment clause erected “a wall of separation between church and state.” That wall was breached somewhat in 1947, ¹ when the justices upheld a local government program that provided free transformation to parochial school students. The breach seemed to widen in 1968, when the Court held constitutional a government program in which state-purchased textbooks were loaned to parochial school students.² The objective of the program, reasoned the majority, was to further educational opportunity. The loan was made to the students, not to the schools, ³ and the benefits were realized by the parents, not by the church⁴ [13; 538].

          

         The sentences “1”, “2”, and “3” are the passive sentences of the Past Indefinite form, formed by means of the auxiliary verb “to be” in the Past Indefinite and the Participle II.

       The sentence “4” represents the Past Indefinite Passive where the doer of the action, described in the sentence, is mentioned.

       The examples taken from this source have different kinds and forms of the Passive Voice, they are very diverse.  

       It can be easily said that the usage of the Passive Voice in the medical and legal literature differs in the usage of the tense forms (in medical literature the Passive Voice is mostly used in the Present Indefinite, and in legal there are different tense forms). 

       While analyzing all these worked up sources we can gather that in the scientific literature the Passive Voice is used mostly in Present Indefinite and affirmative form and less frequent in the Continuous form. Also it is hardly to find all kinds of the passive sentences in such kind of literature.

 

 

CONCLUSIONS

       In accordance with the analysis of the theoretical and practical material of the course paper we can make the following conclusions:

1. The Passive Voice is the category of the verb that shows that the subject is acted upon.
2. The formation of the Passive Voice is the following: to be (in the required tense form) + Participle II (of the notional verb).
3. The Passive Voice has the following tense forms:

• The Present, Past and Future Indefinite;
• The Present, Past and Future Perfect;
• The Present and Past Continuous.

And it doesn’t have the Future Continuous, the Present, Past and Future Perfect Continuous forms.

4. The Passive Voice can be used with modal verbs and there are 4 different kinds of passive sentences in English.

       Also the Passive Voice is widely used in the scientific literature and less extended in the conversational speech.