被动语态(Passive Voice)是一种将句子焦点从动作的执行者转移到动作的承受者的句型结构。在主动句中,主语执行动作:The chef prepared the meal.(厨师准备了这顿饭。)在被动句中,动作的承受者成为主语:The meal was prepared by the chef.(这顿饭由厨师准备。)理解何时以及如何使用被动语态,对于中级及以上水平的英语写作和口语至关重要。
被动语态并不是错误的或劣于主动语态的。它在学术写作、新闻报道、科学报告和日常对话中都有特定的用途。关键在于知道何时使用哪种语态。
构成方式与结构
被动语态由 "to be" 动词的相应时态加上主动词的过去分词构成。
公式: 主语 + to be(变位) + 过去分词 (+ by 施动者)
以下是被动语态在最常见英语时态中的形式:
| 时态 | 主动语态 | 被动语态 |
|---|---|---|
| 一般现在时 | She writes the report.(她写报告。) | The report is written by her.(报告由她写。) |
| 一般过去时 | He fixed the car.(他修了车。) | The car was fixed by him.(车由他修理。) |
| 现在进行时 | They are building a house.(他们在建房子。) | A house is being built by them.(一座房子正在被建造。) |
| 过去进行时 | She was painting the wall.(她在粉刷墙壁。) | The wall was being painted by her.(墙壁正在被粉刷。) |
| 现在完成时 | We have completed the project.(我们完成了项目。) | The project has been completed by us.(项目已被完成。) |
| 过去完成时 | He had sent the email.(他已发送了邮件。) | The email had been sent by him.(邮件已被发送。) |
| 一般将来时 | They will announce the results.(他们将公布结果。) | The results will be announced by them.(结果将被公布。) |
| 情态动词 | You must finish the work.(你必须完成工作。) | The work must be finished by you.(工作必须被完成。) |
"by" 短语(施动者)是可选的。只在施动者重要或者是读者需要了解的信息时才使用它。
什么时候使用被动语态
被动语态在以下几种特定情况下是正确的选择:
1. 施动者未知或不重要时
- My bicycle was stolen last night.(我的自行车昨晚被偷了。——不知道是谁偷的。)
- The pyramids were built thousands of years ago.(金字塔建于几千年前。——具体建造者不如金字塔本身重要。)
2. 想要强调动作的承受者时
- The new hospital will be opened next month.(新医院下个月将开业。——焦点是医院。)
- Three people were injured in the accident.(三人在事故中受伤。——焦点是受伤的人。)
3. 在正式、学术或科学写作中
- The experiment was conducted over six weeks.(实验持续了六周。)
- The data were analyzed using statistical software.(数据使用统计软件进行了分析。)
4. 从上下文可明确知道施动者时
- The suspect was arrested at 3 a.m.(嫌疑人在凌晨3点被逮捕。——显然是警察。)
- The package was delivered this morning.(包裹今天早上送到了。——显然是快递员。)
5. 为了表达委婉或避免指责时
- Mistakes were made.(犯了错误。——避免说是谁犯的。)
- The deadline was missed.(截止日期错过了。——比直接点名更委婉。)
常见错误
| 错误 | 正确写法 | 解释 |
|---|---|---|
| The book was wrote by the author. | The book was written by the author. | 使用过去分词,不是过去式。 |
| The cake is make by my mother. | The cake is made by my mother. | make 的过去分词是 made。 |
| The window was been broken. | The window was broken / has been broken. | 不要直接把 was 和 been 连用,选择一个时态。 |
| The letter has been wrote. | The letter has been written. | has been 后面永远使用过去分词。 |
| My car got repair yesterday. | My car was repaired / got repaired yesterday. | 必须使用正确的过去分词形式。 |
提示: 最常见的错误是使用了错误形式的过去分词。如果不确定,查看不规则动词表。规则动词只需加 -ed(cleaned, painted, delivered),而不规则动词有独特的形式(written, stolen, built)。
练习例句
将以下主动句转换为被动句,然后对照答案:
- Someone cleans the office every evening.(有人每天晚上打扫办公室。)——The office is cleaned every evening.(办公室每天晚上被打扫。)
- Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.(贝尔发明了电话。)——The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.(电话由贝尔发明。)
- They are repairing the bridge right now.(他们正在修桥。)——The bridge is being repaired right now.(桥正在被修理。)
- The company has hired 50 new employees.(公司已雇用了50名新员工。)——Fifty new employees have been hired by the company.(50名新员工已被公司雇用。)
- We will hold the meeting on Friday.(我们周五开会。)——The meeting will be held on Friday.(会议将于周五举行。)
- Nobody told me about the changes.(没人告诉我关于变化的事。)——I was not told about the changes.(我没有被告知关于变化的事。)
- You must submit the application before June.(你必须在六月前提交申请。)——The application must be submitted before June.(申请必须在六月前提交。)
快速总结
- 公式: 主语 + to be + 过去分词(+ by 施动者)。
- 当施动者未知、不重要或从上下文可以推知时使用被动语态。
- 用来强调动作本身或动作的承受者,而不是执行者。
- 被动语态常见于正式写作、新闻报道和科学文章中。
- 始终使用正确的过去分词形式,特别注意不规则动词。
- 只有当施动者提供有意义的信息时才加 "by" 短语。
- 避免在日常写作中过度使用被动语态。当施动者重要时,使用主动语态以保持清晰和直接。
熟练掌握主动语态和被动语态能让你在写作和口语中拥有更大的灵活性。练习在两种语态之间转换句子,并注意新闻文章、教科书和学术论文中是如何使用被动语态的。

