Common errors in the use of the passive voice made by the first year english major students at hanoi pedagogical university no 2

Especially, he introduces clearly passive tenses from the theoretical view and introduces beginning university students to the study of English linguistics, with a strong focus on lingui

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

NGUYEN THI HIEN

COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE

MADE BY THE FIRST-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

N0 2

(SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH)

Hanoi, 2013

Hanoi, 2013

I would like to take this chance to express my greatest gratitude to Mr Nguyen Van Den, M.A., my supervisor, for his patience in providing continuous and careful guidance as well as encouragement, indispensable suggestions and advice

Also, I would like to express my particular thanks to all my beloved lecturers, who always motivated and encouraged me to finish my thesis early Especially, I would like to show my sincere thanks to the junior students in class K38 in the Foreign Language Faculty, who helped me with my questionnaire

I am particularly grateful to all my friends for their precious assistance throughout the process of writing this thesis

Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my beloved family, for their whole – hearted encouragement and endless support

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ABSTRACT

Passive voice is a unique and interesting category of English grammar The number of passive sentences is very large, and each kind has its own characteristics as well as uses Therefore, they sometimes cause confusion to learners of English

As a result, students of English often make errors when they use passive voice Therefore, this research work entails studying the uses of passive voice and conducting a survey for error analysis

Based on the results of the survey, the types of errors and causes have been found Solutions to the problems have been suggested

Date submitted: May, 2013

Nguyen Thi Hien Mr Den, M.A

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements i

Abstract……… .ii Statement of authorship… iii

Table of contents……… iv

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I Rationale 1

II Research presupposition 2

III Research objectives 2

IV Research scope 2

I.1 Literature review in brief 5

I.2 Concept of voice in English 6 I.2.1 Definition of voice… … 6 I.2.2 Classification 7

I.2.3 Structural differences between active voice and passive voice 8 I.3 Passive voice in English 8

I.3.1 Passive voice from the theoretical view 8 I.3.1.1 Definition 8

I.3.1.2 Passive voice of transitive ordinary verbs 8 I.3.1.3 The passive transformation 11 I.3.1.3.1 S- V- O structure 11

I.3.1.3.2 S- V- O- O structure 13

I.3.1.3.3 S- V- C structure 14

I.3.1.4 Passive types 15 I.3.1.5 The phrase with by and with 16

I.3.2 Passive voice from the practical view 17

I.3.2.1 Introduction 17

I.3.2.2 Form……… 18

I.3.2.2.1 Tenses and aspects in the passive 18

I.3.2.2.2 Modal verbs in the passive 19

I.3.2.2.3 The passive with get 20 I.3.2.3 Special patterns 21

I.3.2.3.1 The passive with verbs of giving 21

I.3.2.3.2 The passive with verbs of reporting 22

I.3.2.3.3 Passives + to-infinitives or active participles 24

I.3.2.3.4 Passives with have and get 24

I.3.2.3.5 Passives + to-infinitives and gerunds 25

I.3.2.3.6 Active forms with passive meanings 26

I.3.2.3.7 Active and passive verb form 27

I.3.2.3.8 Active sentences conveying passive meanings 28

I.3.2.3.9 Causative form 29

CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF THE PASSIVE VOICE II.1 Survey 31

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey 32 II.1.2 Population of the survey 32 II.1.3 Type of the survey 32 II.1.4 Construction of the test 32 II.1.5 Preparation of the survey 33 II.1.5.1 Test items 33

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items 33

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out 34

II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out 34

II.1.6.2 Try-out 34 II.1.7 Method of data analysis 35

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II.1.8 Results of the survey 35

II.2 Common errors and causes 37

II.2.1 Errors in the use of passive voice in imperative sentences 37

II.2.2 Errors in the use of passive voice of the causative form 38

II.2.3 Errors in the use of passive voice with get 38

II.2.4 Errors in the use of passive voice with verbs of opinion 38

II.2.5 Errors in the use of passive voice with verbs of perception 39

II.2.6 Errors in the change of the object of the active into the subject of the passive ……… …….39

II.2.7.Errors in the change of verb forms from the active to the passiv……… 39

II.2.8 Errors in the use of passive voice with indefinite pronouns as subjects 40

II.2.9 Errors in the use of the passive with prepositions 40

II.2.10 Errors in the use of passive voice in yes-no questions 41

II.2.11 Errors in the use of passive voice in (w)h-questions 41

II.2.12 Errors in the use of the passive with 2 objects 41

II.3 SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS AND EXERCISES 42

II.3.1 Suggested solutions 42

II.3.2 Suggested exercises 43

PART THREE CONCLUSION CONCLUSION 45 REFERENCES 47

APPENDICES 49

PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I RATIONALE

English is the international language which is spoken and understood almost everywhere

in the world and has become the key instrument of globalization By 2012 there could be around

2 billion people learning English, according to a new report commissioned by the British Council

In Vietnam, English also plays an important role in all walks of life and in all economic sectors Therefore, more and more Vietnamese people are learning English as a foreign language

Learners of English, however, have to encounter a great variety of difficulties in obtaining both grammatical rules and language skills due to the interference of the learners’ mother tongue

It is proved that English grammar is complex and often causes embarrassment to students especially in communication Passive voice is one of the grammatical items that play an important role in learning and communicating as well Passive voice is used widely The uses of passive voice are preferred in English than those in Vietnamese, especially in daily conversations

However, using these passive correctly and effectively is rather complex Passives consist

of plentiful meanings, forms and characteristics as well Of course, in learning English in general and passive voice in particular, being influenced by the mother tongue is unavoidable Due to its various uses, it is assumed that there are many errors which may be made

This thesis is accomplished in hopes of making a contribution to the process of studying

of passive voice For the reasons above, this study is conducted with the aim of focusing on errors in using passive voice

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II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION

Some questions are raised:

1 What kinds of errors in using passive voice are made by the major students at the Foreign Language Faculty?

2 What kinds of errors in passive voice are made by the first– year English major at Hanoi Pedagogical University N02?

3 What are the causes of the errors in using passive voice made by the major students at the Foreign Language Faculty?

4 What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by the major students at the Foreign Language Faculty?

III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The study is aimed at the following goals:

1 To find out the kinds of errors in the use of passive voice made by the major students at the Foreign Language Faculty

2 To find out the causes of the errors in the use of passive voice made by the major students at the Foreign Language Faculty

3 To offer some suggestions to minimize errors in using passive voice

IV RESEARCH SCOPE

The general research area of this study is grammar The phenomenon is the errors in using passive voice made by the major students in the Foreign Language Faculty Others relating

to the passive voice are also briefly mentioned The population involved in the study is one hundred students in class K38 at the Foreign Language Faculty

The study involves fulfilling the following tasks:

1 To study the definition, formation, classification and meanings of passive voice in English

2 To study the grammatical features of passive voice in English

3 To conduct a survey to find out error types and causes related to passive voice in English On the basis of the findings, some suggested teaching methods are sought to minimize the students’ errors

VI RESEARCH METHODS

To achieve the objectives of the study, the following methods have been applied:

1 Collecting data from books

2 Consulting the supervisor, experienced teachers and friends

3 Synthesizing theoretical materials on English grammar

4 Conducting a survey and analyzing the results

VII RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE

Errors in any language teaching and learning, particularly in English as a foreign language, are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable Therefore, it is essential for teachers to give better treatment to anticipate errors After the research, it is hoped that the result will be helpful to provide:

1 Input for learners of English in order to have better understanding about passive voice

in English

2 Input for learners in order to minimize their errors in using passive voice

3 Input for teachers of English with information on error types and solutions to the problems in order to help their students have a deep insight into passive voice

This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in the passive voice in English VIII RESEARCH DESIGN

The research work has three main parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion The part Development consists of two chapters

Chapter one, Theoretical Background, consists of three sections Section one presents literature review in brief The section two shows the concept of voice in English in definition, classification and structural differences between active voice and passive voice Section three deals with passive voice in English from two viewpoints: theoretical and practical Moreover, the differences in the passive voice are mentioned as well

Chapter two is Common Errors in the Use of Passive Voice It describes the research method It is composed of three sections Section one is devoted to the survey The second deals with error types and causes The last one is on solutions to the problems and suggested exercises

on passive voice

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PART TWO

DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1 Literature review in brief

Passive voice has been described by many grammarians like Vince (1994), Swan (2005), Eastwood (1992), and Azar (1996) and so on They each have their own ways to describe passive voice Generally, they focus their attention on the definition, formation, functions of the passive voice and its uses

In the book Oxford Guide to English Grammar, Eastwood (1992) deals with passive verb

forms He also introduces some special passive structures and gives the differences between active and passive voice In his series of studies about passive voice in medical English, he describes the uses, characteristics and productivity of passives that are sometimes considered to

be passive voice He also makes comparisons among passive voice in his surveys

Quirk (1973) deals with passive voice verb forms He focuses his attention on the uses of passives He describes the uses, characteristics and productivity Especially, he introduces clearly passive tenses from the theoretical view and introduces beginning university students to the study of English linguistics, with a strong focus on linguistic analysis and argumentation; especially, Ingo Plag shows major methods of tense – formation such as forms, uses, characteristics of passives, and clauses and features of passive voice

Azar (1996) in Understanding and Using English Grammar refers to the formation of the

passive and also the use of passives He pays much attention to passive voice in indirect objects used as passive subjects, the passive form of modals and phrasal modals and stative forms

In the book Macmillan English Grammar in Context, Vince (1994) only focuses his

attention on the uses of passives Moreover, he pays much attention to passives with causative

“have”, verbs with two objects and passive reporting verbs

In the book Passive Resistance, CLS no 7, Lakoff, R (1971) traces the development of

the English language in grammar and passive voice The author explains the definition, origin of passive voice as well as gives precise illustrations for them

Thomson, A.J and Martinet, A.V (1986) in Practical English Usage only gives the

forms of passive verb forms He also mentions the differences between active and passive voice

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Sinclair (2009) in Easy Learning Grammar and Punctuation only pays much attention to

the function of passive voice and the subject of a passive sentence Also, he gives some special passive structures

In short, much research has been done on the passive voice about definition, formation, classification and meanings of passive voice in English However, the research about common errors in the use of passive voice made by the first - year English majors at Hanoi Pedagogical is a new aspect In order to help us find better learning solutions for English major students at Foreign Language Faculty, it is essential to have a comprehensive study of Common Errors in the Use of Passive Voice made by the first-year English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2

I.2 Concept of voice in English

I.2.1 Definition of voice

Nowadays, there is little consensus of what voice is Therefore, a large number of definitions of voice have been offered in many grammar books and dictionaries However, it is always a controversial issue to choose the best definition There are some typical definitions that are usually used in learning English to help learners understand and grasp clearly about voice

In A Grammar of Present-day English (1986: 85), Gordon, E M notes, “Voice is the

form of the verb, which serves to show whether the subject of the sentence is the agent or the object of the action expressed by the predicate verb”

In Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (1995: 1932), voice is also defined as “a form

or set of forms of a verb in which either person or thing that does something is the subject of the verb (the active voice) or the person or thing that is affected by the action of the verb is the object (the passive voice)

According to Quirk, R and Greenbaum, S and Leech, G and Svartvik (A Grammar of

Contemporary English – 1972: 801), voice is a grammatical category through which we can see

it in two ways but the meaning in fact does not change.”

To sum up, voice is a grammatical category that indicates the relation of the subject to the action of the verb This will be illustrated by the following example

Nam painted the house yesterday

→ The house was painted by Nam yesterday

In the former sentence, the subject “Nam” performs the action indicated by the verb

“painted” In the latter sentence, on the other hand, “the house” does not do the action “The house” is affected by the action of painting

Somebody cleaned the window

The subject “somebody” is the agent of the action performed by the verb “cleaned” This sentence is called an active sentence

 Passive voice

A sentence is called passive when it serves to show that the person or thing denoted by the subject of the sentence is not the agent (doer) of the action expressed by the predicate verb but is the object of this action The subject of a passive verb does not act but is acted upon; it receives the action of the verb

The window was cleaned by somebody (1) The subject “the window” itself cannot express the action of cleaning It receives the action of the verb “clean” Sentence (1) is a passive sentence

I.2.3 Structural differences between active voice and passive voice

It is certain that active voice and passive voice are used to express the same fact reported They, however, are different from each other in terms of structure and semantic and lexical field

Now we are coming to analyze an example

The police arrested the criminal (1) The criminal was arrested by the police (2) Firstly, in this example, sentence (1) is different from sentence (2) in verb form In sentence (1), the main verb is in the active form “arrested” In sentence (2), on the other hand, the verb of the active sentence is superseded by the verb phrase which is the combination of the verb “to be” in the same tense with the active verb and the past participle of the active verb

Secondly, sentence (1) and sentence (2) are different from each other in the position of the components In sentence (1) – an active sentence, the agent plays the role of the subject “the police” whereas in sentence (2) – a passive sentence, the object of the active sentence “the

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criminal” takes the subject position In addition, the subject turns into a prepositional phrase

“by/with + agent”

I.3 Passive voice in English

I.3.1 Passive voice from the theoretical view

I.3.1.1 Definition

A sentence is called passive when it serves to show that the person or thing denoted by the subject of the sentence is not the agent (doer) of the action expressed by the predicate verb but is the object of this action The subject of a passive verb does not act but is acted upon, it receives the action of the verb

The window was cleaned by somebody (1) The subject “the window” itself cannot express the action of cleaning It receives the action of the verb “clean” Sentence (1) is a passive sentence

I.3.1.2 Passive voice of transitive ordinary verbs

The most common passive form includes an appropriate tense of “be” followed by the

past participle of the main verb of the active sentence In Oxford Guide to English Grammar (1994:135), John Eastwood suggests “A passive verb has a form of be and a participle Be is in

the same tense as the equivalent of the active form The passive participle has the same form as a past participle.”

Tenses and aspects in the passive together with examples can be described as follows:

He has been taken to the zoo

(Present tense and perfective aspect) The room is being cleaned at the moment

(Present tense and progressive aspect) The house was being cleaned

(Past tense and progressive aspect) The negative and interrogative forms of passive sentences are made up in the same way

as in active sentences

Negative: The disease has not been found for many years

The machine was not fixed by the mechanical engineer

In the sentences above, “not” comes after the auxiliaries “has” and “was”

Question: Has the house been painted?

When were the mails sent?

There is also inversion of the subject and the first auxiliary

It is noted that “by” is contained in the question about the agent

Who was this novel written by?

Therefore, passive voice of transitive ordinary verbs occurs in almost all tenses in English Passive forms of English ordinary verbs together with examples are shown in the following table: Table 1

12 kinds of passive voice corresponding with 12 tenses

Past perfect progressive Had + been + being + p.p The wall had been being

painted since then

questions at the interview

Future progressive Will + be+ being + p.p He will be being taken to the

zoo

I.3.1.3 The passive transformation

Passive transformation involves the change in the position of the subject and object, and verb forms

Dung has cleaned the room

The room has been cleaned by Dung

Subject Passive verb Agent The idea is taken from such traditional linguists as Thomson and Martinet, Murphy, and Quirk and Green Baum Of all the sentence patterns, only three types which contain transitive verbs, allow passive transformation including S-V-O, S-V-O-O, and S-V-O-C

I.3.1.3.1 S- V- O structure

The object of this pattern can be classified into a noun phrase, a finite clause and finite clause

non-The object is a noun phrase

It is certain that the object of an active sentence becomes the subject of the passive equivalent

The bear caught the fish

→ The fish was caught by the bear

The object is a finite clause (that-clause)

The corresponding passive is commonly formed by the use of introductory “it” The finite clause as an object still remains

He saw that the car was useless

→ It was seen that the car was useless

The agent can be placed after the main clause if necessary

The journal says that the oil price will increase sharply

→ It is said by the journal that the oil price will increase sharply

In addition, passive transformation is done by having the subject of the object clause made the subject of the passive sentence and the verb of the object clause becomes an infinitive verb The happening time of actions in the finite clause and the main clause should be paid attention to

We use the perfect infinitive when the action in the subordinate clause takes place before that superordinate clause

They thought that the prisoner had escaped by climbing over the wall

→ The prisoner was thought to have escaped by climbing over the wall

We use the simple infinite when the action in the superordinate clause takes place before They expect that the government will lose the election

→ The government is expected to lose the election

Last but not least, the finite clause can become the subject of the passive sentence Such

verbs include admit, announce, declare, explain, point out, remark, report, state, and suggest

They showed me that she was a sensitive woman

→ That she was a sensitive woman was shown to me

The object is a non-finite clause

A non-finite clause as an object may be an infinitive or an ing-participle Generally, there

is no passive equivalent for an active sentence whose object is a non-finite clause

He wants to play games

Not → To play games is wanted by him

However, passive transformation is accepted with a few verbs (agree, arrange, decide)

and introductory “it”

We decide to move to the suburbs

→ It is decided to move to the suburbs

Moreover, some verbs such as advise, insist, propose, recommend, suggest followed by

an in-participle with an object, a finite clause “that….should” is used in the passive

They suggested helping people being homeless after the floods

→ They suggested that people being homeless after the floods should be helped

I.3.1.3.2 S- V- O- O structure

It is a fact that some verbs in English take two objects The former is an indirect one and the latter is a direct one The indirect object is always a noun phrase and the direct object can be

a noun phrase, a finite or non-finite clause

The direct object is a noun phrase

In the case both objects are noun phrases

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Tom sent me a letter

→ I was sent a letter (by Tom.)

A letter was sent to me by Tom

The preposition “to” is to be contained in the passive sentence with the direct object of the active sentence as its subject As for some verbs, the preposition “for” is needed

They’ve built it an exclusive balcony

An exclusive balcony has been built for it

The direct object is a finite clause

An active sentence can be changed into a passive one with either of the objects as the passive subject

They told me that they would move to London

It was told to me that they would move to London

The direct object is a non-finite clause

A non-finite clause here is a to-infinitive or a bare-infinitive verb

His boss asked him to accomplish the task

He was asked to accomplish the task

The direct object is a prepositional phrase

A preposition phrase, in general, cannot become the passive subject

I explained everything to her

Everything was explained to her

Not She was explained everything

In addition, when the direct object is a phrase beginning with who, when, which, and

where, the phrase can be put after the past participle of the active verb as follows:

He told me how to get there

→ I was told how to get there

I.3.1.3.3 S- V-O- C structure

The object complement can be a noun phrase, an adjective, or a non-finite clause consisting of a to-infinitive, a bare-infinitive clause, an ing-participle and an ed- participle clause

The object complement is a noun phrase

They consider it a blessing

The object of the active sentence changes into the subject of the passive one and the adjective is placed after the main verb

We believed her innocent

→ She was believed innocent (by us)

The object complement is a to-infinitive clause

I assume you to know some English words

→ You are assumed to know some English words

Such verbs includes believe, consider, assume, intend, etc

However, when active sentences consisting of some verbs such as wish, want, like, love,

the passive is formed with a to-infinitive passive and the object in the to-infinitive clause is put after the main verb

I want her to clean the house → I want the house to be cleaned by her

The object complement is a bare infinitive clause

The passive is made by making the active object the passive subject and the

bare-infinitive clause is put by a to-bare-infinitive one The verbs of perception are see, hear, observe, etc

I saw the thief climb into the house

The thief was seen to climb into the house

Of all the causative verbs (let, make, have), only the verb make allows passive

transformation in the same way as verbs of perception

My parents made me look after my younger brother

I was made to look after my younger brother

The object is an ing-participle and ed-participle

When the object is an ing- participle, the subject of the passive sentence is the object of

active voice whereas passive transformation is carried out as usual except for have and get when

the object is an ed- participle as follows:

I heard her singing

→ She was heard singing

I.3.1.4 Passive types

The passive clause in transitive analysis is sub-grouped in following main types: true passive, beneficiary-passive, range-passive and circumstantial passive The idea is taken from Halliday, M.A.K (1985) Table 2

True passive: effective, medium/subject, agent: by

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Beneficiary- passive: effective, beneficiary/subject, and agent: by

Range-passive: middle (i.e.: medio – passive), range/subject, medium: by

According to Halliday, there are other types of passive structures when “indirect” participants act as potential subjects These are circumstantial passives which include location-passive, manner-passive and others

The bed has not been slept in (Location-passive)

This pen has never been written with (Manner-passive) I.3.1.5 The phrase of by and with

According to Halliday, the clauses with features of agency can be put in passive voice by using an analytic causative or bringing in an agent of the second order The examples can be seen in all processes: material, mental, and relational as follows: Table 3

Agent 2 Medium Agent 1

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Relation process

team

In terms of semantics and functions, according to functional grammar, the passive structures have been analyzed And based on different processes, the passive constructions are analyzed into different labels, which complement others to have a full analysis of different types

of passive construction

I.3.2 Passive voice from the practical view

I.3.2.1 Introduction

Compare the active and passive sentences

Active: The secretary typed the report

Passive: The report was typed (by the secretary)

When the person doing the action (the secretary) is the subject, we use an active verb When the subject is what the action is directed at (the report), then we use a passive verb We can choose to talk about the secretary and what he/she did, or about the report and what happened to it This choice depends on what is old or new information in the context Old information usually comes at the beginning of the sentence, and new information at the end

In a passive sentence the agent can be the new and important information ( by

the secretary.), or we can leave it out if it does not add any information We say the report was typed because the fact that the typing is complete is more important than the identity of the typist

The passive is often used in an official, impersonal style

I.3.2.2 Form

I.3.2.2.1 Tenses and aspects in the passive

A passive verb has a form of be and a passive participle Be is in the same tense as the equivalent active form The passive participle has the same form as a past participle: announced,

called, seen

Active: The Ministry announced the figure (past simple)

Passive: The figure was announced (past simple of be + passive participle)

Simple tenses (simple form of be + passive participle)

Large numbers of people are killed on the roads

The drugs were found by the police

The perfect (perfect of be + passive participle)

Cocaine has been seized by the FBI

The drugs had been loaded onto the ship in Ecuador

The continuous (continuous of be + passive participle)

The case is being called 'the chocolate connection'

Three men were being questioned by detectives last night

Will and be going to (future of be + passive participle)

The drugs will be destroyed

The men are going to be charged with importing cocaine

For other modal verbs,

We form negatives and questions in the same way as in active sentences In the negative

not comes after the (first) auxiliary; in questions there is inversion of the subject and the (first)

auxiliary

Negative: The drugs were not found by customs officers

The law hasn't been changed

Question: Where were the drugs found?

Has the law been changed?

NOTE

We use by in a question about the agent

Who were the drugs found by?

When we use a phrasal or prepositional verb in the passive, the adverb or preposition

(e.g down, for) comes after the passive participle

The tree was cut down last week

Has the doctor been sent for?

Note also verb + adverb + preposition, and verbal idioms with prepositions

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Such out-of-date practices should be done away with

The poor child is always being made fun of

We can sometimes use a participle as a modifier, like an adjective: a broken vase

We can also put the participle after be The vase was broken can express either a state or

an action

State: The vase was broken It lay in pieces on the floor, (be + complement) The drugs

were hidden in the ship They were in blocks of chocolate

Action: The vase was broken by a guest He knocked it over

(passive verb) The drugs were hidden (by the gang) and then loaded onto the ship

I.3.2.2.2 Modal verbs in the passive

According to Eastwood, J (Oxford Guide to English Grammar-1994:136), the passive voice is also known to be expressed by the combination of modal verbs followed by be with the

past participle

Modal verb + be + p.p

E.g

The problem can be solved immediately

Violent actions should be banned in the school

Plans have to be made every day

The building that used to be used as a shop is now used as storage

A modal verb can also come with the perfective and passive together

Modal verb + have been + p.p The window should have been cleaned yesterday

My bicycle has disappeared It must have been stolen

The building ought to have been checked down before it fell down

I.3.2.2.3 The passive with get

In English we can form a passive sentence with “get” as auxiliary and the past participle The verb “get” can function in a manner very similar with “be” In Oxford Guide to English

Grammar (1994: 136) John Eastwood notes, “We sometimes form the passive with get rather

than be”

A house can be built of stone, brick or clay

A house can get built of stone, brick or clay

(Lakoff, 1971)

If this sentence is plus with “by – phrase”, it is understood as a passive voice

Get passives often refer to something happening by chance, unexpectedly or incidentally

without warning

The house suddenly started to shake and we all got scared

The car got crushed while he was passing through crossroads,

My leg got broken when I fell downstairs

It is noted that the get passive is not used in a major, planned action

E.g.: Nottingham Castle was first built in 1068 (not Nottingham Castle got first built in 1068)

In the sentence above, “be” is more appropriate

In addition, Get-passives are often used to express actions we do to ourselves

I get dressed quickly to attend the interview on time

The get-passive is also used to express an action or change, not a state whereas passive

sentences with “be” usually denote a state

He got bitten by mosquitoes (refers to the action of being bitten) But we cannot say: The child got taught at school

Get can be followed by a past participle using as a command

Get dressed!

Get washed!

Get cleaned!

In such cases, “be” is not usually appropriate

We also use get + p.p in some idiomatic expressions

There wasn’t enough time to get washed

There are some expressions like this such as: get washed, get shaved, get (un)dressed, get

changed, get engaged, get cleaned, get married, get divorced, get started, get lost

We use the auxiliary “do” in negatives and questions in the present simple and past tense After getting problems with health, she didn’t get married

Do the cars always get cleaned in the morning?

I.3.2.3 Special patterns

I.3.2.3.1 The passive with verbs of giving

In the active, give can have two objects

The nurse gives the patient a sleeping pill

Either of these objects can be the subject of a passive sentence

A sleeping pill is given to the patient

The patient is given a sleeping pill

We can use other verbs in these patterns, e.g send, offer, award

 Here are two ways in which a court case about paying damages might be reported MILLION POUND DAMAGES AWARDED

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£1 million pound damages were awarded in the High Court in London yesterday to a cyclist who was left completely paralyzed after a road accident The damages are the highest ever paid to a road accident victim in a British court

CYCLIST AWARDED MILLION POUNDS

A cyclist who was left completely paralyzed after a road accident was awarded £1 million damages at the High Court in London yesterday The court heard that Mr Graham Marks was hit

by a car as he was cycling along the A303 near Sparkford in Somerset

Compare these two sentences, one from each report

£ 1 million damages were awarded to a cyclist

A cyclist was awarded £1 million damages

Both sentences are passive, but one has £1 million damages as its subject, and the other has a cyclist as its subject The first report is about the damages, and it tells us who received

them The second is about a cyclist, and it tells us what he received

 It is quite normal in English for the person receiving something to be the subject Here are some more examples

The chairman was handed a note I've been offered a job

We were told all the details The residents will be found new homes

We can use these verbs in the passive pattern:

Allow, deny, leave, promise, tell

Ask, feed, lend, refuse, throw

Award, find, offer, send

Bring, give, owe, sell

Buy, grant, pass, show

Charge, hand, pay, teach

I.3.2.3.2 The passive with verbs of reporting

There are two special patterns with verbs of reporting

Active: They say that elephants have good memories

Passive: It is said that elephants have good memories-

Elephants are said to have good memories

There is an example of each pattern in this paragraph

STONEHENGE

It is now thought that Stonehenge - the great stone circle - dates from about 1900 BC Until recently the circle was popularly believed to be a Druid temple and a place of human sacrifice, but this is not in fact so The stones were put up long before the Druids came to Britain

1 It + passive verb + finite clause

It is thought that Stonehenge dates from about 1900 BC

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This pattern is often used in news reports where there is no need to mention the source of the information

It was reported that the army was crossing the frontier

It has been shown that the theory is correct

It is proposed that prices should increase next year

In pattern 1 we can use these verbs:

Admit, declare, hope, propose, show

Agree, discover, intend, prove, state

Allege, establish, know, recommend, suggest

Announce, estimate, mention, regret, suppose

Assume, expect, notice, report, think

Believe, explain, object, request, understand

Claim, fear, observe, reveal

Consider, feel, presume, say

Decide, find, promise, see

2 Subject + passive verb + to-infinitive

Compare these patterns

Pattern 1: It is thought that Stonehenge dates from about 1900 BC

Pattern 2: Stonehenge is thought to date from about 1900 BC

In pattern 2 we can use these verbs:

Allege, declare, find, presume, see

Assume, discover, intend, prove, show

Believe, estimate, know, report, suppose

Claim, expect, mean, reveal, think

Consider, feel, observe, say, understand

The infinitive can also be perfect or continuous, or it can be passive

The army was reported to be crossing the frontier

The prisoner is known to have behaved violently in the past

Stonehenge is thought to have been built over a period of 500 years