passivevoice.sh

#!/bin/bash

irregulars="awoken|\
been|born|beat|\
become|begun|bent|\
beset|bet|bid|\
bidden|bound|bitten|\
bled|blown|broken|\
bred|brought|broadcast|\
built|burnt|burst|\
bought|cast|caught|\
chosen|clung|come|\
cost|crept|cut|\
dealt|dug|dived|\
done|drawn|dreamt|\
driven|drunk|eaten|fallen|\
fed|felt|fought|found|\
fit|fled|flung|flown|\
forbidden|forgotten|\
foregone|forgiven|\
forsaken|frozen|\
gotten|given|gone|\
ground|grown|hung|\
heard|hidden|hit|\
held|hurt|kept|knelt|\
knit|known|laid|led|\
leapt|learnt|left|\
lent|let|lain|lighted|\
lost|made|meant|met|\
misspelt|mistaken|mown|\
overcome|overdone|overtaken|\
overthrown|paid|pled|proven|\
put|quit|read|rid|ridden|\
rung|risen|run|sawn|said|\
seen|sought|sold|sent|\
set|sewn|shaken|shaven|\
shorn|shed|shone|shod|\
shot|shown|shrunk|shut|\
sung|sunk|sat|slept|\
slain|slid|slung|slit|\
smitten|sown|spoken|sped|\
spent|spilt|spun|spit|\
split|spread|sprung|stood|\
stolen|stuck|stung|stunk|\
stridden|struck|strung|\
striven|sworn|swept|\
swollen|swum|swung|taken|\
taught|torn|told|thought|\
thrived|thrown|thrust|\
trodden|understood|upheld|\
upset|woken|worn|woven|\
wed|wept|wound|won|\
withheld|withstood|wrung|\
written"

if [ "$1" = "" ]; then
 echo "usage: `basename $0` <file> ..."
 exit
fi

egrep -n -i --color \
 "\\b(am|are|were|being|is|been|was|be)\
\\b[ ]*(\w+ed|($irregulars))\\b" $*

exit $?