When you switch from active to passive voice in English, the meaning stays the same, but the pronunciation changes dramatically. Stress shifts to different words, auxiliary verbs become reduced, and the rhythm of the sentence transforms entirely. Understanding these changes is essential for sounding natural.
How Passive Voice Changes Sentence Stress
In active sentences, stress typically falls on the subject and the main verb. In passive sentences, the stress shifts to the past participle and sometimes to the agent introduced by "by." Compare these examples:
- Active: "The DOG chased the CAT" (stress on DOG and CHASED)
- Passive: "The CAT was CHASED by the dog" (stress on CAT and CHASED)
Notice how the past participle receives the main emphasis in passive constructions. The auxiliary verb "was" is typically unstressed and reduced.
Pronunciation of BE Forms in Passive Voice
The verb BE appears in every passive construction, but it is almost always reduced in natural speech. Here are the strong and weak forms:
| Form | Strong | Weak (common) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| am | /æm/ | /&schwa;m/ | I'm invited /aΙ &schwa;m Ιn’vaΙtΙd/ |
| is | /Ιz/ | /&schwa;z/ | It's made /Ιts meΙd/ |
| are | /á:r/ | /&schwa;r/ | They're built /ðeΙ&schwa;r bΙlt/ |
| was | /wá:z/ | /w&schwa;z/ | It was taken /Ιt w&schwa;z ’teΙk&schwa;n/ |
| were | /wé:r/ | /w&schwa;r/ | They were chosen /ðeΙ w&schwa;r ’t∫oΥz&schwa;n/ |
| been | /bΙn/ | /b&schwa;n/ | It's been broken /Ιts b&schwa;n ’broΥk&schwa;n/ |
Practice: Key Auxiliary Forms
The Weak Form of "By"
In passive sentences, "by" introduces the agent. In its strong form, "by" is pronounced /baɪ/, but in connected speech it reduces to /bɪ/ or even /bə/. For example:
- "It was made by hand" becomes /ɪt wəz meɪd bɪ hænd/
- "She was driven by ambition" becomes /ʃi wəz ˈdrɪvən bə æmˈbɪʃən/
Past Participle Stress in Passive Voice
The past participle carries the main stress in passive constructions. This is especially important for irregular past participles with multiple syllables. Practice these carefully:
Get-Passive Pronunciation
The get-passive is common in informal English. In these constructions, "got" is usually stressed, and the past participle receives secondary stress:
- "got hired" /ɡɑːt ˈhaɪərd/
- "got fired" /ɡɑːt ˈfaɪərd/
- "got broken" /ɡɑːt ˈbroʊkən/
Being + Past Participle
The present continuous passive uses "being" plus a past participle. The word "being" /ˈbiːɪŋ/ is always pronounced fully (never reduced), while the past participle receives the main sentence stress:
- "is being built" /ɪz ˈbiːɪŋ ˈbɪlt/
- "are being made" /ər ˈbiːɪŋ ˈmeɪd/
Have Been + Past Participle
In the present perfect passive, "have" and "been" are typically reduced, placing all the stress on the past participle:
- "has been completed" /həz bɪn kəmˈpliːtɪd/
- "have been forgotten" /əv bən fərˈɡɑːtən/
Putting It All Together
When practicing passive voice pronunciation, remember these key principles:
- Reduce the auxiliary BE verb to its weak form.
- Stress the past participle, especially in multi-syllable words.
- Reduce "by" to /bɪ/ or /bə/ in connected speech.
- In perfect passives, reduce both "have" and "been" and stress the main participle.
- In get-passives, give moderate stress to "got" and main stress to the participle.
Practice reading passive sentences aloud, paying close attention to which words receive stress and which ones are reduced. The more you practice these patterns, the more natural your English will sound.