UNITÀ DIDATTICA 28
LA FORMA PASSIVA
FORMA PASSIVA
Il passivo si usa in diversi casi in inglese, generalmente quando siamo più interessati ad
un'azione e al suo oggetto piuttosto che al soggetto (o agente). Osserviamo le seguenti
frasi:
Attiva
Mary typed the letter on a
Macintosh computer.
Passiva
The letter was typed on a Macintosh
computer.
Nel primo esempio, siamo chiaramente interessati alla persona che ha scritto la lettera
(Mary), come pure al fatto che ha usato un Macintosh. Nel secondo esempio, non ci
interessa più la persona che ha scritto la lettera (l'agente); siamo solo interessati al fatto
che è stata scritta con un Macintosh.
Formazione del Passivo.
Ad ogni forma passiva corrisponde una forma attiva e viceversa. Il passivo si forma
usando l'ausiliare to be e il past participle. La tabella in basso descrive i passaggi per
trasformare una frase attiva in una frase passiva:
Prendere una frase attiva
Someone opens the
door.
Identificare il tempo del verbo
PRESENT SIMPLE
Trasformare il complemento oggetto in soggetto
The door...
Aggiungere be nello stesso tempo del verbo
The door is...
identificato nella frase attiva
Cambiare il verbo al past participle
The door is opened.
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Ecco alcuni esempi di trasformazione usando anche gli ausiliari modali:
Someone is opening the door.
The door is being opened.
Someone opened the door.
The door was opened.
Someone was opening the door.
The door was being opened.
Someone has opened the door.
The door has been opened.
Someone should open the door.
The door should be opened.
Someone must have opened the
The door must have been
door.
opened.
Il complemento d'agente
È possibile anche includere il complemento d'agente (il soggetto della frase attiva)
nella frase passiva, facendolo precedere dalla preposizione by:
Mary typed the letter.
The letter was typed by Mary.
The teacher will mark your
Your test will be marked by the
test.
teacher.
Verbi che non possono essere passivi
Il passivo si forma trasformando un complemento oggetto in soggetto. Pertanto i verbi
intransitivi (verbi che non reggono un complemento oggetto) non possono essere usati
nella forma passiva. Alcuni esempi di verbi intransitivi sono arrive, sleep, die, walk,
rain, snow e smile. Nemmeno alcuni verbi di stato (verbi che descrivono uno stato o
una condizione, e che non hanno le forme progressive) possono essere usati nella forma
passiva. Alcuni esempi sono have (=possedere), belong to, resemble, suit e fit (=essere
della misura giusta).
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Errori comuni con il passivo
Il passivo è qualche volta confuso con altre due strutture: le forme perfect and continuous (progressivo). Queste sono le differenze tra loro:
Passivo: be + past participle
The door is closed.
Perfect: have + past participle
Someone has closed the door.
Continuous: be + -ING
Someone is closing the door.
I verbi che esprimono dire o pensare come say, think, report, know, believe, expect
ammettono due costruzioni passive che traducono la forma impersonale italiana si dice
che, si pensa che, ci si aspetta che …
Es: They say she sold all her jewels. (attiva)
It is said that she sold all her jewels. (costruzione passiva impersonale)
She is said to have sold all her jewels. (costruzione passiva personale)
Con verbi come ask, tell, give, send, show, teach, offer, promise, pay si preferisce usare
la costruzione personale che inizia con la persona.
Es: They sent her a fax. She was sent a fax.
They will give him a prize. He will be given a prize.
They told me the truth. I was told the truth.
Nelle domande in forma passiva il verbo è espresso nella forma interrogativa.
Es: Has John painted the room? Has the room been painted (by John)?
In alcuni casi si può omettere il complemento d’agente, soprattutto quando il soggetto
della frase è indeterminato, they, people, someone, ecc., ma non si può omettere by
quando la domanda inizia con una question word quale who, what e viene collocato alla
fine della frase.
Es: Who invented the telephone? Who was the telephone invented by?
Who has created this wonderful painting? Who has this wonderful painting created by?
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Test
1. Scrivi la forma passiva dei verbi fra parentesi nei tempi indicati.
a) The flowers (already/order) …………………………….. (pres. perfect)
b) The new hospital (open)............................... next month. (future simple)
c) Our car (just/steal).................................... by the time we got to the car-park.
(past perfect)
d) The Pyramids (build).............................. by the Egyptians. (past simple)
e) The house (decorate)............................................. (pres. continuous)
f) Their house (sell)............................. if it weren’t so far from the shops. (pres.
conditional)
g) The parcel must (open).................................... when Paul is here. (forma base
passiva)
h) The stain on the carpet (not/wipe off)......................................(past perfect)
i) Peter’s car (repair)......................................... (future simple)
j) Dinner (prepare)................................. when I arrived. (past continuous)
2. Traduci le seguenti frasi.
a) I regali saranno portati dagli studenti.
b) Ti stanno rubando la bicicletta.
c) Si sta preparando il pasto di mezzogiorno.
d) Da che cosa è stato colpito?
e) La cena era già stata preparata dalla mamma.
f) Alcune domande saranno poste dai professori.
g) Nessun premio fu vinto dai cattivi studenti.
h) Il ladro è appena stato preso dal poliziotto.
i) Dicono che tu eri stata educata da alcuni parenti sconosciuti.
j) Il cacciatore è stato attaccato dall’orso.
k) Qui si stava costruendo un nuovo teatro.
l) Ciò non sarebbe successo se fossero stati avvisati prima.
m) Cosa ti è stato detto di lui?
n) Si crede che sia stato ucciso.
o) Qualcuno pensa che lei potrebbe essere derubata.
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p) Quel libro mi fu prestato da Susan.
q) Ieri sono stati catturati molti cervi. (deer)
r) Il tappeto sarà pulito dalla cameriera appena possibile.
s) Il villaggio era stato distrutto in poche ore dall’uragano.
t) Dovevamo essere portati sull’isola in barca.
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3. Completa con il passivo adeguato.
a) Someone told me that you bake the best bread in town, sir.
b) I
that you bake the best bread in town, sir.
c) They have planted thousands of trees alongside the E19 motorway.
d) Thousands of trees
alongside the E 19 motorway.
e) They will crown Eddy Merckx sportsman of the century.
Eddy Merckx
sportsman of the century.
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f) They have to work out a publicity campaign to restore the image of Belgium in
the world.
g) A publicity campaign
to restore the image of Belgium in the world.
h) They should do everything to bring war criminals to justice.
i)
Everything
to bring war criminals to justice.
4. Completa con il passivo adeguato.
a) We require suitable candidates to be bilingual.
to be bilingual.
b) Suitable candidates
c) The Chairman of the Board asked the Managing Director to remain in charge for
another year.
d) The Managing Director
to remain in charge for another year.
e) The entire press corps is interviewing him right now
f) He
right now.
g) They must have stolen the painting between 2 and 3 A.M
between 2 and 3 A.M.
h) The painting
i) Didn't anyone tell you to wear a jacket and tie in the restaurant
j)
to wear a jacket and tie in the restaurant ?
5. Completa con la voce passiva giusta.
a) They will have to rebuild the entire front of the prototype.
b) The entire front of the prototype
.
c) Nobody has ever called me 'Honeypop'!
d) I
'Honeypop'!
e) I haven't decided on anything yet.
f) Nothing
yet.
g) Someone had told me that the road works caused delays.
h) I
that the road works caused delays.
i) People sometimes say that every cloud has a silver lining.
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j) It
that every cloud has a silver lining.
6. Revision exercise.
Are the following constructions active or passive?
1. Jane decided to cancel the party
Active
Passive
2. The lecturer was impressed by your essay
Active
Passive
3. Your horse is walking on our lawn
Active
Passive
4. The top floor was destroyed
Active
Passive
5. The pills should be taken twice a day
Active
Passive
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7 Bill Gates's Car
Situation: Early this morning, Bill Gates's chauffeur took his employer's favourite car,
a 98 model, to the garage for service and repairs. The chauffeur explained to the service
people that the car had crashed several times that week. They were surprised, since
multiple crashes usually involve several cars, not one. However, they promised him that
everything would be checked out.
Instructions: Fill the blanks with the correct passive form of the verb in parentheses.
Example: They made the following repairs. The following repairs were made.
1.
They took off the four wheels.
The four wheels
2.
They found cracks in each wheel..
Cracks
3.
in each wheel.
They decided to replace them.
It
4.
off.
to replace them.
They threw away the old wheels and ordered new ones.
The old wheels
5.
away and new ones ordered.
Unfortunately, they could not find replacement wheels of this type anywhere.
They were no longer being manufactured.
Unfortunately,
replacement
wheels
of
this
type
could
not
anywhere. They were no longer being manufactured.
6.
Of course, by the time they found this out, they had done the rest of the
repair work.
Of course, by the time they found this out, the rest of the repair work
.
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7.
They had to remove the motor.
.
The motor had to
8.
They realized too late the new motor was incompatible with the
transmission.
It
too late that the new motor was incompatible with the
transmission.
9.
The motor ran very smoothly, but when they engaged the transmission, it
stalled. (stall = stop)
The motor ran very smoothly, but when the transmission
, it
stalled.
10.
For example, to change from first gear to fifth gear they had to restart the
motor five times.
For example, to change from first gear to fifth gear the motor had to
five times.
11.
They gave the chauffeur precise instructions on how to drive the car with all
these limitations.
The chauffeur
precise instructions on how to drive the car
with all these limitations.
12.
He told them that all his employer's cars functioned like that and that they
had done a very good job.
They
that all his employer's cars functioned like that and that
they had done a very good job.
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13.
One of them had found five quarters on the floor of the car. They gave them
to the chauffeur.
Five quarters had been found on the floor of the car. These
to
the chauffeur.
14.
The chauffeur assured them that he would return this money to his
employer.
The chauffeur assured them that this money
15.
to his employer.
He said that Mr. Gates would donate the $1.25 they had found to a charity.
This contribution would save him at least 1.3 billion dollars in taxes.
He said that the $1.25 they had found
contribution would save him at least 1.3 billions in taxes.
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to a charity. This
