Section 5 - Verbs commonly used in the passive

IDevice Icon Verbs without an agent

We use some verbs more often in the passive than in the active because the agent is either unknown or obvious, or not important to what we want to say:

I was born in Italy.
My neighbour's been arrested!
She was fined £100 for driving without insurance.
Stockholm has been dubbed the Venice of the North.
A reminder will be sent by post.
The stadium was built in 1983.


iDevice icon Practice exercise
Add one of these passive verbs to the sentences below. Make any necessary changes.

be deemed * be earmarked * be baffled * be jailed * be strewn
a. Their work to be of the highest standard.
b. The murderer should for life.
c. The floor had with newspapers and old magazines.
d. I completely and had no idea what had happened.
e. The building has for demolition.
  

IDevice Icon Adjective or Passive
Some verbs are so commonly used in the passive, without mentioning an agent, that they work in a similar way to -ed adjectives (see Overview, Watch out!):

I heard the news and was horrified.
Tuscan truffles are particularly prized for their pungent aroma.
I'm gutted! (slang = I'm very upset)

IDevice Icon Prepositions

Some common passive verbs collocate with particular prepositions. Here are some examples:

The threat was couched in the vaguest possible terms.
We've been conditioned into accepting TV as essential.
The athlete was acclaimed as a national hero.
The old man has been indicted as a war criminal.
I don't think any of these remarks could be construed as positive.
I've been swamped with requests to do concerts all over Europe.


iDevice icon Practice exercise
Add a suitable preposition to these sentences.
a. The factory is scheduled demolition next year.
b. The little boy was eventually reunited his parents.
c. These three chapters could be subsumed a new heading.
d. I've been shortlisted the Noble Prize for Literature!
  

IDevice Icon No preposition
Some common passive verbs, e.g. be called, be named, be deemed, be dubbed, are not commonly followed by a preposition:

All his efforts were deemed a complete waste of public resources.
I've been called many things in my life but never 'inspired'.

IDevice Icon Phrasal verbs
We also commonly use particular phrasal verbs in the passive:

This coat was handed down to me by my older brother.
I was so caught up in my book that I failed to realise the time.
The get-out clause was written into their contract.

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