In the previous five High English quizzes, we have learnt what constitutes sentences in active voice and passive voice. In this quiz we take a look at writing sentences in passive voice in the present perfect tense.
Sometimes, the speaker or writer would want to make the object of a sentence in the active voice into the subject position of the sentence in passive voice to emphasise something or bring focus on to the object. In such situations, we use the passive voice. Here is a sentence in active voice:
‘Detectives have questioned Mr Pranav, our neighbour.’
This sentence lays emphasis on the detectives but we would probably be more interested in our neighbour, and this can be expressed well in a sentence in passive voice like this:
‘Mr Pranav, our neighbour, has been questioned by detectives.’
In using passive voice, the general rule is that the main verb in the sentence uses its past participle and the auxiliary verb denotes the tense. In sentences in passive voice and present perfect tense, the present tense form of the verb ‘has/have’ is added to past participle ‘been’ followed by the past participle of the main verb which denotes the tense. Thus, the form of a passive sentence in present perfect tense is this:
‘Object + has/have been + past participle of the main verb.’
Here are some examples:
‘I have been awarded the Padma Sri.’
‘The dog has been taught to heel.’
Both of these sentences are in the passive voice following the form. The present perfect passive sentence helps to describe a previous action or event that began in the past and continued up to the present and its consequences have implications for the present. Just as in other instances, the passive present perfect voice takes the form when it is a question:
‘Has/have + object + been + past participle of main verb (third form)?’ and as a negative it takes this form:
‘Has/have + not + been + past participle of main verb (third form).’
The quiz that follows helps you to practise sentences in passive present perfect voice.