A Dictionary of Cont..

few people would say the house has been building.
Some people still object to been being and
be being, but they have found new ways of
avoiding the construction.
In present-day English, forms of the verb lo
get are often used instead of the corresponding
form of the verb fo be to make a passive voice,
as in he got robbed. This is particularly true in
the progressive tenses. People who object to been
being or be being are likely to substitute getting
for being, as in he has been getting robbed and
he will be getting robbed some day. The verb to
get can be used as a passive after do, as the verb
to be cannot, and we therefore say if he does get
robbed. A passive meaning can also be expresssad
by the verb become and a past participle, as in
they became known. These three forms of the
passive, they became known, they got known,
they were known, are different in tone or emphasis.
Become suggests a process; get, the simple
act; and be, the resulting condition or state.
This allows us a great deal of variety in our
passive statements.
SUBJECT AND OBJECT
What would be the object of an active verb,
as in they gave a reward, becomes the subject
when the verb is in the passive voice, as in n
reward was given by them. The subject of the
active verb may be omitted entirely in the passive
construction or may be introduced by a
preposition. In current English the preposition is
usually by. Formerly, of was often used in this
way, as in this dreaded sight, twice seen of us
and possessed of the Devil.
Theoretically, a passive verb cannot have an
object. But in current English the indirect object
of an active verb may also be made the subject
of the passive form and this sometimes
leaves a passive verb with an object, which is
called the “retained object” by grammarians. In
they gave him a reward, the word him is the indirect
object of gave and the theoretically correct
passive construction would be a reward was
given him. But we may also say he was given a
reward. This construction has been in use for
several centuries but it is regarded by foreigners,
and by some grammarians, as a monstrositychiefly
because it cannot be translated into the
other European languages. In Great Britain the
construction is still considered objectionable
when used with certain verbs, as in he was written
a letter, was sent a note, was telegraphsed
an answer, was done an injustice. In the United
States it is thoroughly acceptable, without restrictions
of any kind.
In tlzey took no notice of him, the object of
rook is notice and him is the object of the preposition
of. Nevertheless, we can say he was taken
no notice of. Here the whole compound take-,aonotice-of
is being treated as if it was a simple
verb. Similarly, in they hoped for something,
hoped is an intransitive verb without an object
and something is the object of for. But we can
say something wus hoped for. Here again, we
may say that what we actually have is a compound
verb hope for, which is transitive. But
however we explain them, constructions like
357 passive voice
these represent an enormous extension of the
passive voice as found in other European languages.
In English a great many verbs may also be
used in a passive sense without being put in the
passive voice. What is logically the object of a
transitive verb may sometimes be made the
grammatical subject without changing the form
of the verb, as in the pies sold quickly, the car
drove easily, the fields flooded. These forms are
called “passivals.” A passive voice, as in the pies
were sold quickly, the car was driven easily, the
fields were flooded, always suggests the agent.
The passivals present the action as an independent
fact. They are simple and vivid, and are
generally preferred to a passive form when the
agent is considered irrelevant. See transitive
verbs.
USE AND MISUSE
The English passive is a powerful verb form.
It is applied widely to constructions that traditionally
could not have a passive voice, and it
has a variety of forms which provide subtle
shades of meaning. It can be used when one does
not want to name the agent of an action, either
because this should be concealed, as in unkind
things were said, or because it is irrelevant, as in
the letter was mailed. It can also be used to emphasize,
or call attention to, the agent. For example,
a woman drove the car has no special
emphasis in written English, although it may be
given an emphasis in speech. But there is a definite
emphasis on woman in the car wus driven
by a woman. When the agent is mentioned in a
passive construction it has more emphasis than
it would have with an active verb.
The passive voice is a sophisticated device. It
is used by educated people much more than it is
by uneducated people. It is likely to be out of
place in a narrative but is almost indispensable
in presenting ideas and generalizations. One of
the most conspicuous traits of current English
is the large number of passive verb forms used.
This increased use of the passive disturbs some
people, simply because it is new. But a great
many more find it very satisfactory. The claim
that a passive construction is inherently “weak”
or “clumsy” should not be taken too seriously.
It may be based on nothing more than a love for
the old ways.
However, there are three situations in which
a passive voice may be undesirable. (1) The
passive is not an effective form to use in a description
or in narrative. (2) When someone
wants to know who was responsible for a given
act, and a passive voice is used to keep this
information from him, he is naturally annoyed.
But he should blame the person who is not being
candid, and not the grammatical form that makes
this possible. (3) Finally, there is the passive of
modesty. Some people seem to feel that I said, Z
think. and so on, are fighting words, and retreat
into the passive in order not to inflict themselves
on other people. Some think they know exactly
how often I can appear per thousand words
without giving offense. There is not a word of
truth in any of these theories. Anyone who is