The Passive Voice in English
The passive voice, or strona bierna angielski, is a crucial grammatical structure in English that shifts the focus from the doer of an action to the action itself or its recipient. This page provides an overview of when and how to use the passive voice, along with its construction across various tenses.
Definition: The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb, rather than performing it.
When to use the passive voice:
- When the action is more important than the actor
- When the doer of the action is unknown or unimportant
- In formal language contexts
- To describe processes
Highlight: The passive voice is particularly useful in scientific writing, news reporting, and formal documents where objectivity and focus on actions or results are prioritized.
Construction of the passive voice:
Subject + to be + Past Participle
Example: Active: "I am writing a letter." Passive: "The letter is being written."
The page includes a comprehensive table comparing active and passive forms across various tenses:
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Present Simple:
- Active: take
- Passive voice: is taken
-
Present Continuous:
- Active: is taking
- Passive voice: is being taken
-
Past Simple:
- Active: took
- Passive voice: was taken
-
Past Continuous:
- Active: was taking
- Passive voice: was being taken
-
Present Perfect:
- Active: has taken
- Passive voice: has been taken
-
Future Simple:
- Active: will take
- Passive voice: will be taken
-
Modal Verbs:
- Active: must take
- Passive voice: must be taken
Vocabulary: Past Participle - the form of a verb, typically ending in -ed, -d, -t, -en, or -n, used in forming perfect and passive tenses and sometimes as an adjective.
This table serves as an excellent reference for strona bierna angielski przykłady (passive voice examples in English), demonstrating how the passive construction changes across different tenses and with modal verbs.
