The passive voice is one of the important grammatical concepts in the process of learning English. Particularly, it is essential to master the 5 basic sentence patterns to understand English sentence structure. In this article, we will deeply explain the definition of the passive voice along with the usage of the passive voice in the 5 patterns. Through this content, readers will be able to clearly understand the concept of the passive voice and apply it with real-life examples.
1. What is Passive Voice?
Passive voice is a structure in which the subject in a sentence is expressed as the object of the action rather than the doer. In other words, the subject receives the action. Generally, the active voice represents a situation where the subject performs the action, while the passive voice indicates a situation where the subject is acted upon. For example, in “The chef cooks the meal,” “the chef” is the subject, and in the passive construction, it changes to: “The meal is cooked by the chef.”
1.1 How to Form Passive Voice
The passive voice is fundamentally constructed with the verb ‘to be’ and the past participle form. For example, the following structure is used:
2. Understanding the 5 Sentence Patterns in English
The basic sentence patterns in English are classified into five, each having a specific sentence structure. These patterns can be defined as follows:
2.1 Pattern 1: S + V
The first pattern consists of only a subject and a verb. The subject performs the action. Examples include “She sleeps.” or “He runs.” This pattern cannot be converted to passive voice.
2.2 Pattern 2: S + V + O
The second pattern consists of a subject, verb, and object. For example, in “He reads a book,” “a book” is the object. When converted to passive voice, it becomes “A book is read by him.”
2.3 Pattern 3: S + V + O + O
The third pattern consists of a subject, verb, and two objects. For example, in “She gave him a gift,” “a gift” is the direct object and “him” is the indirect object. When converted to passive voice, it becomes “He was given a gift by her.”
2.4 Pattern 4: S + V + C
The fourth pattern consists of a subject, verb, and complement. For example, in “They elected him president,” “him” is the subject and “president” is the complement. When converted to passive voice, it becomes “He was elected president by them.”
2.5 Pattern 5: S + V + O + C
The fifth pattern consists of a subject, verb, direct object, and complement. For example, in “They made her happy,” “her” is the object and “happy” is the complement. When mentioned in passive voice, it gets transformed into a structure like “She was made happy by them.”
3. Importance of Passive Voice
The passive voice has the advantage of allowing for a greater focus on the object in writing, literature, and everyday conversation. When the subject receives the action, it shifts the focus from the doer to the outcome, allowing for better emphasis of the parts that the writer or speaker wants to highlight to the audience.
4. Practice Problems for Passive Voice
Now that readers understand the concept of passive voice, please convert the following sentences into passive voice:
- The teacher teaches the students.
- The committee approved the new policy.
- They will announce the results tomorrow.
5. Conclusion
The passive voice in English can be clearly understood through examples from various patterns. Practicing the formation of passive voice while examining the characteristics of each of the 5 patterns is essential for improving English skills. Through continuous practice and application, readers will naturally be able to use the passive voice fluently. Next time, we will address some more advanced grammar topics. Thank you.