Passive Verb Formation

The passive forms of a verb are created by combining a form of the "to be verb" with the past participle of the main verb. The passive can be used, also, in various tenses. See the passive forms of "design."

A sentence cast in the passive voice will not always include an agent of the action. For instance if a gorilla crushes a tin can, we could say "The tin can was crushed by the gorilla." But a perfectly good sentence would leave out the gorilla: "The tin can was crushed." Also, when an active sentence with an indirect object is recast in the passive, the indirect object can take on the role of subject in the passive sentence:

Only transitive verbs (those that take objects) can be transformed into passive constructions. Furthermore, active sentences containing certain verbs cannot be transformed into passive structures. To have is the most important of these verbs. We can say "He has a new car," but we cannot say "A new car is had by him." We can say "Josefina lacked finesse," but we cannot say "Finesse was lacked." Here is a brief list of such verbs*:

Dynamic Verbs

Stative Verbs

The Forms of “To Be”

The verb “To be” is the most irregular, slippery verb in the language.

Unnecessary Uses of “To Be”

Many uses of the verb "to be" are unnecessary and should be removed for more concise reading. Be sure to check dependent clauses (particularly those using a passive construction). The relative pronoun frequently disappears as well when these sentences are revised.

• He wanted a medication that was prescribed by a physician.
• She recognized the officer who was chasing the crook.
• Anyone who is willing to work hard will succeed in this program.
• It was Alberto who told the principal about the students' prank.
• A customer who is pleased is sure to return. A pleased customer is sure to return. (When we eliminate the “To be” and the relative pronoun, we will also have to reposition the predicate adjective to a pre-noun position.)

An expletive construction, along with its attendant “To be” verb, can often be eliminated to good effect. Simply omit the construction, find the real subject of the sentence, and allow it to do some real work with a real verb.

• There were some excellent results to this experiment in social work. (Change to . . . .) This experiment in social work resulted in . . . .
• There is one explanation for this story's ending in Faulkner's diary. (Change to . . . .) Faulkner's diary gives us one explanation for this story's ending.

Expletive constructions do give an interesting means of setting out or organizing the work of a subsequent paragraph:

• There were four underlying causes of World War I. First, ...

Fuzzy Verb Phrases with "Be"

The following circumlocutory uses of "be" verbs are common in stuffy writing. The simple verb (in parentheses) is usually better:

Many wordy constructions are more naturally phrased in the present-tense singular: "is able to" ("can"), "is authorized to" ("may"), "is binding upon" ("binds"), "is empowered to" ("may"), "is unable to" ("cannot").

Clauses

Unless logic dictates otherwise, when discussing a work of literature, use the present tense: "Robert Frost describes the action of snow on the birch trees." "This line suggests the burden of the ice." "The use of the present tense in Carver's stories creates a sense of immediacy."

Sequence of Tenses With Infinitives and Participles

Infinitives and participles are capable of conveying the idea of action in time; therefore, it is important to observe the appropriate tense sequence when using these modals.