The Passive Voice.
§ 168. The Passive Voice is a conversion of the Active. He is loved by me and I love him are two ways of saying the same thing.
§ 169. Conversion of Transitive Verbs.—The Direct Object of the Active becomes the Subject of the Passive Verb, and the Subject of the Active Verb is put into the Ablative (of the Agent) with ā or ăb. Thus: Brūtŭs Caesărem interfēcit Brutus killed Cæsar becomes Caesăr ā Brūtō interfectŭs est Cæsar was killed by Brutus.
It is the Nominative and Accusative of the Direct Object only that are changed in the conversion of a sentence to the Passive form. The other Accusatives and Oblique cases remain; illŭd Caesăr tē laedit in that Cæsar hurts you becomes illŭd ā Caesărĕ laedĕrĭs. See, however, § 356*.
§ 170. Conversion of Intransitive Verbs.—These are converted by means of the Third Person Singular or Impersonal Passive: Brūtŭs ĕt Cassĭŭs Caesărī invĭdent Brutus and Cassius envy Ceasar becomes Caseaăr ā Brūtō et Cassiō Caesărī invĭdētŭr it-is-envied Cæsar (envy is felt towards Cæsar) by Brutus and Cassius.
§ 171. Indefinite use of the Passive.—If the Subject of a Transitive Verb is Indefinite, it is not expressed in the Passive: Thălēs săpĭ{subst:e-}}ns appellāatŭs est Thales was called a-sage; hōc crēdĭtŭr this is believed, people believe this.
The Impersonal Passive of Intransitive Verbs is very frequently used where the Subject is Indefinite; ītŭr ĭn antīquam silvam people go into an ancient forest.
§ 172. Passive in a Reflexive Sense.—The Passive is often used, especially in old writers and poets, to denote an action performed by the Subject on itself; exercĕŏr I exercise myself, rĕcrĕŏr I refresh myself.
Many of these are to be translated by an English Intransitive Verb; rumpŏr I burst, pāscŏr I feed, volvŏr I roll.
The same Reflexive meaning may be traced in Deponent Verbs; ĕpŭlŏr I feast myself, piscŏr I get myself fish, I fish. Comp. 307 (end).
