PASSIVE VOICE
USING PASSIVE -ING AND TO-INFINITIVE FORMS
be + -ed participle
be + being + -ed participle
-ing form + -ed participle
Now we can learn to use passives formed by
be + -ed participle, be + being + -ed participle or -ing form + -ed participle.
PASSIVE INFINITIVE
The ordinary passive infinitive consists of to be, followed by the -ed participle.
- They opted to be flown home the next day.
- We need these clothes to be cleaned by Friday.
- There was nothing to be done for the unfortunate animal.
- She appears to have been totally forgotten.
- Women seem to be being promoted more often than in the past.
Here are the passive infinitives. The passive infinitives marked with a star are very rarely used.
to be eaten
to be being eaten*
to have been eaten
to have been being eaten*
PASSIVE -ING FORMS
The ordinary passive -ing form consists of being and the -ed participle.
- I object to being asked to do it.
- Being told to do something one doesn’t want to do is awful.
- Having been declared fit, he was allowed to leave the hospital.
- They were taken to the airport after having been issued with visas.
Here are the passive -ing forms. The -ing form marked with a star is very rarely used.
being eaten
having been eaten
having been being eaten*
PRACTICE
Exercise 1. Match the sentence halves.
1. The princess prefers not
2. Most people hate
3. Lisa often imagines her life
4. The millionaire wants most of his money
5. The poet dreamt about his poems
a. being stared at.
b. to be treated differently from everyone else.
c. to be given to charity.
d. being changed by a win on the lottery.
e. being accepted by a leading publisher.
Exercise 2. Choose the correct word or words.
1 Few problems were caused by the baby to be I being born a month early.
2 The staff expect to be I being paid on Wednesday.
3 I`m interested in to be I being taught to sing.
4 Are all these people waiting to be / being seen by Dr Ronalds?
5 The cherry cakes from that shop are said to be I being the best in the North.
6 The team are hoping to be / being awarded a national prize for design this year.
Exercise 3. Complete the sentences by writing one word in each gap.
being / making / served / said / mind / told
1. When would you like dinner tobe?
2. The children were enjoying themselves so much that they forgot about given jobs by
their parents.
3. There is nothing to be that can help them.
4. The police ought to be about the accident.
5. Did you being mistaken for your sister?
Exercise 4. Decide if the pairs of sentences have the same meaning.
1. A. Being given so much money was not necessarily a good thing for Mark.
B. It was not necessarily good for Mark to be given so much money. (
2. A. Lars needs his employment history to be checked before he gets offered the job.
B. Lars should ensure that he has the right employment history before he can go for
the job. (
3. A. Is the chicken ready to be taken out of the oven?
B. Is it time to take the chicken out of the oven? (
4. A. The Earth was once believed to be flat.
B. People used to believe the Earth was flat. (
5. A. Jack and Sita enjoyed being shown the place where celebrities got married.
B. Jack and Sita enjoyed showing celebrities where they got married. (
Exercise 5. Which sentences are correct?
1. Rita allowed her daughter to be taken sailing across the lake. (
2. The zoo is getting ready being inspected by an animal welfare organization. (
3. How did you be managed to award three free tickets? (
4. I refuse to be told what to do by a four-year-old! (
5. The tickets to see the band had to give to someone else because I was ill. (
6. The building began to be seeing as a masterpiece as soon as it was finished. (
Exercise 6. Find the wrong or extra word in each sentence.
1. The bones are being thought to be from a meat-eating dinosaur.
2. He put a helmet on because he didn`t want to be hit himself by a falling rock.
3. I didn`t mean what I
nguon VI OLET
