Passive with

Exercises

Please note: It is important that one should learn and practise resultative and directional complements and the construction before starting on this section.

Other terminology: passive preposition , the construction, 被字句.

1. When should I use sentences?

sentences describe how a particular object (abstract or physical) is dealt with or disposed of by somebody or something. The verbs in these constructions take complicated forms. They are verbs of method of action, plus other elements.

2. Which verb forms are used in sentences?

Most of the elements attached to the main verbs in sentences are similar to those used in the construction:

  1. Resultative complements
  2. Directional complements
  3. Complements of degree, the construction
  4. Time/action measure: 一下(or verb); 三个星期; 一次; 一遍
  5. V () (continuous action)
  6. The particle

3. How can I form sentences?

All modal verbs, such as , , , 可以 and 应该; adverbs such as , , , , 已经 and 曾经; and negation such as , and , should be placed before , , and .

Adverbs, which describe actions, such as the adverbial construction, may appear before , but in the construction they should be placed before the main verbs of sentences:

tā xiăoxīn de bă chábēi fàng zài zhuōzi shàng

小心 茶杯 在桌子

HE CAREFULLY BA CUP PUT ONTABLE TOP

He carefully put the cup on the table.

chábēi bèi tā xiăoxīn de fàng zài zhuōzi shàng le

茶杯 小心 桌子

CUP BY HIM CAREFULLY PUT ON TABLE TOPLE

The cup was carefully put on the table by him.

Sentence pattern one

s.

m.v., f.adv., neg.

agent adv.

v + rc, dc,(complt; of degree), 一下, action/time, measures, ...

shū

BOOK

yĭjīng

已经

ALREADY

bèi

BY

(tā)

()

HIM

jiè zŏu le

BORROW AWAY LE

The book has been borrowed by him.

xiăo wáng

XIAO WANG

bèi

BY

tā bàba

爸爸

HIS FATHER

hĕnhĕn de

狠狠

VICIOUS DE

dă le yídùn

一顿

BEATEN LE ONE DUN

Xiao Wang was viciously beaten by his father.

zhàopiān

PHOTO

néng

CAN

bèi / ràng

/

BY

HIM

kàn yíxià ma

一下 ?

LOOK YIXIA MA

Can the photo be seen by him? / Should we let him have a look at the photo?

Sentence pattern two

s. m.v./f.adv./neg. agent adv. v. compl.(1) indir.o. compl.(2)

shū

BOOK

yĭjīng

已经

ALREADY

bèi

BY

HIM

ná jìn wū qù le

TAKE IN HOUSE (AWAY) LE

The book has already been taken into the house by him.

píngzi

BOTTLES

bié dōu

DON'T ALL

bèi

BY

HIM

yígègè de

一个个

ONE BY ONE DE

rēng dào lājīxiāng lĭ qù le

垃圾箱

THROW TO DUSTBIN IN(AWAY) LE

Don't let all the bottles be thrown into the bin by him.

zhĭ

PAPER

huì

WILL

bèi

BY

fēng

WIND

yízhāngzhang de

一张

ONE BYONE DE

guā dào shù shàng qù ma

BLOW TO TREE ON (AWAY) MA

Will the paper be blown up into the tree?

xìn

LETTER

dōu

ALL

bèi

BY

HIM

wàng zài lăowáng jiā lĭ le

FORGET ATWANG'S HOME IN LE

All the letter has been left at Lao Wang's home by him.

4. Can all sentences be turned into sentences?

No, for the following reasons:

  • The emphasis in sentences is on direct objects, whereas in sentences it is on actions and results of actions.

  • When you are expressing a command (apart from with ...) or asking a favour, sentences cannot usually be used, whereas sentences can be used:

qĭng nĭ bă wăn xĭ yì xĭ

.

COULD YOU BA BOWL WASH YI WASH

Could you please wash up the bowls?

nĭ bă gōngkè zuòhăo

功课 !

YOU BA HOMEWORK DO WELL

Complete your homework!

One cannot say

X碗请被你洗一洗X X功课被你作好X

Although the conditions for forming asentence are very similar to the ones for the construction, there are however some differences. For instance, the particle cannot be used in the construction but can be used in the construction. Unlike in sentences, sensory resultative complements such as and , (e.g., 看见/, to see, 听见/, to hear, 碰见/ to run into) can be used in sentences, but they have a negative sense:

bié bèi tā kànjiànle nĭ shuō de huà bèi tā tīngjiàn le

. 听见.

DON'T BEIHIM SEE LE YOU SAY DE SPEECH BEI HIM HEAR LE

Don't let him see. He has heard what you said.(Something which he should not have heard.)

5. Do sentences always have a negative sense?

No, not all sentences have a negative sense,

nĭ de diànshìjī bèi tā xiū hăo le

你的 电视机 .

YOUR TVSET BEI HIM REPAIR GOOD LE

Your T.V. set has been repaired by him.

The above sentence doesn't have a negative sense.

A sentence would have a negative sense in the following situations:

1. When the sensory complement is used.

2. When the particle is used as a resultative complement which implies () completion and (, ) to get rid of something.

6. Can a simple mono-syllabic verb be used in the construction?

Some verbs of method of action can be used, but they are followed by the particle which means (completion), (away), or (to get rid of....). These sentences can imply that the actions are undesirable,

fàn bèi tā chī le

. (吃完了)

RICE BY HIM EAT LE

The meal has been eaten by him.

xiăo wáng ràng rén dă le

. (打了一顿)

XIAO WANG BY SB. HIT LE

Xiao Wang has been beaten up by someone.

qián jiào rén tōu le

. (偷走了)

MONEY BY SB. STEAL LE.

The money has been stolen by somebody.

The first sentence means that the meal has been finished by him, so the implied element is (to complete). The second sentence means that Xiao Wang has been beaten up by somebody, so the implied element is an action measure 一顿. The third sentence implies (away). It means that the money is not with the speaker. So one could also say:

吃完 小王打了一顿 偷走

Sometimes a simple verb is used in an interrogative without additional elements, e.g.,

zhè jiàn yīfu bèi nĭ chuān ma

衣服 穿 ?

THIS JIANJACKET BY YOU WEAR MA?

Is this jacket going to be worn by YOU?

(This sentence implies that you are not good enough to wear this jacket.)

7. Should the agent always appear after ?

1. The agent can be omitted if you use and ,

fàn bèi chī (wán) le xăio wáng gĕi dă le (yídùn)

() . (一顿).

RICE BY EAT (FINISH) LE. XIAO WANG BY HIT LE (YIDUN).

The rice has been eaten. Xiao Wang has been beaten up.

2. But the agent cannot be omitted if you use and ,

fàn jiào xiăo wángchī (wán) le

() .

RICE BY XIAOWANG EAT (FINISH) LE

The rice has been eaten by Xiao Wang.

xiăo wángràng tā bàba dă le (yídùn)

爸爸 (一顿).

XIAO WANG BY HIS FATHER BEAT LE (ONE DUN)

Xiao Wang was beaten up by his father.

8. Is there any other difference between , , and in passive sentences?

Sometimes the meaning of , and can be ambiguous, because they can be used as main verbs, and can also be used as a co-verb, but is a co-verb and cannot be used as a main verb in sentences,

nà jiàn shì ràng tā bàn hăo le

.

THAT JIAN MATTER BY(LET) HIM DEAL WITH WELL LE

1. That matter has been dealt with by him.

2. Let him deal with that matter.

can be followed by a simple verb + to form a clause. In this case is similar to and which mean to RECEIVE, SUFFER FROM..., but , and are not used in this way.

bèi mà de shì bié gàosù lăoshī

告诉 老师.

BEI TOLD OFF DE MATTER DON'T TELL TEACHER

Don't tell the teacher that we were told off.

9. Is it necessary to use or if the agent is not there?

No, it is not necessary.(Also see the notes on passive without ,, and .) It depends on the relationship between the subject and the verb of a sentence. Let's look at the above two examples. The first one is: (). One can omit , and say 饭吃() without changing the meaning. Because the subject (rice) cannot (eat) itself, so the rice must be eaten. But in the second example, 小王被打了, the cannot be omitted, otherwise it could mean 小王 (Xiao Wang) 打了 (has hit) somebody else.

10. When an active sentence is changed into a passive one, is the emphasis of the sentence also changed?

Yes. Let's look at the emphasis on the following three examples.

tā zuò wán fàn le

1. .

HE COOK FINISHMEAL LE

He has finished cooking.

[The emphasis is on cooking.]

tā bă fàn zuò wán le

2. .

HE BA MEAL COOK FINISH LE

He has finished cooking the meal (or rice).

[The emphasis is on () the meal (or the rice).]

fàn bèi tā zuò wán le

3. .

MEAL BEI HIM COOK FINISH LE

The meal has been cooked by him.

[The emphasis is on () him, the agent and the result of the action ().]

Exercises

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Fill in the gaps in the following sentences.

  1. 我的车______.
  2. 我妈妈昨天作的菜都___我们吃___.
  3. 小李写的那几个汉字都___挂在教室的墙____.
  4. 那条语法____王老师讲___清清楚楚.

Translate the following sentences

  1. Look, the whole pot of rice has been finished!
  2. The house has been tidied up but the garden is as bad as before.
  3. Your camera was borrowed by Xiao Wang, not by Xiao Li.
  4. The whole table of food was eaten by him; we didn't get anything to eat.

Translate the following sentences into English. Change the following sentences into the passive voices, where possible.

  1. 他的小说写了三年,现在才写好.
  2. 他把那张桌子搬进房间里去了.
  3. 小李买了四件衬衫,可是都太小不能穿.
  4. 我作好饭了.咱们快吃吧.
  5. 我打了两次电话,可是没打通.
  6. 请你把房间整理一下.一会儿有客人来.
  7. 你能不能给我把电视机修一修?
  8. 她唱完了两首歌,听众还要她唱一首.

Make sentences with the following information.

  1. Apple, him, one by one, on the table, to put
  2. The book, we all need, teacher, back his home, to take
  3. The most delicious food, in the canteen, very often, to eat
  4. That character, wrong, Xiao Li, to write
  5. The whole bottle of wine, all, himself, finish, to drink
  6. All the flowers, his girlfriend, to the garden, to throw ( rēng
  7. That novel, his teacher, into English, to translate
  8. The letter to his girlfriend, him, in the classroom, to leave behind by mistake