Verbs not used in the passive

Not all verbs can have passive forms. Passive structures are not possible with intransitive verbs like die, cry or arrive, which cannot have objects.

  • He died yesterday. (passive)
  • The baby cried aloud. (passive)

Some transitive verbs, too, are seldom used in the passive. Most of these verbs refer to states, not actions. Examples are: have, lack, resemble, suit etc.

 

  • I have a house in the city. (BUT NOT A house is had by me.)
  • My shirt doesn't fit me. (BUT NOT I am not fitted by my shirt.)
  • You lack tact. (BUT NOT Tact is lacked by you.)
  • She resembles an angel. (BUT NOT An angel is resembled by her.)

Some prepositional verbs are mainly used in the active. Examples are: walk into, agree with.

  • We walked into the room. (BUT NOT The room was walked into by us.)
  • She agreed with me. (BUT NOT I was agreed with by her.)
Category: Active and passive voice | Added by: Teacher_Koce (2014-01-07)
Views: 961 | Tags: verbs, the passive, not used in
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