Collins Cobuild English Grammar (163 page)

It was agreed
that he would come and see us again the next day.
It was rumoured
that he had been sentenced to life imprisonment, but had escaped.

USAGE NOTE

9.13
    When people in general are the performers of the action, an
active
form of the verb is sometimes used instead, with the
generic pronouns
you
or
they
as the subject.
One
is used as the subject in this kind of clause in formal speech and writing.

You
can’t buy iron now, only steel.
They
say she’s very bright.
If
one
decides to live in the country then
one
should be prepared for the unexpected.

For more information about
generic pronouns
, see paragraphs
1.119
to
1.123
.

You can also use the
indefinite pronouns
someone
or
something
. This allows you to mention a performer, without specifying who or what they are. For more information about
indefinite pronouns
, see paragraphs
1.128
to
1.141
.

I think
someone
’s calling you.
Something
has upset him.

Ergative verbs
can also enable you to avoid mentioning the performer of an action. For example, instead of saying
She opened the door
, you can say
The door opened
. See the section on
ergative verbs
in paragraphs
3.59
to
3.67
.

mentioning the performer with
by

9.14
    When you use the passive, you can mention the person or thing that performed the action at the end of the clause by using
by
. This puts emphasis on the performer because the end of the clause is an important position.

His best friend was killed
by a grenade, which exploded under his car
.
Some of the children were adopted
by local couples
.
This view has been challenged
by a number of workers
.

mentioning things or methods used

9.15
    As with active forms of verbs, you can mention something that the performer used to perform the action after the preposition
with
.

A circle was drawn in the dirt
with a stick
.
Moisture must be drawn out first
with salt
.

You can mention the method using an
-ing
form after
by
.

The strong taste can be removed
by changing the cooking water
.

passive of verbs referring to states

9.16
    A few transitive verbs refer to states rather than actions. When some of these verbs are used in the passive, the person or thing that creates that state is put after the preposition
with
.

The room
was filled with
people.
The railings
were decorated with
thousands of bouquets.

Here is a list of transitive verbs referring to states that are used with
with
in the passive:

cover

cram

crowd

decorate

fill

litter

ornament

pack

stuff

teem

throng

However,
by
is used with some verbs that describe a state.

The building
was illuminated by
thousands of lights.

Here is a list of transitive verbs referring to states that are used with
by
in the passive:

conceal

exceed

illuminate

inhabit

occupy

overshadow

Some verbs, such as
adorn
and
surround
can be used with
with
or
by
after them.

Her right hand
was covered with
blood.
One entire wall
was covered by
a gigantic chart of the English Channel.
The house
was surrounded with
policemen.
The building
was surrounded by
a deep green lawn.

Here is a list of transitive verbs that can be used with either
with
or
by
in the passive:

adorn

besiege

cover

encircle

overrun

surround

There are also several verbs that are used with
in
.

She claimed that the drug
was contained in
a cold cure given to her by the team doctor.
Free transport
was not included in
the contract.
The walls of her flat
are covered in
dirt.

Here is a list of transitive verbs that can be used with
in
in the passive:

contain

cover

embody

include

involve

subsume

Note that
cover
can be used with
in
,
by
, or
with
.

phrasal verbs

9.17
    
Phrasal verbs
that consist of a transitive verb followed by an adverb or preposition, or by an adverb and a preposition, can be used in the passive. Lists of
phrasal verbs
are given in paragraphs
3.83
to
3.116
.

Two totally opposing views
have been put forward
to explain this phenomenon.
Millions of tons of good earth
are being washed away
each year.
I
was talked into
meeting Norman Granz at a posh London restaurant.
Such expectations
are drummed into
every growing child.

verbs usually used in the passive

9.18
    Because of their meaning, some transitive verbs are usually used in the passive. The performer of the action is usually thought to be not worth mentioning or is not known.

He
was deemed
to be the guardian of the child.
The meeting
is scheduled
for February 14.
The young men
were alleged
to have rampaged through the hotel.

The following transitive verbs are usually used in the passive:

be acclaimed

be alleged

be annihilated

be baffled

be born

be compressed

be conditioned

be construed

be couched

be cremated

be dazed

be deafened

be debased

be deemed

be disconcerted

be dubbed

be dwarfed

be earmarked

be empowered

be fined

be gutted

be headed

be horrified

be hospitalized

be indicted

be inundated

be jailed

be mesmerized

be misdirected

be overcome

be paralysed

be penalized

be perpetrated

be pilloried

be populated

be prized

be punctuated

be rationed

be reconciled

be reprieved

be reunited

be rumoured

be scheduled

be shipped

be shipwrecked

be short-listed

be shrouded

be staffed

be stranded

be strewn

be subsumed

be suspended

be swamped

be wounded

The following phrasal verbs are usually used in the passive:

be bowled over

be caught up

be handed down

be pensioned off

be ploughed up

be rained off