Passivation explains how the auxiliary Be or the verb to Have, are used together with an optional ‘by’ phrase to make the Object the primary focus of the sentence, rather than the Subject.

Example:

1. Babatunji much prefers + slender Yoruba females

2. Slender Yoruba females are much preferred by Babatunji.

 

The above sentence is grammatically correct but sounds unnatural.

 

In English we can’t always use the Passive Voice, so we reword the sentence instead. Notoriously hard to invert are sentences with reflexive pronouns or postverbal noun phrases.

 

A variation of sentence 2 would be to omit the by phrase altogether.

 

3. Slender Yoruba females are Babatunji’s preference.

How about in example 4?

 

“That Agbada doesn’t suit you Babatunji, you know”.

4. {That Agbada = Subject}

doesn’t suit (verb phrase)

{you Babatunji = Postverbal Noun Phrase} you know.

 

Forming the Passive Voice by swapping the Subject and Object wouldn’t work.

We can’t say: Babatunji, you aren’t suited by that Agbada, you know.

 

You’ve most probably realised that not only does the ‘by phrase’ not work in all structures nor do some verbs.

I might instead rephrase the sentence and say:

5. “Babatunji, your style isn’t suited to that Agbada is it?”

Some tenses do not take the Passive Voice. Instead, we go up to the main tense it was derived from.

 

Past Perfect Continuous

1. Jermaine had + been + stealing his landlord’s croquettes.

We use being with -ING verbs but in written English you hear:

1. The landlord croquettes were being stolen by Jermaine.

We utilise the past continuous tense.

Same as:

1. Jermaine was stealing his landlord’s croquette.

 

The landlord’s croquettes were + being + stolen by Jermaine.

Or

His landlord’s croquettes were being stolen.

 

The Active Voice

 

When a sentence is written with a Subject directly performing an action on the Object, we refer to this as the Active Voice.

They produce Nollywood films in Nigeria.

(Active voice)

 

 

To

Nollywood films are produced in Nigeria.

 

4. Participle Adjective

The African President heads a split nation.

(Noun = common noun - nation

 

Examples:

1. Sheku spilled his ginger beer on his carpet.

Sheku = proper noun is the Subject

spilled = verb conjugated in Simple Past

Ginger beer = noun phrase, receiving the action or the Object

 

In my example ginger beer directly receives the action from the Subject, Sheku.

 

2. Ibrahim wrote about the War.

Ibrahim = Subject, common noun acting on the Object the War, the Object.

 

In the Active voice the Object receives the action directly. Normally this is how we speak in modern times.

 

Passive Voice

3. The ginger beer was (auxiliary) spilled (past participle) by (preposition) Sheku (the Subject).

 

Passive Voice simply means the Subject is now passive or inactive.

 

Passive Infinitive

Examples:

We generally use either form, not together:
 

1. Nigerian police are determined more riots will + be + prevented.

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2. There was ironing to be done so Efua dashed off.

(Active Voice- Hurry up, there's ironing to do.)

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3. I don't want to be silenced so will keep running this project.

(Active- They want to silence me.)

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4. I prefer my hair to be cut by a hairdresser rather than doing it myself.

I didn't want to cut my hair myself so commuted to Reading. (ACTIVE Infinitive

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Active

1. Kenyan Police will not allow market traders to protest.

The verb phrase -to protest = to-infinitive

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Sentence is in the active voice. CHECK verb phrase first.

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Passive

2. Market traders will + not + be + allowed + to protest BY Kenyan police.

Passive Infinitive = will + be + Past Participle/PP

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Active

3. You have to wash all vegetables before cooking to get rid of bacteria.

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Passive

4. Vegetables have + to be + washed before cooking to get rid of bacteria.