Chioveanu Isabela Cristina

Codrea Diana Felicia

Anul III, Seeria I, Grupa I, LLR-LLS

A World of Wonders

Near Cracow, in southern Poland, is the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Not much
can be seen above the surface, but visitors are taken down into a hidden world
of natural and man-made wonders.
According to a 700-year-old legend, a princess called the Blessed Kinga
threw her ring into a salt mine at Marmaros in Hungary. While travelling from
Marmaros to Cracow, she stopped at Wieliczka and her servants were told to dig
a well. Instead of water, salt was discovered- and in the first lump of salt which
was taken out, Kingas ring was found!
The legend is just a story but it is true that for over seven centuries salt
has been mined from the rock below the town of Wieliczka. After that date,
horses were used to carry the salt out, but the work was still very dangerous and
many miners were killed or injured. The constant danger made the miners
deeply religious and chapels were constructed underground where church
services were held. After a chapel was destroyed by fire in 1697, miners were
not allowed to take wooden statues into the mine, so they began to carve
sculptures from rock salt.
Nowadays visitors are shown how salt was mined long ago, and can see
the enormous chambers which have been dug out of the solid rock. They can
also see pretty green lakes, and chapels with beautiful carvings. A special
attraction is the Chapel of the Blessed Kings, which was made by the miners
themselves in a chamber 100 meters underground.
You will be amazed by these unforgettable sights, which should definitely
not be missed by any visitor to the Cracow area.

Source: Enterprise 2 Elementary Coursebook by Virginia Evans and Jenny

Dooley, Express Publishing, p. 63

Passive Voice
Form of Passive Voice:

Subject + the appropriate form of the verb TO BE + past participle

Use of Passive Voice:

We use Passive Voice when the focus is on the action. Is not important who
performed the actions. For example, we have the statement < My cat was
stolen.>The person who does the actions is irrelevant, unimportant, unknown
We use Passive Voice to make the statements more polite (formal):

My favorite dress has been stolen. ( I dont blame anyone, in this case, I focus on
the fact).

In formal notices, reports , instructions, headlines, advertisments:

Smoking is not allowed (formal notice)

A person was kidnapped this morning in front of his house . ( news)

To emphasize the argent of the statement:

The Pyramid of Giza was built by the slaves.

The town of London was built by William the Conqueror.

With transitive verbs :

She bought the dress yesterday,

The dress was bought yesterday.

When we want to express a general truth :

Rules are made to be broken.

!!!! Note that only transitive verbs can forms passive voice. Intransitive verbs like cry, arrive,
disappear, wait, they have no objects , so there is nothing to become the Subject of a passive.
!!! If there is an agent, it is introduced by the preposition by.
!!! In passive voice, we make the object of an actions the subject of a sentence.
!!! Not every sentence that contains a form of have or be is passive. For example: Isabella has
to study all day. Has is not a part of a passive-tense verb.

Active Voice

Passive Voice

Present simple

They make books.

Books are made.

Present continuous

They are making books.

The books are being made.

Past simple

They made books.

The books were made

Past continuous

They were making books.

The books were being made.

Future simple

They will make books.

Books will be make.

Present Perfect

They have made books.

Books had been made.

Past Perfect

They had made books.

The books had been made.

Future Perfect

They will have made books.

The books will have been

made.

Present Infinitive

They will have to make

books.
He ought to have made
books.
He likes people buying his
books.

Books will have to be made.

Perfect infinitive
Gerund

Books ought to have been

made.
He likes his chair being
bought

Activities Passive Voice

1. Read the text. Underline the verbs in Passive Voice, choose three of them (Past,
Present and Future form) and make different sentences with them.
Past:
Present:
Future:
2. Choose the correct form of the verb in the following sentences:
a) Horses use / are used to carry salt out of the mine.
b) Visitors will be amazed / will amaze by Cracows landscapes.
c) The princess stopped / was stopped on her way to Cracow.
d) Men were discovered / discovered huge amounts of salt in Wieliczka.
e) Chapels were constructed / are constructed in the mines.
3. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the verb:
a) The robot _________ (bulid) by the scientist in 1978.
b) English __________ (speak) in many countries of the world.
c) She ___________ (examine) by the doctor when he arrives.
d) The thief _____________ (arrest) this morning.
e) This bracelet ____________ (made) of gemstones.
f) Children ___________ (scold) by their teacher for their bad behaviour.
g) The monument _______________ (restore) right now.
h) The book ____________ (to lend) to him last month and he didnt return it to me
until I called him.
i) The roses ___________ (plant) by his mother last spring.
j) Music _______________ (turn off) before his father arrived home.
4. Rewrite the following sentences using the Passive Voice.
a) They offered a nice birthday present to Ted.
Ted _______________________________.
b) She sang a beautiful Scottish song.
A beautiful Scottish song ______________.
c) Alex sent some flowers to Betty.
Betty_____________________.
Flowers __________________.

d) I will send a letter to you.

A letter __________________.
e) She returned the books to the librarian.
The books______________________.
5. Translate the following sentences from Romanian to English by paying attention to
Passive forms:
a) Vom vorbi despre filmul care a aprut de curnd dup ce l vedei i voi.
b) Copiii sunt ngrijii de bunica lor ct prinii sunt plecai la lucru.
c) Compunerea nu a fost scris de tine! Recunoate c ai copiat-o de la alt coleg!
d) Cartea pe care o citeti acum a fost scris cu mult nainte ca tu s te fi nscut.
e) Cntecul a fost compus n tinereea compozitorului, dar nu a fost apreciat
ndeajuns.
f) Animalele bolnave de la Grdina Zoologic vor fi consultate de cel mai bun
veterinar din ar.
g) Concertul a fost anulat deoarece s-au vndut puine bilete.
h) Toate scrisorile au fost trimise la destinaie ntr-un timp foarte scurt.
i) Noua cldire este construit lng staia de metrou.
j) Proiectul propus de elevi a fost analizat de conducerea colii.
6. Translate the following sentences from English to Romanian by paying attention to
Passive forms:
a) The otters from the Zoo are fed twice a day.
b) These photos were taken when your grandmother was still a teenager
c) This contract will be renewed when youll get a full-time job.
d) Youll be asked several questions before deciding if youll be accepted at the
university.
e) After she was robbed, Alice was lost without her wallet.
f) This house was built before the Second World War.
g) My letters have been opened this morning by my grandparents.
h) Classical music will always be appreciated.
i) My notebook has been ripped off by my cat this afternoon.
j) His new novel was criticized because of his lack of originality.