Introduction

La voix passive est le plus souvent utilisée dans:

• des écrits officiels ou académiques; des dissertations, des rapports, des articles
• des informations: des gros titres, des reportages.

On utilise la voix passive quand l'objet (une personne ou une chose) qui subit l'action est plus important que la personne ou la chose qui accomplit l'action, par exemple:

• Le feu a été allumépar Robin.

ou quand on ne sait pas quoi ou qui a accompli l'action:

• My car was stolen last night.

Formation

On forme la voix passive avec:
"be" + le participe passé du verbe principal.

Le passif au présent simple - exemples:

objet	Verbe "be"	Verbe principal	Complément	Objet
The experiment	is isn't is not	carried out	every week	by scientists at the university.
The experiments	are aren't are not	carried out	every week.

Verbe "be"	objet	Verbe principal	Complément	Objet
Are	the experiments	carried out	every week?

Le passif au prétérit - exemples:

objet	Verbe "be"	Verbe principal	Complément	Objet
The experiment	was wasn't was not	carried out	every week	by scientists at the university.
The experiments	were weren't were not	carried out	every week.

Verbe "be"	objet	Verbe principal	Complément	Objet
Were	the experiments	carried out	every week?

La voix passive peut être utilisée à tous les temps:

Objet (subit l'action)	Verbe "be" (différents temps)	Verbe principal (participe passé)
The dogs	are	fed.
	are being
	were
	were being
	are going to be
	will be
	have been
	will be being
	have been being
	had been

Dans les exemples ci-dessus, on ne sait pas qui nourrit les chiens. Ce n'est pas important. L'important est que les chiens soient nourris.

Si on veut inclure la personne ou la chose qui accomplit l'action, on peut utiliser la préposition "by":

• The dogs are being fed by a charity worker.

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Exercices d'entraînement

Complétez les phrases en mettant le verbe entre parenthèses à la forme passive correcte du prétérit:

.

1)

The Eiffel Tower    in 1889. (build)

 

2)

Two World Wars    during the 20th century. (fight)

 

3)

How many sonnets    by William Shakespeare? (write)

 

4)

The internet    by many different people. (create)

 

Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit

Further practice

.

1)

The orchestra ____ by Mario Lopez.
 

be conducted

will be conducted

conducts

will being conducted

 

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2)

The houses ____.
 

has been demolished

be demolished

have been demolished

have demolished

 

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3)

The costumes ____ by the art department.
 

are been prepared

is prepared

is being prepared

are being prepared

 

---

4)

The new law ____.
 

going to be passed

have been passed

will passed

is going to be passed

 

---

5)

The trees ____ cut down.
 

was being

had being

were been

were being

 

---

6)

The grass ____ cut too many times.
 

is been

have been

had been

will been

 

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Please submit the missing answers shown in red
 

Submit

Points de langue supplémentaires

On peut employer la voix passive quand on ne veut pas dire quoi ou qui a accomplit l'action:

• "I’m sorry but your vase was broken."
• "My homework was lost."
• "The accounts have been messed up."

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Les verbes modaux peuvent être utilisés à la voix passive:

Present

Voix active – The staff should make the beds every day.
Voix passive – The beds should be made every day.

Past
Voix active – The staff should have made the beds every day.
Voix passive – The beds should have been made every day.

Point de langue avancé

Exemples supplémentaires de la voix passive:

• Futur antérieur –
  The dogs will have been fed.
• Futur antérieur continu –
  The dogs will have been being fed.
• plus-que-parfait continu –
  The dogs had been being fed.

Bien que grammatiquement correct, le futur antérieur continu, le passé continu et le plus-que-parfait continu ne sont généralement pas utilisé à la voix passive. La situation ne se présente généralement pas, et les phrases seraient maladroites.