The passive voice

It is formed with the appropriate tense of the verb TO BE + PAST PARTICIPLE of the main verb To be must be put into the same tense as the active verb. The subject of the active verb become the agent of the passive verb. The agent is not always mentioned. When it is mentioned it is preceded by by and placed at the end of the clause. NB: only sensitive verbs can be used with the passive.

USES OF THE PASSIVE:

1. When the agent is not known. e.g. Someone shut the door. The door was shut. passive 2. When we want to emphasize the action. e.g. Her mother took her to school. She was taken to school by her mother. 3. When we want to give special emphasis to the agent. e.g. George wrote that splendid essay. That splendid essay was written by George (it wasnt written by Angela) 4. The passive is used when describing scientific, technical processes. e.g. The paper is cut into small pieces. When the active sentence contains two objects the indirect object usually becomes the subject of the passive. e.g. They offered me a good job. I was offered a good job.- passive

In theory the active sentence given above can have two passive forms but the first one is preferred. e.g. A good job was offered to me. 5. Passive is also used for the HAVE + OBJECT+ PAST PRTICIPLE construction e.g. I had my hair cut.

EXERCISES I.
Put the verbs in brackets into the passive:

The Harbour in Ringkobing

The harbour and pier (1)(construct) in 1904-1905 when the lighthouse Mr. Lyngvig Fyr was under planning, for the materials had to (2)(ship) across the fjord to the building site. For some years, the new harbour improved conditions for the fishermen. A boat- builders yard (3)(establish) , and several fish exporters opened businesses in Ringkobing. Today the harbour (4) (use) mainly by pleasure craft and fjord fishing boats. Occasionally, a smallish freighter or cutter may moor at the pier. If a coaster (5) (sight), it will be one of the North Sea shipyard. Several ships (5) (build) there every year. Every day at 9:30 a.m. an auction (6) (hold) at the new red wooden building at the harbours edge. There is no shortage of fish. Everything (7) (catch). The fish (8) (sell) to the highest bidder and everybody is welcome to bid. The fish auction is a lively affair and (9) (attend) every day by both local people and visitors.

II. Choose the most suitable tense:

Mickey Mouse (1) is born/was born on Walt Disneys sketchpad in March 1928. The first cartoon, Plane Crazy, (2) was premiered/premiered two month later on Sunset Boulevard. It was on November 1928 that Mickey Mouse (3) has officially born/was officially born. He (4) is featured/was featured/had been featured in Steamboat Willie, a film that (5) had been screened/is being screened/was screened at the Colony Theatre in New York and (6) was first animated/had been first animated/will be first animated movie to use syncronised sound. Minnie Mouse, Mickeys girlfriend, (7) was also featured/will be also featured/is being also featured. The now familiar falsetto voice of Mickey (8) has been provided/is provided/was provided by Walt Disney himself. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs nearly bankrupted the company and (9) will be finally/was finally released/is finally released in December 1937.

III. Decide which word or phrase (A-C) best fits each space: Youre Under Arrest
Dale Wash paid the cashier what he owned for the gallon of milk and left the convenience store. As he approached his streets, he heard sirens wailing. They seemed 1 closer and when Dale looked in his rearview mirror, he saw the flashing lights of a patrol car. He pulled over to let it go by. But he 2 when the police car pulled over behind him. Whats the matter, sir? Dale asked as the officer approached his car. Please get out of the car. the officer said. Dale complied and 3 to put his hands behind him. As the officer got out his handcuffs, Dale 4 exclaiming: Whats this all about?

A convenience store at the corner of Main and Park Streets 5 about fifteen minutes ago. Your car 6 leaving the scene. I was at the convenience store, Dale said, but all I did was buy some milk. Thats not the story I 7 , the police officer said. Now, get in the back of the patrol car. You .8 straight to prison, where youll spend 100 year at haid labor. 1. A: to be getting B: to have got C: to get 2. A: surprised B: was surprised C: got surprised 2. A: was told B: will be told C: told 3. A: is being heard B: was heard C: had heard 5. A: robbed B: was robbed C: have been robbed 6.A: was being seen B: was seen C: had been seen 7. A: told B: have been told C: having told 8. A: was taken B: will be taking C: will be taken

IV. Underline the correct form of the verbs:

It was a hot summer day in a large industrial city. The temperature had soared into the 90s and the humidity was just as high. It soft, gentle breeze (1) would have been welcome/was welcome, but never came. Instead the air (2) was felt/feeling heavy, and people reacted strongly. Their eyes teared, their throats (3) were hurned/hurning and their lungs (4) became congested/congesting. Some (5) had to be rushed/having

rushed to hospitals, others (6) were forced/were being forced to stay inside. The same scenario began repeating itself in city after city throughout the country. Air pollution which (7) was brought about/was been brought by increased industrial development, was affecting peoples health. They became angry that air pollution was ruining their lives and felt that the government should do something about it. People from various states claimed that pollution (8) should be controlled/will be controlled.

V. Match the two columns:

1. Baker was a home builder 2. He was hired 3. Material worth 7,311 dollars had been purchased 4. A suit The homeowners claimed the Statue of Frands as a defence, judgement for whom and why? a). who also engaged in home remodeling. b). when the homeowners went bankrupt. c). proving that no written contract had ever been made or signed by the parties. d). to reconstruct a portion of a home. e). was brought on the contract.

VI. Complete the text using the active or passive forms of the verbs from the box:
load set return forget go lock take pick

Mickey made some purchases at Sears Roebuck and Company that the was to pick up at the store loading deck. While1 the goods into his car, he 2 his briefcase containing 589,71 dollars on the loading dock and 3 it. The briefcase 4 by a Sears employee and 5 inside. The next day the briefcase 6 to Mickey, but the money 7 Mickey contended that the defendant was liable because, as a bailee, the briefcase 8. In a safe place. to contend= a argumenta bailee= garant

VII.
lines.

Identify the errors and correct them. Tick the correct

A third trend indirectly affecting school order is the increasing sensitivity of public schools to the rights of children. A generation ago it was possible for principals to rules schools autocratically, to suspend or expel students without much regard for procedural niceties. Injustices occurred; children are pushed out of schools because they antagonized teachers and principals. But this arbitrariness enabled school administrators to control the situation when serious misbehaviour was occured. Students assaults on teachers punished so suiftly that such assaults were almost unthinkable. Even disrespectful language was unusual. Today, as a result of greater concern for the rights of children, school officials required to observe due process in handing student discipline.

VIII.

Turn into the passive voice. Pay attention to the preposition following the verbs: 1. Grannie was ill so they send for the doctor. 2. All the members of the board objected to the chairmans suggestion. 3. Finally the opponents have arrived at an agreement. 4. The morning newspaper will comment upon the terrorist attack. 5. The audience were carefully listening to the professors interesting lecture. 6. Her parents insisted on her applying for a nurse job. 7. Parents must look after their babies all the time. 8. The jury awarded the prize to the best student. 9. The strong wind blew that womans hat off. 10. He is shutting up his house at the seaside for the winter.

IX. Causative verbs

Match the two columns to make up sentences: Model: My blouse was washed yesterday. I had my blouse washed yesterday. 1. car 2. blouse 3. tooth 4. walls 5. watch 6. carpet 7. shoes 8. hair 9. dress 10. laundry 11. photos 12. suits a). painted b). cleaned c). repaired, washed, checked d).altered, washed, mended e).pulled checked f). fixed g). mended h).cut, brushed, combed i).shortened, lengthened, washed j). washed k).developed l).made, ironed

X. Rephrase the following sentences.

1. The teacher is calling the roll. The roll 2. Susie lost her money on a side road. Money.. 3. Father gave the order to the waiter. The waiter.. 4. The police have investigated the case for two months. The case.. 5. The secretary types the letters and sends them by morning post. The letters 6. The journalists often interview political leaders. Political leaders.. 7. They say that famous people wear very expensive clothes. Famous people. 8. They are building a new town hall this year. A new town hall 9. The dentist pulled his tooth out. His tooth 10. The old woman fed crumbs to the pigeon. The pigeons.. 11. The guide is showing exhibits to the tourists. The tourists.. 12. They will give the result to the applicants waiting outside for the building. The applicants 13. Mr. Brown always gives flowers to his wife on their wedding anniversary. Mrs. Brown.. 14. The manager was promised a salary rise to his employees.

A salary rise 15. She handed her application form to the deputy manager. Her application form. 16. They read carefully the instructions before using the equipment. The instructions

XI.

You have been asked to prepare a short biography of Ilie Nastase for a movie magazine. Read the notes below and write sentences using the Passive voice. Make all the necessary changes: 1. Ilie Nastase- called Nasty for his flamboyand and on court behaviour. 2. born july, 19, 1946 3. The 1972 U.S. Open and the 1973 French open- win 4. He was No. 1 twice (1972-73)- consider the best Romanian tennis player. 5. Active presence in the senior tour- many singles and doubles titles- win 6. His tennis- based thrillers- write- in French include Break Point and The Wet 7. In 1996 make- unsuccessful run for mayo of Bucharest 8. Thanks to Ion Tiriac and Ilie Nastase- tennis- become very popular among the Romanious - be played- both teenagers and adults.

XII. Rewrite these sentences in the Passive.

1. Buses take the commuters home each evening. 2. They put the saddles on their horses and went for a ride. 3. Parents dont make their children work very hard at home nowadays. 4. You can admire the beautiful scenery from our house.

5. He will send his car abroad. 6. Smoke filled the dinning-room. 7. The headmaster has sent the students to the library. 8. Someone has stolen my purse. 9. A van will bring the milk to your hotel. 10. The Manager wrote the reply letters.

XIII.

Make this sentences negative. 1. Football is played in winter. 2. The paper is being written carefully. 3. This bicycle was made in China. 4. David and his friend have been invited to work in the company. 5. These rooms will be cleaned next week. 6. The drunken driver was stopped by the police at the trafficlights. 7. Susan has been sent to bed by a physicist as she was ill. 8. A French chef has been hired at the restaurant. 9. Oranges are sold at the chemists. 10. He was given some medicine by the doctor.

Passive Key I.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. is held 8. is caught 9. are sold were constructed be shipped was established is used is sighted are built

10. is attended

II.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. was born was premiered was officially born was featured was screened was first animated was also featured was provided was finally released

III.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A B A B B A B C

IV.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. would have been was felt were horned became congested had to be rushed were forced was brought about should be controlled

V.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

a d b e c

VI.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. loading set forgot was picked up was taken was returned was gone should have been locked

VII.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. to rule 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. were 14. pulled 15. 16. 17.

18. 19. 20. 21. occurred 22. were punished 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. are required 29. 30. -

VIII.
1. As Grannie was ill a doctor was sent for. 2. The chairmans suggestion was objected to by all the members of the board. 3. An agreement was finally arrived at. 4. The terrorist attack will be commented by the morning newspaper. 5. The professors interesting lecture was carefully listened to by the audience. 6. Her applying for a nurse job was insisted on by her parents. 7. Babies must be looked after all the time. 8. The best student was awarded the prize. 9. That womans hat was blown off by the strong wind. 10. His house at the seaside is being shut up for the winter.

IX.

1. c 2. d 3. e 4. a 5. f 6. b 7. g 8. h 9. I 10. j 11. k 12. l

X.
1. The roll is being called. 2. Money was lost in a side road. 3. The waiter was given the order. 4. The case has been investigated by the police. 5. The letters are typed and sent by morning post. 6. Political leaders are often interviewed by journalists. 7. Famous people are said to wear expensive clothes. 8. A new town hall is being built this year. 9. His tooth was pulled out. 10. The pigeons were fed crumbs by the old woman. 11. The tourists are being shown the exhibits by the guide. 12. The applicants waiting outside the building will be given the results. 13. Mrs. Brown is always given flowers by his husband on their wedding anniversary. 14. A salary rise has been promised to employees by the manager.

His employees have been promised a salary rise. 15. Her application form was handed to the deputy manager. 16. The instructions are read carefully before using the equipment.