Do you remember how to use the passive voice?

Active Sarah took that photograph.
Passive That photograph was taken by Sarah.

We can use gerunds and infinitives in the passive voice. Remember, the passive voice is used to put more emphasis on the receiver in a sentence, instead of the doer.

When we use passive gerunds and infinitives, we often do not include the doer at all in the sentence. Passive gerund phrases are formed using:

'being' or 'getting' + past participle

It is more common to use the verb 'being' with gerunds.

brush

I really like getting brushed.

students

Being treated fairly is important to all students.

responsibilities

Harold dislikes being given more responsibility.

Notice that none of these sentences has a doer after the passive voice. For example, 'getting brushed' instead of 'getting brushed by someone.'


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Exercises

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