英语动词被动语态在语法书上都有详略不同的交代，但大都着重它的构成形式，例证则往往不够。这种语态似乎在英语句子中比在汉语句子中更多出现，这点是我国初学者所经常忽略的。在某些句子中，英语总是用被动语态、而汉语则绝不能用，如“Shakespeare was born in 1564．/Moliere was born in Paris”。初学英语的人接触到这样被动语态的句子恐不免感到奇怪，因为我们在汉语中惯于说"生于某某年"或"某某年生"，"生于巴黎"或"在巴黎出生"，从来不说一个人"被生出"。 

在另一些句子中，英语可用主动及被动两种语态，汉语则倾向于用主动，如“Everybody likes him．/He is liked by everybody”。汉语"人人喜欢他"看来比"他被人人喜欢"更现成和自然。有人以为这有一个强调的问题，用作主语的词是加以强调的。即令如此，按照英语结构写成的"他被大家喜欢"这样的句子，总是别扭。
 
下面就十个类别，举出一些句子，说明英语某些动词用于某一意义或在某一场合中常作被动语态。类别当然不能只是十个，这儿仅举常见的。每个类别下也只举五个句子，句子中的动词彼此不一样。为方便起见，句子首先采用大家熟知的 The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English（ALD），其次是 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English（LDCE），必要时从其他英美书刊补充少数句子，但不注明出处。 

1．关于生病
The left lung is affected． _____ALD
He is confined to the house by illness． ____ ALD
He was seized with sudden chest pains． ____LDCE
He’s been troubled with a bad back since he was a child． ____LDCE
John was Invalided out of the army．
上面这些句子中被动语态在英语中很习惯化，如将动词改为主动语态，有不同程度的不顺。用汉语表达这些句子中的同样的概念，就可以不一定用被动语态。 

2．关于疲倦困乏
He was doneup afterthe long ride． ALD
He was knocked uP after the longsteen climb． _____ ALD
He was almost fagged out． ______ ALD
I’m completely exhausted．____LDCE
I was spent with the fatigue of the voyage．
汉语说"累了"、"累垮了"极普通。如说由于某种原因而"累了"、"累垮了"，至少在结构上不用被动语态。这和第一类的例子是一致的。 

3．关于喜悦、高兴
I was delighted to hear the news of your success．_____ALD
We’re very pleased to see you here．_____ALD
On hearing of the victory，the nation was transported with joy．_____ALD
She was enchanted with the flowers you sent her． _____ALD
The children were fascinated by the toys in the shopwindows．_____ ALD
汉语如说"被高兴"，将不成文理，说"使……高兴"或"为……高兴"，那也不能照英语被动语态去处理。事实上这头一句话照汉语是"我高兴地听到……"这虽带点欧化，但目前也通行了。最常见的恐怕还是"听到……我高兴"。无论如何。汉语说"高兴"，不能如英语那样用被动语态。 

4．关于阻塞、拖延：
We’re been held up by fog． _____ ALD
The mountain roads were obstructed by falls of rock．_____ALD
The train was delayed two hours． _____ALD
I was hindered from getting here．____ALD
The harbour was blocked by ice．_____ALD
这第二句ALD英汉双解本译成"山路被落下石头所阻塞"。严格地说这句译文似乎欠流畅，尤其不能用于口语。当然，凡是阻力，总是外来的阻力，施于受事的主语，主语处于被动地位，但汉语不能采取英语的被动语态形式而完全不加变动。 

5、关于习惯
He is quite used to hard work．____ALD
This is not the kind of treatment I am accustomed to． _____ALD
He is addicted to smoking． _____ALD
The old soldier was inured to danger． ____LDCE
He is given to long walks． _____LDCE
英语中有些动词，由于常用于被动语态，词典中对它们的分词（participle）形式另立专条著录，成为独立的词，其功能相当于形容词。以上例句中的动词就是典型的例子。例如，词典一般既有use这一专条（不定式动词），又有 used；既有 accustom，又有 accustomed；既有give，又有given。但如inure及addict，在 ALD上只注明"常用于被动"（usu．passive），尚未另立inured和 addicted专条，其他词典也大体是这样，虽然addicted还可以作为形容词，看成是独立的词条。然而不管这些词是否带有形容词的性质，在上面的句子中却具有被动语态的作用。 

6．关于苦恼、心烦意乱
He was annoyed to learn that the train would be delayed．____ALD
She is easily upset emotionally．____ALD
He was vexed at his failure． ____ ALD
He was disturbed to hear of your illness．______ALD
I felt harassed by all the work of the office．_____LDCE
苦恼等情绪当然是引起的，因此英语中的被动语态似乎说明了是由于什么引起的，但要注意第一句She is easily upset emotionally．不必指出原因。 

7．关于惊讶或震惊
I was astonished to see him there． ____ALD
I’m surprised he didn’t come．_____ALD
He was shocked to hear his daughter swearing． _____ALD
He was startled to see him looking so ill．_____ALD
He was astounded when he heard he had won．_____ALD
一个正常的人无故不会大惊小怪。但是我们说"吃惊"、"大吃一惊"或"使……吃惊"和"使……大吃一惊"等也就够了，不同于英语的被动表现形式。 

8．关于围绕、包围
His land is fenced with barbed wire．____ALD
Troy was besieged by the Greeks for ten years．_____ALD
The troops were surrounded．_____ALD
The cliffedge is dangerous and should be railed．_____LDCE
Japan is compassed about by the ocean．____LDCE
对于以上第二句，第三句及第五句，汉语是可以用"被包围"这类说法的，但对第一句的"is fenced with，"如说"有篱笆围住"就行了，不一定要说"被用篱笆围住"。至于第四句中"should be railed"，英语的被动语态在汉语中也难以表达。我们通常说：应该用栏杆围起来"，或"应该把它用栏杆围起来"，而不是"应该被用栏杆围起来"。 

9．关于玷污、污染
His reputation is tarnished．_____ALD
My car was mired． ____ ALD
The river was contaminated with water from the factory. ____ LDCE
Your fingers are stained with ink．
That cheese is mildewed．
和第三句的contaminated意义近似的动词如pollute及 defile等，也常用于被动语态。我们说，"出污泥而不染"，不是"……而不被染"。 

10．关于惶惑、慌乱
I was confounded to hear that． ____ALD
They sked so many questions that I got confused． _____ALD
Tom was bewildered by the examination questions．____ALD
He was puzzled what to do next． ____ ALD
The Cabinet Ministers are perplexed as to what to do．
以上可和第六和第七两类联系起来看。 

综观以上的例子，我们觉得中国学生学英语不只是要记住动词被动语态的形式，尤其要留心，在什么情况下，英语一定比汉语更常用被动语态；要留心哪些动词是这样用的，哪些动词虽有各种不同用法，但专指某一特殊意义时一定用被动形式。有些特殊被动语态，几乎习语化了，也是不可忽视的，如下面两个句子：
My hints were lost upon him．___ ALD
My advice was thrown away upon him．___ALD
下面这类以it开头的被动语态，初学者不会使用的大有人在，以致语言死板，并违反英语习惯。
It is observed that…
It may be observed that…
It will be observed that…
It remains to be observed that…
如此等等。他们只知说“We may observe that…”之类，因为这与汉语结构接近。