English Helping Verbs Course

Lesson 04

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Online Lesson 04

In the previous lesson we started going over the verb BE as a helping verb.

In this lesson we continue doing just that.

Before we start, let's go over some basic terms.

What is a subject?

The subject of the sentence is the person or thing that performs the action of the verb, or about whom/which something is stated.

Examples (the subject is red):

 

Helga sings beautifully. Helga is the person who performs the action (singing), so Helga is the subject.

 

 

The mother and baby play together. The mother and baby are the people who perform the action, so The mother and baby is the subject.

 

Jane has a birthday. Jane is the person about whom something is stated, so Jane  is the subject.

 

He is worried. He is the person about whom something is stated, so He is the subject.

 

The house is gone. The house is the thing about which something is stated, so The house is the subject.

The above examples are active sentences.

 

Active sentences are sentences where the subject of the sentence performs the action.

 

For example:

 

Justin hits the ball. The subject (Justin) performs the action (hitting). So the sentence is an active sentence.

 

Robert is hit by the ball. In this sentence Robert is the person about whom something is stated, so Robert is the subject. But Robert doesn't perform the action. He doesn't hit the ball himself. He is affected by the action. So this is a passive sentence. Is hit is the passive form of the verb hit.

Here is another example:

Scott drinks some juice. The subject (Scott) performs the action (drinking). So the sentence is an active sentence.

But we could say the same sentence in a different way: 

Some juice is drunk by Scott. In this sentence Some juice is the thing about which something is stated, so Some juice is the subject. But the juice doesn't perform the action. It doesn't drink. It is affected by the action. So this is a passive sentence. Is drunk is the passive form of the verb drink.

Now, after we know all of this, let's continue with the lesson.

A reminder:

What is a helping verb
(also called an auxiliary verb)?

A helping verb is a verb we use together with another verb (called the main verb of the sentence) to express an action or a state.

Helping verb + Main verb = Complete idea

Here are some examples:
(Helping verbs are red, main verbs are purple)

• We can talk now.
  
  
• She must return home.
  
  
•  You should know about it.
  
  
• I am reading.
  
  
• They are walking to school.
  
  
• Kathy is jumping.
  
  
• Robert is hit by the ball.
  
  
• Some juice is drunk by Scott.

So the verb BE can be used as a helping verb in passive sentences.

We can use the verb BE to create the passive forms of verbs.

Let's see how.

The verb BE as a helping verb

2. Passive verbs

We use the helping verb BE together with a main verb to show that an action is passive. Meaning, the subject of the sentence is not doing the action, it is affected by the action.

Here is how we do it: 

Subject + BE + verb 3 (a special form of the verb) + the rest of the sentence

Example:

The pasta is eaten by James.

 

This sentence practically means the same as: James eats the pasta.

Here are some more examples:

The tree is planted by them. Meaning: They plant a tree. We could also say: The tree is planted.

Julia is hit by the ball. Meaning: The ball hit Julia. We could also say: Julia is hit.

 

The letter is read by our boss. Meaning: Our boss reads the letter. We could also say:  The letter is read.

Her stuff is thrown by her. Meaning: She throws her stuff. We could also say: Her stuff is thrown.

 

Jack's car is loved by him. Meaning: Jack loves his car. We could also say: Jack's car is loved.

I am pulled by my vacuum cleaner! Meaning: My vacuum cleaner pulls me! We could also say: I am pulled!

English Helping Verbs Course,
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