Focus on Receiver
Moving the receiver to the subject position
Compare
Focus on the birth couple experience:
Last night, my sister had a baby girl. She gave birth at home with the help of a doctor. Her baby weighed nine pounds. After the birth, my sister and brother-in-law invited us to see the new baby. They proudly showed us their new baby. They received flowers and gifts. They were delighted with this special event.
Focus on the baby:
Last night, my niece was born. The baby girl was delivered with the help of a doctor. After the birth, she was proudly shown to us. She received flowers and gifts. This baby girl, who weighed nine pounds, delighted everyone with her arrival.
Focus on the family experience:
Last night, we welcomed a new baby to our family. The baby girl was born at home to my sister with the help of a doctor. She weighed nine pounds After the birth, we went to see visit her. We took her flowers and gifts. We were delighted with this special event.
Focus on the doctor:
Last night, I delivered a baby girl. I found it to be a normal birth. I weighed the infant and she was nine pounds and ten ounces— big! After the birth, I left so that the birth couple and their families would have some private time to get to know the newborn baby.
Active vs. Passive
| ACTIVE | ||
|---|---|---|
In an active sentence, the focus is on the person/thing causing the action. The doer or agent occupies the subject position of the clause, and the person affected by the action, the receiver, is placed after the verb in the object position. |
||
| SUBJECT POSITION | PREDICATOR | OBJECT POSITION |
| AGENT | ACTIVE VERB | RECEIVER |
My sister |
had (bore) |
a baby… |
A doctor |
helped |
her. |
The parents |
invited |
us… |
We |
brought |
gifts… (to them) them… (gifts) |
The little baby |
delighted |
everyone. |
A birth |
happens |
(in my family.)
|
| PASSIVE | ||
|---|---|---|
In writing or speaking, we use the passive to change the focus to a particular person or topic. When the receiver is the focus, the verb is marked with a passive verb form. If needed, the agent can be included in a by-phrase. |
||
| SUBJECT POSITION | PREDICATOR | OBJECT POSITION |
| RECEIVER | ACTIVE VERB | BY + AGENT |
My niece |
was born |
(to my sister.) |
She |
was helped |
(by a doctor.) |
We |
were invited |
(by the parents.) |
They Gifts |
were brought |
gifts (by us.) (to them)(by us.) |
Everyone |
was delighted
|
(by the little baby.)
|
A birth |
was happened |
|
Terms
- active verb – a dynamic verb, one with action (not a static verb or copula (e.g., be, seem, appear, etc.)
- agent (n.) – the person/thing doing or causing the action
- focus (n.) – a central point, as of attraction, attention, interest or activity
- indirect object – the person receiving the object of the action. (e.g., He gave the baby a bottle.)
- intransitive verb – a verb that does not take an object as its complement (e.g., He lies down.)
- receiver / recipient (n.) - the person/thing affected by the action
- static verb – a verb that is not dynamic; it does not take an object See Never Passive.
- transitive verb – a verb that takes an object as its complement (e.g., He lay the baby down.)
The passive is used when:
- the receiver (object or indirect object) is the focus
- the agents are too many to list
- the agent(s) is/ are unknown
- the agent is not specific (everyone in general)
- the agent is secret / not being revealed
Passive Forms
Be + past participle
Passive Verb Forms
| ACTIVE |
|---|
| PRESENT |
We send gifts new parents. |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
We are sending our best wishes. |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
We have sent flowers daily. |
| PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE |
The parents have been sending pictures all day. |
| PAST |
My brother sent (them) a car seat. |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
Friends were sending baby clothes. |
| PAST PERFECT |
The parents had sent a message before the baby's birth. |
| FUTURE |
The parents will send a baby announcement to friends. |
| BE GOING |
The grandparents are also going to send gifts. |
| FUTURE PROGRESSIVE |
The mother will be sending pictures (to us) soon. |
| FUTURE PERFECT |
Everyone will have heard the news within minutes. |
| INFINITIVE PHRASE |
The father intends to help the new mother a lot. |
| GERUND PHRASE |
Friends suggest calling them if the parents need help. |
| PASSIVE |
|---|
| PRESENT |
New parents are sent gifts (by us.) |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
Best wishes are being sent. |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
Flowers have been sent daily. |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
Pictures have been being¹ sent sent all day. [not used] |
| PAST |
A car seat was sent (to them) by my brother. |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
Baby clothes were being sent by friends. |
| PAST PERFECT |
A message had been sent immediately before the baby's birth. |
| FUTURE |
A baby announcement will be sent to friends (by the parents.) |
| BE GOING |
Gifts are also going to be sent by the grandparents. |
| FUTURE |
Pictures will be being¹ sent (to us) soon. [not used] |
| FUTURE PERFECT |
The news will have been heard by everyone within minutes. |
| INFINITIVE PHRASE |
The mother hopes to be helped a lot by the father. |
| GERUND PHRASE |
Friends suggest being called if help is needed (the the new parents.) |
¹ Complicated progressive verb forms are not used in passive.
Related pages Future Progressive, Future Perfect, Future Perfect – Passive
Passive Sentences
Singular / Plural
| SINGULAR |
|---|
Use a singular verb form with a singular subject (is, was, has been). |
| PRESENT |
His brother is invited. |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
His brother is being invited. |
| PAST |
His brother was invited. |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
His brother was being invited. |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
His brother has been invited. |
| PLURAL |
|---|
Use a plural verb form with a plural subject (are, were, have been). |
| PRESENT |
His brother and I are invited. |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
His brother and I are being invited. |
| PAST |
His brother and I were invited. |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
His brother and I were being invited. |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
His brother and I have been invited. |
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
| ERROR | SOLUTION |
|---|---|
Martha has been inviting Jack. *Jack has been being invited by Martha. There is no passive equivalent for past perfect progressive. |
Jack has been invited. (recently completed) or Jack is being invited. (ongoing) |
A taxi picked up Jack after dinner. Jack was pick upped after dinner. The suffix was applied to the preposition instead of the verb. |
Jack was picked up after dinner. |
We saw that the bees were died. The verb is intransitive (does not take an object) so passive cannot be used. Never Passive
|
We saw that the bees were dead. adjective |
Also see Irregular Participle Practice
Pop-Q "Died"
Practice 1
A Baby Shower
Read the Active Paragraph
Before a baby is born, friends throw a baby shower for the expectant parents. The friends usually hold the shower a month or two before the due date of the baby. The hosts invite friends to come and celebrate. Sometimes, the mother knows the gender of the baby. If so, friends select gifts for either a boy or a girl.
If not, friends try to predict the gender of the baby. Some friends place bets on whether it is a boy or girl. The event prepares the mother and father for the birth. The parents will use the gifts from this event in the first year of the baby's life. The memories of this event will last a lifetime.
due date (n.) – the predicted date of the baby's birth
event (n.) – special occasion; especially, a party, celebration, or ceremony
expectant (adj.) – expecting, waiting for the birth of a child
gender (n.) – the sex of the baby: male or female
place bets (n.) – wagers, place money with the guess. If correct, the person takes the money of the people who guess incorrectly. If incorrect, the person loses money.
predict (v.) – guess
throw a shower (expression) – to have a party for someone
Change the focus to a way from "friends" and to the center of attraction.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "Check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.
If you need to review participles forms and spellings, see Participles 1 and Participles 2
Practice 2
Superstitions and Wives' Tales
Read for Errors
For centuries, people have been telling some rather amusing wives' tales about babies.
The gender of a baby can be predicted by how the mother carries the baby— high (girl) or low (boy)
The breath from a baby's mouth can be stole by a cat.
Wearing shoes will be help a baby learn to walk sooner.
If a baby's hair are cutted before his first birthday, he will have "bad" hair.
If a pregnant woman reaches above her head, the umbilical cord is going to be wrapped around the baby's head.
A baby who is tickled too much will stutter.
A baby's lungs won't be developed unless it is allowed to cry.
A baby born in the daylight hours were conceived during the night time and a baby born in the night time hours were conceived during the day.
The soul of the baby will be taken away if it sees its reflection in a mirror before the age of one.
Calling a baby by its name before it is christened is bad luck.
"Old Wives' Tales" Link
christen (v.) – to formal take a name in a religious service; baptize in a church
conceive (v.) – begin life inside the mother
develop (v.) – grow or expand
lungs (n.) – organs that take air into the body and break it down for use in the body
soul (n.) – the spiritual being
stutter (v.) a brain disorder that affects a person's ability to produce speech without repeating initial sounds of words.
tickle (v.) – lightly touch sensitive parts of the body and cause to laugh
umbilical cord (n.) – the cord that attaches the fetus (the baby) to the mother's uterus, and which transports nourishment from mother to baby
Is the grammar correct or incorrect? (not the wives' tale!)
- Select a response correct or incorrect.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "Check 11-20" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.
Practice 3
Amazing Newborns
Read Context
Using active verbs rather than passive verbs is always preferred because active verbs are more dynamic. However, if the subject is unspecific anyone ("in general" an impersonal pronoun) the writer may choose to switch to passive in order to focus on the more interesting content: the recipient of the action. In informal speech, the pronoun you, is also used when speaking in general. Read the following paragraph and consider where and how to change the focus away from you.
A newborn baby is an amazing creature. Many reflexes he or she is born with help the baby to survive. For example, if you lift the baby and don't support the head of baby, the arms of the baby will thrust outward. Also, if you touch a baby's palm with your finger, his fingers will curl around your finger with a strong grip. The opposite occurs when you touch the sole of a baby's foot. The toes will stretch outward. A baby has an innate sucking reflex. When you put the tip of your finger on the baby's lips, he will open his mouth to suck. This is an important reflex for feeding.
Similarly, when you hold a baby and you touch her cheek, the baby will turn toward you with an open mouth. This is called "rooting" and it is useful for breastfeeding. Another surprising reflex occurs when you suspend the baby and place the feet on a flat surface. The baby will naturally take steps. This "stepping" reflex disappears around four months of age. Another curious response happens when you lay a baby on her back. As she turns her head, the arm and leg on the same side will reach out while the the arm and leg on the opposite side will bend. This is called the "tonic" reflex because the baby's position is like that of a fencer. Perhaps, the most surprising reflex is swimming. A baby will naturally hold his breath when you gently pull him under water. Parents often reinforce this reflex with early swimming lessons before reflex will disappear. Together, these survival reflexes help a newborn transition into life to become strong healthy viable individuals.
Weiss, Robin Elise, "How Newborn Reflexes Help Babies Survive" Link
curl (v.) – form a curved shape, wrap in a circle
fencer (n.) – a person who does the sport of "fencing" in which an épée, foil, or saber is used for defense and attack.
grip (n.) – hold
innate (adj) – existing from birth; inborn; native
reflex (n.) – an involuntary response to a stimulus or touch
reinforce (v.) – to strengthen with added practice
sole (n.) – the bottom of a shoe or a foot
survival (adj.) – able to live, continue to exist
thrust (v) – to push something forcibly
viable (adj.) – physically fit to live
Also see Impersonal "you"
Change the wording with you to wording that focuses on the baby or his /her reflexes.
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "Check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.