THE PASSIVE

Question 1

FORM

Answer 1

to be (appropriate form) + past participle.
the passive is not used in the present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous and future continuous.

We can use the passive in all other tenses (infinitive -to be done-, perfect infinitive -to have been done-, participle and gerund -being done, perfect participle and gerund -having been done-)

Question 2

USE

Answer 2

We use the passive when:

+ the receiver of the action is more important than the performer
+ to avoid vague subjects like someone, some people
+ to avoid placing the responsibility on the performer (org or entity)
+grammatically speaking, to avoid a change of the subject in a sentence

Question 3

USE 2

Answer 3

We can use by + the performer of the action after the verb in the passive if we want to say who did it. Emphasis.

The passive is often used with verbs of knowing and believing (known to be)

The passive is often used in notices or news reports.

Question 4

HAVE / GET

Answer 4

Have and get in the passive are often interchangeable Causatives. However, there are some differences between them:

We use have/get when the action is arranged by the receiver.

Get is more concerned with the arranging rather than the action whereas Have is more concerned with the process or action that took place.

We do NOT use get in the present or past perfect.

EXCEPTIONS: sometimes the receiver of the action with have/get is not the person who causes the action but is an unwilling victim.