英语什么用被动

How Does the English Passive Voice Work: A Comprehensive Guide

Understanding the English passive voice is essential for mastering the language effectively. The passive voice is a grammatical construction that emphasizes the action rather than the doer. This guide will delve into the mechanics of the English passive voice, answering common questions and providing practical examples.

What is the Passive Voice?

The passive voice is formed by using the past participle of the verb after the form of the auxiliary verb "to be." It is used to focus on the action rather than the person performing the action. For instance, in the active voice, we might say, "John hit the ball." In the passive voice, it becomes "The ball was hit by John."

When to Use the Passive Voice

The passive voice is particularly useful in situations where the focus is on the action or result rather than the person or entity performing the action. Here are some common scenarios:

• When the doer is unknown or unimportant: "The package was delivered yesterday." (The focus is on the delivery, not who delivered it.)
• When emphasizing the receiver of the action: "The cake will be baked by the chef." (The focus is on the cake being baked, not the chef.)
• When the action is more important than the doer: "The book was written by Shakespeare." (The focus is on the book being written, not Shakespeare.)

How to Form the Passive Voice

Forming the passive voice is straightforward. Follow these steps:

1. Identify the main verb in the active voice sentence.
2. Change the main verb to its past participle form.
3. Use the appropriate form of "to be" (am, is, are, was, were, been, being) followed by the past participle.

For example, in the active sentence "She writes a letter," the passive voice would be "A letter is written by her." Remember, the subject of the passive sentence is the receiver of the action, not the doer.

Practical Examples

Here are some examples to illustrate the use of the passive voice:

• Active: "The students studied the material."
  Passive: "The material was studied by the students."
• Active: "The garden is watered every morning."
  Passive: "Every morning, the garden is watered."
• Active: "They will finish the project by next week."
  Passive: "By next week, the project will be finished."

Mastering the English passive voice will enhance your language skills and enable you to convey information effectively in both written and spoken forms.