The journalists were taken aback by the ferocity of the language.
verbs that are rarely used in the passive
9.19 A few transitive verbs are rarely used in the passive because the thing affected by the action they describe is rarely the thing you are interested in.
The following transitive verbs are rarely used in the passive:
elude
escape
flee
get
have
let
like
race
resemble
suit
survive
The following phrasal verbs containing a transitive verb are rarely used in the passive:
band together
bite back
boom out
brush up
call down on
cast back
chuck in
cry out
ease off
eke out
flick over
get back
get down
give over
have on
have out
heave up
hunt up
jab at
jack in
jerk out
let through
pace out
phone back
ring back
ring out
sit out
sob out
stand off
tide over
wait out
walk off
while away
verbs with two objects
9.20 In the case of verbs that can have an indirect object as well as a direct object such as give, teach, and show, either object can be the subject of a passive clause.
For example, instead of He gave the receptionist the key, you can say The key was given to the receptionist, where the direct object of the active clause is the subject of the passive clause. The indirect object can be mentioned after to or for.
The building had been given to the town by an investment banker.
Shelter had been found for most people.
Sometimes it is unnecessary to mention the indirect object at all.
The vaccine can be given at the same time as other injections.
Interest is charged at 2% a month.
But you can also say The receptionist was given the key, where the indirect object of the active clause is the subject of the passive clause. Note that the direct object is still mentioned after the verb.
They were given a pint of water every day.
He had been offered drugs by an older student.
For lists of verbs that can have an indirect object as well as a direct object, see paragraphs 3.73 to 3.82.
transitive verbs with object complement: The wall was painted blue
9.21 There is a group of transitive verbs that can have a complement after their object. They are listed and described in paragraphs 3.161 to 3.171. When these verbs are used in the passive, the complement is put directly after the verb.
He was shot dead in San Francisco.
If a person today talks about ghosts, he is considered ignorant or crazy.
reflexive verbs
9.22 Reflexive verbs, whose object is a reflexive pronoun referring to the subject of the verb, are not used in the passive. For more information on reflexive verbs, see the section beginning at paragraph 3.26.
intransitive phrasal verbs with prepositions
9.23 Many intransitive phrasal verbs can be used in the passive. The verbs are followed by a preposition and a noun phrase referring to the thing affected by the action the verb describes. The object of the preposition can be made the subject of the passive form of the verb. The preposition remains after the verb, with no object after it.
In some households, the man was referred to as the master.
Two people at the head of the line were being dealt with by a couple of clerks.
The performance had been paid for by a local cultural society.
The children were being looked after by family friends.
The following is a list of intransitive phrasal verbs with prepositions that are often used in the passive:
accede to
account for
act on
adhere to
aim at
allow for
allude to
approve of
ask for
aspire to
attend to
bargain for
bite into
break into
budget for
build on
call for
call on
care for
cater for
count on
deal with
decide on
despair of
dictate to
dispense with
dispose of
enter into
frown upon
fuss over
get at
get round
gloss over
guess at
hear of
hint at
hope for
impose on
improve on
indulge in
inquire into
insist on
jump on
keep to
laugh at
lean on
leap on
light upon
listen to
long for
look after
look at
look into
look through
look to
meddle with
minister to
mourn for
object to
operate on
pander to
paper over
pay for
pick on
plan for
plan on
play with
plot against
point to
pore over
pounce on
preside over
prevail on
prey on
provide for
put upon
puzzle over
reason with
refer to
rely on
remark on
resort to
rush into
see through
see to
seize on
send for
set on
settle on
shoot at
skate over
stamp on
stare at
subscribe to
talk about
talk to
tamper with
tinker with
touch on
trample on
trifle with
wait on
watch over
wonder at
work on
A few three-word phrasal verbs are used in the passive.
He longs to be looked up to.
I was afraid of being done away with.
The following list contains three-word phrasal verbs used in the passive:
do away with
live up to
look down on
look forward to
look out for
look up to
play around with
talk down to
9.24
Our car gets cleaned about once every two months.
Before that, I’d got arrested by the police.
I had cheated and lied, and I’d gotten caught. (American)
Selecting focus: split sentences
9.25 One way of focusing on a particular part of a sentence is to use a split sentence. This involves using the verb be, either with it as an impersonal subject or with a clause such as a relative clause or a to-infinitive clause. Other grammars sometimes refer to split sentences as cleft sentences.