499. All the verb-forms that we have thus far studied belong to what is called the active voice,—that is, all of them represent what the subject names as acting, and not as acted upon, — and as there is no single form in English that has a passive meaning, we are forced to use stili another kind of phrase.

500. We know that the perfect participle of transitive verbs may always have a passive meaning; as,

driven, spoken, hired;

and if we use this participle as an adjective complement with different tenses of the verb be; as in

I am driven, It was spoken, You will be hired,

we form verb-phrases which represent what the subject names, not as acting, but as acted upon, and which are therefore called Passive verb-phrases.

501. Passive verb-phrases are made by using a passive participle with the various tenses of be, so as to represent what the subject names as receiving the action.

502. In this way any kind of verb-phrases, except the progressive, may be made passive. Thus:

"I may see," or "I may be seen."

"They might have stopped," or "They might have been stopped." And even progressive phrases are sometimes found in the passive form. As in

The prisoner was being tried for theft.

The question is being very thoroughly discussed.

503. Active and passive forms, or "voices," express the same thought when the object of the active form is made the subject of the corresponding passive form. Thus :

He heals the sick. The sick are healed by him.

Metals are expanded by heat. Heat expands metals.

(a) The active form brings the actor into prominence; the passive, the receiver of the action. The passive form is generally used when the actor can not or need not be named. As,

The watch was stolen. Lost opportunities cannot be regained.

504. A few intransitive verbs, that, in the active form, are followed by a preposition and its object, are sometimes made passive. In such cases the preposition, as an adverbial modifier, becomes almost a part of the verb, and its former object becomes the subject of the passive phrase. [See § 565.] Thus:

No one had thought of this. This had not been thought of.
Our friends laughed at us. We were laughed at by them.

EXERCISE 301.

Change each verb in these sentences into either the passive or the active form, without changing the meaning:

1. The engine draws the train. 2. The story has been told by several writers. 3. England taxed the colonies unjustly. 4. Louisiana was sold by France in 1803. 5. Marco Polo tells us strange stories. 6. The Mississippi was discovered by De Soto in 1541. 7. The prudent never waste time nor money. 8. The mortgage will be foreclosed by the executor. 9. Fire has destroyed the poor man's house. 10. Gold is purchased for coinage by the government. 11. Every patriot will defend the flag. 12. Friendship should be strengthened by adversity. 13. Would he believe the truth? 14. Paris had been besieged by the Prussians in 1871. 15. Heaven is not mounted to on wings of dreams. 16. Somebody will probably attend to the matter. 17. Will any one interfere with his rights?

505. If we add to the inflected forms of a verb the various phrases that are based upon it, we shall have what may be called the Complete Conjugation of a Verb.

The following tables present at one view all the common forms and phrases of a verb. Any verb may be conjugated by substituting its inflected forms for those of drive.

EXERCISE 302.

1. Make a list of the (1) potential phrases; (2) progressive phrases; (3) passive phrases; (4) emphatic phrases; (5) s-forms; (6) present perfect phrases; (7) past perfect phrases.

Go; goes; went; have gone; has gone; will go; do go; did go; does go; are lost; are losing; was; were; were he; may be; may be seen; can be singing; must sew; could sew; sews; has done; has been done; have been doing; might be; could be heard; might be hearing; should write; should be written; should have been writing; is growing; was growing; can have been growing; would sign; had been; had brought; had been brought; stands; stood; stand; did stand; was standing; will come; shall be coming; will have lost; will be lost; has been lost; to be; is written; to be made; making; having made; being worn; to have been wearing; has had; had had; did do; does do; would have had.

2. Tell the tense, mood, and form of each verb-phrase. Thus :

66

May have gone" is a present perfect potential phrase of the verb go.

"Should be brought" is a past potential passive of the verb bring.

3. Give the composition of each phrase; i.e., tell of what verbforms it is composed. Thus:

"Would have been broken" is made up of the past would, the infinitive have, the perfect participle been, and the passive participle broken.

EXERCISE 303.

Write the following-named forms of bring, lay, tread, wear, obey, come, write, do, buy, have:

1. Present indicative progressive, third-singular. 2. Past indicative passive. 3. Future indicative. 4. Future indicative passive. 5. Present perfect indicative progressive, third-singular. 6. Past perfect potential passive. 7. Present indicative emphatic. 8. Past potential passive. 9. Present perfect indicative passive. 10. Present indicative (with subject "he"). 11. Present subjunctive (with "he" for subject).