10-3. Пассивный залог

 
Мы можем выбирать активный или пассивный залог в зависимости от того, хотим ли мы, чтобы подлежащее выражало того, кто совершает действие, или предмет/лицо, на который это действие переходит:

Active voice:
The storm blew Margaret's roof off.
Somebody's dropped ketchup all over the floor.

Passive voice:
Margaret's roof was blown off in the storm.
Ketchup has been dropped all over the floor.

Также можно употребить конструкцию have + object + past participle (have-passive):

Margaret had her roof blown off in the storm.
The floor has had ketchup dropped all over it.

Еще пример:

We had the documents checked by a lawyer.

Таким образом предложение «персонализируется»:

I've got the house full of children. (Вместо ‘The house is full of children./ There are children all over the house’.)

Подлежащее можно менять, выбирая соответствующий глагол:

The biscuit factory employs 7,000 people.
7,000 people work for the biscuit factory.

He led the children through the silent streets.
The children followed him through the silent streets.

Некоторые глаголы позволяют и «активное» и «пассивное» подлежащее:

She opened the door.
The door opened.

■ Дополнение предлога в определенных случаях можно «превращать» в подлежащее с помощью пассивного залога:

People are looking into the matter. The matter is being looked into.
They took advantage of us. We were taken advantage of.
Someone has slept in this bed. This bed has been slept in.

■ Можно употреблять так называемый get-passive:

Pat was bitten by a snake. Pat got bitten by a snake.
They weren't charged until later. They didn't get charged until later.
She was elected mayor in 1990. She got elected mayor in 1990.