被动语态的名声不太好,这主要来自面向母语者的写作建议。但实际上,在商务、技术和学术英语中,只要用得恰当,被动语态是不可或缺的。
构成方式
be(变位成相应时态)+ 过去分词。
| 主动语态 | 被动语态 |
|---|---|
| The team wrote the report. | The report was written by the team. |
| They are testing the system. | The system is being tested. |
| Someone has stolen my bag. | My bag has been stolen. |
| They will announce it. | It will be announced. |
| We must check it. | It must be checked. |
变化的只是 be 的时态;过去分词本身保持不变。
非限定形式
被动语态也会出现在 to 之后以及介词之后——正是在这些地方,它开始悄悄出现在日常句子里:
- This needs to be done today.
- She hates being interrupted.
- The report should have been sent on Friday.
什么时候适合用被动语态
1. 动作的执行者未知或不重要
- My bag was stolen.(不知道是谁偷的)
- The road was resurfaced last week.(是谁做的并不重要)
2. 结果比执行者更重要
- The vaccine was developed in under a year.
3. 描述流程和步骤
- The samples are heated to 90°C, then left to cool.
4. 委婉表达——避免直接指责
- Mistakes were made.(而不是「你犯了错误」)
- The deadline was missed.
最后这一点在职场沟通中特别有用,因为直接点名责任人往往适得其反。
5. 把话题保持在句首
英语更倾向于把已知信息放在前面。如果整段话都在讲这份提案,那就让 the proposal 继续做主语:
We spent three weeks on the proposal. It was rejected the following Monday.
如果改成 The board rejected it,就会把一个新的角色拉到主语的位置,打断了原本的叙述线索。
带双宾语的动词
像 give、send、offer、tell、pay 这样的动词可以构成两种被动句,而英语明显更偏爱以人作主语的那一种:
- They gave me a refund. → ✅ I was given a refund.(自然)
- → 🚫 A refund was given to me.(语法正确,但显得生硬)
用 get 构成的被动语态
在口语中,get 常常代替 be——通常用于突发的、不情愿的或意外发生的事情。
- He got fired. · My phone got broken. · We got stopped at the border.
这是口语化的说法:在书面文本中还是应该用 be。
非人称被动句
在学术和新闻英语中,这种结构用来转述一种说法,而不由自己承担责任:
- It is said that the company is in trouble.
- The company is said to be in trouble.
- He is thought to have left the country.
这两种结构都能搭配 say、think、believe、report、know、expect 使用。
什么时候最好避免使用被动语态
如果动作的执行者很重要,主动语态会更简洁、更清楚:
- ❌ A decision was reached by the committee.
- ✅ The committee reached a decision.
真正需要问的问题不是「用被动还是主动」,而是「这句话到底应该在说什么」。把答案放到主语的位置上,语态自然就确定了。
引出执行者:by
只有当执行者确实值得一提时,才加上 by。
- The proposal was rejected by the board.(值得一提)
- The window was broken by someone.(没有意义——直接说「The window was broken」就够了)
常见错误:漏掉「be」
- ❌ The report written last week.
- ✅ The report was written last week.
自我检测
下面的测验既考察形式,也考察更难的部分——判断什么时候适合使用被动语态。