根据主语和谓语之间的关系，英语中的语态分为主动语态和被动语态。我们平时习惯上还是使用主动语态。被动语态便于描述客观事实，它常常出现在科普知识、新闻报道、书刊介绍以及景物描写等文章中。
　　
　　一、 概念及形式
　　
　　当句子的主语是动作的发出者时,谓语动词用主动语态。当句子的主语是动作的承受者时,谓语动词用被动语态。被动语态的基本结构为：be + 动词的过去分词形式，时态通过be 表现出来，只有及物动词才有被动语态。以动词watch为例，将各种常见时态的被动形式列如下表：
　　
　　
　　二、 被动语态的常见句型
　　
　　1. 主语（受动者） ＋ be ＋ 过去分词 ＋ （by ＋ 施动者）。例如：
　　He was scolded by his parents.
　　2. 主语 ＋ get ＋ 过去分词 ＋ 其它成分。例如：
　　The boy got drowned last summer.
　　She got fired because of her faults.
　　注意 使用这种结构时一般不能带有“by ＋ 施动者”
　　 3. 情态动词 ＋ be ＋ 过去分词。例如：
　　This problem must be worked out in half an hour.
　　The baby should be taken good care of by the baby?鄄sitter.
　　4. 带有双宾语（直接宾语和间接宾语）的主动句变为被动句，其主语可以是直接宾语，也可以是间接宾语。例如：
　　She lent me a bike.
　　被动：1） I was lent a bike (by her).
　　2） A bike was lent to me (by her).
　　5. 当“动词 + 宾语 + 宾语补足语”结构变为被动语态时，将宾语变为被动结构中的主语，其余部分不动。例如：
　　Someone caught the boy smoking a cigarette.
　　被动： The boy was caught smoking a cigarette.
　　6. 在使役动词have, make, get以及感官动词see, watch, notice, hear, feel, observe等后面加不定式作宾语补语时，在主动结构中不定式to要省略，但变为被动结构时，要加to。例如：
　　Someone saw a stranger walk into the building.
　　被动： A stranger was seen to walk into the building.
　　7. 如果宾语是that 从句，变为被动结构时一般用it作被动句的形式主语。例如：
　　They know that he is an expert.
　　被动： It is known that he is an expert./ He is known to be an expert.
　　8. 有些相当于及物动词的动词词组，如“动词 ＋ 介词”，“动词 ＋ 副词”等，也可以用被动结构，但要把它们看作一个整体，不能分开，其中的介词或副词也不能省略。例如：
　　Children are taken good care of in the nursery.
　　
　　三、 主动表示被动的几种情况
　　
　　一般情况下，英语中主动语态表达主动意义，而被动语态表达被动意义。但是在某些情况下，被动意义却用主动语态的动词形式来表达。以下就是此种情况：
　　1. lock, open, read, sell, teach, translate, wash, write等动词在用来说明主语的性质特征而不是强调被执行的动作时，用主动形式来表达被动意义，且常与not, hard, well, easily, badly, nicely等副词连用。例如：
　　The poem translates well. 这首诗翻译得很好。
　　The cloth washes easily. 这种布料容易洗。
　　Bikes of that kind sell easily. 那种自行车易销。
　　2. weigh, measure, cost, last, break out, take place, happen表示“称重”、“测量”、“花费”、“持续”、“发生”等动词为状态动词或不及物动词，虽然汉语有被动含义，但英语要用主动形式。例如：
　　The meeting lasted two hours.会议持续了两小时。
　　What happened to him last night? 昨晚他发生了什么事？
　　3. feel, look, sound, smell, taste等半系动词，用主动形式表达被动意义。例如：
　　The bamboo chair feels cool. 这竹椅摸起来很凉快。
　　His theory sounded reasonable. 他的理论听起来有些道理。
　　4. 表示“需要”的need, want, require等动词以及形容词worth（值得）后面，跟动词?鄄ing的主动形式表达被动意义。例如：
　　The old house wants repairing / to be repaired.那座旧房子需要修了。
　　This dictionary is well worth buying. 这本字典很值得买。
　　5. easy, difficult, hard, heavy等用于说明主语性质特征的表语形容词后面，所跟的不定式用主动形式表达被动意义，该不定式与句子的主语须具备逻辑上的动宾关系。例如：
　　What life will be like in the future is difficult to predict. 很难预料未来的生活是什么样子。
　　The schoolbag seemed heavy to carry. 这个书包背起来似乎很重。
　　The water in the river is unfit to drink. 这条河里的水不适宜饮用。
　　6. 不定式作定语，其逻辑主语是句子的主语、间接宾语或说话人时，不定式用主动形式表达被动意义。例如：
　　She has an old grandfather to look after. 她有一位年迈的爷爷需要照顾。
　　Have you any homework to do this evening? 今晚你有作业要做吗？ .

Please give the child a picture?鄄book to read. 请给那孩子一本图画书看。
　　Is there anything else to do? 还有别的什么事情要（我）做吗？
　　7． be worth doing
　　be worthy of being done / to be done
　　
　　四、 容易误用被动语态的几种情况
　　
　　1. I teach myself French.不可变为Myself is taught French.，因为反身代词不能作主语。
　　2. We help each other / one another. 不能变为Each other / One another is helped by us. 因为相互代词不可以作主语。
　　3. He lost heart. 不可变为Heart was lost by him.，因为象lose heart, make a face, keep silence, lose in thought这类动宾结构的固定短语只能用主动式，不能用被动式。
　　4. She took part in the sports meet.不能变为The sports meet was taken part in by her.，因为象take part in, belong to, own, have, hate, fail等表状态的动词没有被动语态。
　　五、 边学边练
　　1. An exhibition of paintings___________at the museum next week．
　　 A． are to be held B. is to be held
　　 C. are holding D． will hold
　　2. Every possible means ________ , but none _________successful．
　　 A. has tried; has proved
　　 B． tried; proves
　　 C. has been tried; proves
　　 D. is being tried; is proved
　　3． The question he asked is hard_________ ．
　　 A. for answer B. to answer
　　 C． to be answered D. answering
　　4． By the end of last year, another new gymnasium _________ in Beijing.
　　 A. would be completed
　　 B. was being completed
　　 C. has been complete
　　 D. had been completed
　　5． More than a dozen students in that school__________abroad to study medicine last year.
　　 A. sent B. were sent
　　 C. had sent D. had been sent
　　6. —Why did you leave that position?
　　 —I ___________a better position at IBM.
　　 A. offer B. offered
　　 C. am offered D. was offered
　　7. More patients __________ in hospital this year than last year.
　　 A. treated
　　 B. have treated
　　 C. had been treated
　　 D. have been treated
　　8. Sarah, hurry up. I’m afraid you wouldn’t have time to __________ before the party.
　　 A. get changed B. get change
　　 C. get changing D. get to change
　　9. Rainforests __________and burned at such a speed that they will disappear from the earth in the future.
　　 A. cut B. are cut
　　 C. are being cut D. had been cut
　　10. After a fire broke out in the lab, a lot of equipment ___________.
　　A. is damaged B. had damaged
　　C. damaged D. was damaged
　　11. The mayor of Beijing said that all the construction work for the Beijing Olympics_________by 2007.
　　A. has been completed
　　B. has completed
　　C. would have been completed
　　D. will have completed
　　12. I feel it is your husband who__________for the spoiled child.
　　A. is to blame B. is being to blame
　　C. is to be blame D. should blame
　　13. Great changes _____________ in the city, and a lot of factories __________.
　　A. have been taken place ... have been set up
　　B. have taken place; have been set up
　　C. have taken place; have set up
　　D. were taken place; were set up
　　14. —Do you like the material?
　　 —Yes, it___________very soft.
　　A. is feeling B. felt
　　C. feels D. is felt
　　15. The Olympic Games,_____________in 776 BC,
　　did not include women players until 1912.
　　A. first playing B. to be first played
　　C. first played D. to be first playing
　　Keys: 1. B2. C3. B4. D5. B6. D7. D8. A9. C10. D11. C12. A13. B14. C15. C