8 Passif

LA VOIX PASSIVE
(Be + V-en)
A/ POURQUOI ?
@
*Un ‘actant’ =
B/ COMMENT CONSTRUIRE UNE PHRASE PASSIVE
A la voix active, il faut repérer:
j Le verbe k Le temps l Le sujet/agent (singulier ou pluriel ?) m L’objet/patient (singulier ou pluriel ?)
The teacher encouraged the students
Rajouter Be + V-en …
Il faut savoir 2 choses :
1)
(cf CM ‘Groupe Verbal’, tableau de verbes irréguliers - 3ème colonne)
VOIX ACTIVE
VOIX PASSIVE

2
2
2)
TO BE PRESENT PASSE FUTUR PARFAIT
TEMPS
SIMPLES I am, he/she/it is
you/we/they are I/he/she/it was you/we/they were
[w ] ? where [w ]
I/he/she/it/you/we/they
will be I/you/we/they have been
he/she/it has been
__________________
I/you/he/she/it/we/they
had been
TEMPS
PROGRESSIFS
I am being
he/she/it is being
you/we/they are being
I/he/she/it was being
You/we/they were being
Assez rare Très rare
Exercice : Donnez les participes passés des verbes suivants :
1) become = 2) break = 3) choose = 4) do =
5) eat = 6) feel = 7) forget = 8) grow =
9) have = 10) know = 11) learn = 12) read = [ ]
C/ EMPLOI
1@
2@
Tableau Récapitulatif des Voix Active et Passive
TEMPS SIMPLES ACTIF
PASSIF
(Be + V-en)
PRESENT
(V-s) It EATS It
PRETERIT
(V-ed) It It
FUTURE
(WILL + V) It It
PRESENT PERFECT
(V-en) It It
PAST PERFECT
(HAD + V-en) It It
MODAL It
TEMPS “PROGRESSIFS”
Be V-ing ACTIF PASSIF
(Be +being + V-en)
PRESENT
It It
PAST
It It
FUTURE
It RARE
PRESENT PERFECT
It RARE

3
3
EXERCICE 1
Mettez les phrases actives (à gauche)e à la forme passive (à droite). Soulignez l’agent, le patient et
analysez le temps.
ACTIVE PASSIVE
1) They often do it It …………………………………………………
2) They are doing it now It …………………………………………………
3) They did it yesterday It …………………………………………………
4) They were doing it last week It …………………………………………………
5) They have already done it It …………………………………………………
6) They will do it soon It …………………………………………………
7) They had often done it in the past It …………………………………………………
8) They have to do it right now It …………………………………………………
9) They may not have done it yet It …………………………………………………
10) They really should not have done it It …………………………………………………
NB
La préposition ‘By’ sert à introduire le complément d’agent, mais celui-ci peut être omis lorsque:
1) ex : That serial killer was finally arrested yesterday.
2) ex : This house was built in 1950.
3) ex : My bike’s been stolen!
4) ex : Apparently you’ve been accused !
5)
ex : Taking photos is forbidden !
6)
(ie. pour les les processus) ex : The letters are collected then taken to the sorting office.
EXERCICE 2
Les phrases suivantes sont à la voix active et mentionnent de façon redondante le sujet/agent/’déclencheur’ de
l’action. Allégez-les en les mettant à la voix passive. (Repérez également le temps utilisé à la forme active en le
soulignant)
1) The cleaners were cleaning the room when I arrived.
2) Nobody should have opened this letter. It’s private !
3) The printers accidentally printed the page twice.
4) The actors are going to perform a play outside.
5) Some people are using the lecture hall next Friday.
6) The wind blew his hat off.
7) Somebody will have to pay for the damage.
8) The builders should have finished the house by next week.

4
4
@
1 2 3 1 2 3
The teachers gave her a test They taught the children a lesson
2 3 1 2 3 1
She was given a test (by the teachers) The children were taught a lesson (by them)
Traductions:
REMARQUE:
EXERCISES 3
Traduisez les phrases suivantes:
1) Frogs legs are not eaten in England.
2) Sam was told to apologise immediately.
3) This film is said to be hilarious.
4) She is said to be the most famous sociologist in America.
5) They are expected to have finished by 10pm.
6) “I hate being patronised” said the young man.
7) The police were called in.
8) This door hasn’t been opened in years
9) They are questioning her.
D/ LES STRUCTURES FIGEES et L’ELLIPSE
@ Il existe de nombreuses structures figées utilisant la voix passive en anglais :
ex.1 : Where ………… you …………… Peter ? I was born in Scotland. (To be born)
ex.2 : This car ……………. …………… in Germany. (To be made)
ex.3 : An umbrella has …………… ……………… in the classroom. (To be left)
“……… there any cake ………….. in the fridge?” (cf. CM sur les Quantificateurs)
@ Par souci d’économie, les anglophones font souvent l’ellipse de …………………………………..
et donc la voix passive peut se limiter au ………………………………. !

5
5
(Lorsque tel est le cas, attention à ne pas confondre le participe passé avec le prétérit !)
ex 1 : English spoken (= English )
ex 2 : Wanted : Sales Manager (= A Sales Manager )
ex 3 : Made in Germany (= this object )
ATTENTION à ne pas confondre les diverses formes en –ed! Nature
They educated their children at home
Their children were educated at home
The well-educated often succeed in life, unlike the unemployed
‘Educated’
She is a highly educated woman
EXERCICE 4
Lisez le texte suivant. Analysez toutes les formes en –ed et donnez leur nature.
Yesterday, just after having played ( ) tennis, I became interested ( ) in a book which really
fascinated ( ) me. My eyes were fixed ( ) on each page. The book explained ( )
how educated ( ) adolescents are often bored ( ) at school and how they must constantly be
reassured ( ) and encouraged ( ) by their teachers and parents. I expected ( ) to
learn a lot thanks to this book.
EXERCICE 5
Reformulez les gros titres des journaux et les notices en insérant l’auxiliaire TO BE et les déterminants qui ont été omis.
1) “MISSING GIRL FOUND SAFE”
2) “ARREST IMMINENT FOR MAFIA BOSS”
3) CHEQUES ACCEPTED WITH GUARANTEE CARD ONLY.
4) BUILT IN 1888
5) NO UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN ALLOWED IN LIFT.
6) “PROMOTION LIKELY FOR BBC CHIEF”
E/ PASSIF + PREPOSITION
@
EXERCICE 6 Ex : People laughed at Freud when he spoke of penis envy
= Freud was laughed at when he spoke of penis envy.
1) Is anyone attending to you? =
2) I can’t rely on you to do the job. =
3) Quick! We must send for a doctor! =
4) I’ll look into that problem a.s.a.p. =
5) They filled their heads with too much knowledge. =
6) She made fun of her brother. =