English grammar: Direct - indirect object

The English verbs are followed by two different kinds of objects - the direct object and indirect
object.
I sent Mary some flowers.
I sent some flowers to Mary.
These sentences contain both direct and indirect objects.
Flowers are the direct object and it refers to what I sent.
Mary is the indirect object and it refers to whom I sent it.

Use
1. If the indirect object comes before the direct object, there is no preposition.
They gave Harold a new car.
2. If the indirect object comes after the direct object, a preposition must be used.
They gave a new car to Harold.
3. If the direct object is a pronoun (it, this ... ), it comes before the indirect object and a
preposition
must be used.
I bought it for my sister.
Can you send it to him?
(Not: I bought my sister it. Can you send him it?)

Notes
1. If the verbs read and write are only followed by the indirect object, a preposition must be
used.
Please, read to me. (Not: Please, read me).
But: Read me the letter. Read the letter to me. (There are two objects in these sentences.)
I'll write to you soon.
But: I'll write you a letter. I'll write a letter to you. (two objects)

2. We can use the verbs promise, show, and tell with the indirect object only, but without a
preposition.
I can't promise you. (Or: I can't promise it to you. with two objects)
Show him. (Or: Show it to him.)
Can you tell me?

English grammar: Passive voice

Form
Tense
Present simple
Present continuous
Past simple
Past continuous
Present perfect
Past perfect
Future simple
Present conditional
Perfect conditional

The
The
The
The

Passive
The car is repaired.
The car is being repaired.
car was repaired.
car was being repaired.
The car has just been repaired.
car had been repaired.
The car will be repaired.
The car would be repaired.
car would have been repaired.

The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle,
which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular verbs (taken,
thrown).
Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened.
Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened?
Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened.
The passive continuous forms of the present and past tense are as follows.
(Other tenses are not normally used in the continuous.)
Present: A new house is being built in our street.
Past: A new house was being built in our street.
In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned and so we do not know it.
Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it).
If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and
use the preposition by.
The flowers were planted by my mother.
But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know
who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it).
Passive voice with direct and indirect objects

If there are both the direct and indirect objects in the sentence, the indirect object
becomes the subject.
Active: My friend sent me a letter.
Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (Not: A letter was sent to me by my friend. This
sentence does not sound natural in English.)
Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place.

Passive with verbs followed by the infinitive without to

In the active some verbs are followed by the infinitive without to. In the passive we use
most such verbs with the infinitive with to.
Active: We saw them come. She made him do it.
Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it.

But: They let us go. - We were let go.

Use
The passive voice is used:
1. If the action is more important then the agent.
A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868.
The important thing is what happened, not who did it.
2. If the agent is not known.
He was offered a job. (someone offered him the job)
They are supposed to be good students. (some teachers suppose that)
The difference in meaning between the passive of simple and continuous tenses.
A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.)
A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.)
I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the
middle of the introduction.)
When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then
she introduced me.

Notes
The passive voice is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it
in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles.
English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed.
In a less formal style the active is more usual.
English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop.
He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover.
The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal.
In the English language the passive is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover,
you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages.
I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon