Passives.pdf

8/19/2019 Passives.pdf

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Passive verbs, or passives, are formed with

be

plus the past participle of a transitive verb

My

car was stolen) .

e use passive verbs to say what happens to the subject

Two men

were arrested) in contrast to active ve rbs which are used to say what the subject does The

police

arrested tw

o men).

1 Read through this

news report

and

find two more

examples

of the

same

verb find

and

move)

being

used as both an active and a pass ive verb.

F

OR AS LONG AS people can remember, they search through the debris. We re guessing that

small towns like Stone Creek and Pineville in 30 there are some people who may have been pinned

northern Alabama have been hit by storms down under their own ceilings, says Greg Hayden, a

every spring. They are as predictable as the apple firefighter from Atlanta. Sometimes we can t tell the

5 blossoms that are always shaken loose from the houses from the stables or the garages. It s a mess.

trees and blown along the country roads. Some trees Dozens

of

people and animals cou

ld

have been

may be knocked over

or

the roof of a building might 35 buried in there.

be slightly damaged, but usually the effects of the One by one, the miracles and the tragedies are

storms are more inconvenient than deadly.This year coming to light. Jim Clinton , having been warned of

10 was different. the approaching storm on his radio, drove his wife

Last night, a powerful storm roared into the and daughter to his local church. He thought it

area, sending devastating tornadoes spinning 40 would be safer there than staying in his small house.

through the small farming communities. It destroyed Two of the church walls collapsed, but after being

farms, schools and churches and buried people in trapped inside for four hours, the Clintons were

15 the ruins

of

their own homes. It transformed the found alive

by

rescuers this morning. Not far away,

landscape. Herds of cattle that had been moved into an old couple had retreated to the basemcnt of their

barns for safety are nowhere to be seen, nor are

45

home as the storm approached. Tragica

ll

y, they were

the barns. Other buildings where tractors and both killed when part

of

a wall crashed through the

equipment were being stored seem to have been floor on top of them. The names of all victims are

20 completely blown away. being withheld until their fam ilies can be notified.

The scenes of devastation this morning are

At

least 38 people have died and many more are

described by one rescue worker as like the end of 50 missing. About 100 people have been seriously

the world . Since first light, rescue crews have been injured and more than 1,000 have been left

moving through the countryside, looking for homeless. The search for the missing may last for

25 survivors. Small teams have had to be flown in to days, but the effects of this one storm are going to be

some areas by

helicopter because the roads have felt for many years. It s like someone dropped a

been blocked by dozens of fallen trees. In other 55 bomb, said one shocked woman as she searched

areas, rescuers don t know what they

will

find as through the remains of what used to be her home •

2

Complete

this summary using appropriate forms of

verbs

from the

news

report.

At least 38 people have died, about 100

I) .

..

..

..

.. . .

.

..

. . .

seriously .. .. .. .. .. . .. . . ..

.. .

. ,

and more than 1,000 2) . .

. . . . .

.

homeless in northern Alabama after the area

(3) . . . .. . . . .

by a powerful storm last night. Farms, schools and churches

(4) . .

. .

..

.

..

. .

.

and some people

(5) . . . .

..

.. .

. . . .

. .

in the ruins of their own homes.

Fallen trees 6) . . . . . . . . . . . . roads in some areas, so rescue teams 7) . . . by

helicopter. The effects

of

this storm

8) . . . . .

. .

for years.

56



5 THE PASSIVE

Active and passive

We use an active verb to say what the subject does (1) and a passive verb to say what happens to the

subject (2).

1

After the accident, someone called the police and they arrested the drunk driver.

2 After the accident, the police were called

and

the drunk driver was arrested.

We use the object of an active verb as the subject of a passive verb (3). We can t Create passives from

intransitive verbs (4).

3

We

clear

the

table and wash

the

dishes.

-

The table is cleared and

the

dishes

are

washed.

4 We

swam every day

•

Rick came

later

(NOT

Riek was e8ffie later.)

The passive verb has two parts. We use a form of the verb

be

plus a past participle.

5 You have to rewrite the first paragraph. - The first paragraph has to be rewritten.

We can use a

by-phrase

after the passive verb to say who or what causes the action.

6 My car was repaired

y

ndrew • Some roads

are

blocked

by

fallen trees.

3 Passive tenses: Complete this table with one example of each type of passive

from

the

news

report on

page 56.

resent

simple passive:

am/is/are

past participle

ACTIVE:

You place an order one day and they deliver your groceries the next.

PASSIVE:

n

order is

placed

one day

and

your groceries are delivered the next.

1

resent continuous

passive: am/is/are + being + past participle

ACTIVE:

They are building a new school and creating two new roads for access

PASSIVE: A new school is

being

built and two new roads are

being

created for access

2

resent

perfect passive: have/has been past participle

ACTIVE: I ve prepared the turkey

and

peeled the potatoes.

PASSIVE:

The turkey has been prepared and the potatoes have been peeled.

3

ast simple passive: was/were past participle

ACTIVE:

ir

Canada cancelled our flight and stranded us in Vancouver.

PASSIVE:

Our flight was cancelled and we were stranded in Vancouver.

4

ast continuous passive: was/were being past participle

ACTIVE: They were cleaning the floor

and

washing the windows earlier today.

PASSIVE: The floor was being cleaned and the windows were being washed earlier today.

5

Past

perfect

passive:

had been

past participle

ACTIVE: Everyone had warned me about the weather before I

went

to Scotland.

PASSIVE: I had been warned about the weather before I went to Scotland.

6

Passives with by-phr ases 64 Past participles 220 Transitive and intransitive verbs 6 The uses of the passi

ve

6

57



5 THE PASSNE

Passives with modals, infinitives and gerunds

Modal passives

We

form simple modal passives with a modal (can, may, will, etc. +

be

+ a past participle l).

We

use

could, might, would

+

be

+ a past participle when

we

need to use a past tense 2).

1 The police will arrest violent demonstrators. So ifyou are violent, you will be arrested.

You

can be

kept

in custody for

24

hours and you

may

be questioned about your activities.

2 'The police can't stop us ' The demonstrators claimed that they couldn 't be stopped.

They boasted that although they might be arrested, they wouldn t be silenced.

We form modal perfect passives with a modal have been past participle.

3 Tony didn't study for the test. His answers

~ s t

have been copied from someone

else.

If he had been caught cheating, he

would

have been expelled from school.

We

can form modal continuous passives with a modal

be being

past participle 4).

We

rarely use

these passives. Instead, we use an active or a continuous passive without a modal 5).

4 I see that men are working on the roof today. I think it may be

being

repaired

at last.

5 Perhaps they're repairing

it

at last • I think it's being repaired at last.

We form phrasal modal passives with the present 6) or past 7) of a phrasal modal such as be going

to or have to + be + past participle. We can use two phrasal modals together 8).

6 Someone has to tell Chris to stop interrupting. - Chris has to be

told

to stop interrupting.

Are you going to need this extra paper?

-

Is this extra paper going to be needed?

7 I had to find a place for all the boxes. - A place had to be found for all the

boxes.

Someone was probably going to steal them. - They were probably

going

to be stolen.

8 We're going to have to sell

myoid

car. - Myoid car is going to have to be sold.

Passive infinitives and gerunds

We use to be past participle for the passive infinitive 9) and to have been past participle for the

perfect passive infinitive 10).

9 He's trying to finish the work soon. He expects most of

it

to be finished before the weekend.

10 They have chosen Emily Watson to play the part. She's really excited to have been chosen.

We use being + past participle for the passive gerund 11) and having been + past participle for the

perfect passive gerund 12).

11 He was asking about a lot ofpersonal things. I didn't like being asked about

my

private life.

12 I think they've promoted Tom, but he didn't mention having been promoted when we talked.

We put not before passive infinitives 13) and passive gerunds 14) to form negatives.

13

They didn't invite

us.

It was strange

not

to be invited.

NOT .. .

te be /let im·ited.)

14

No one had informed me about that. I resented

not

having

been informed.

4 Using

inform tion from

the news

report on

page 56,

complete

these sentences with be

to be

eing or

been

and decide

wh t

type of passive each one is.

1 After

.....

.

.....

trapped for hours, they were found alive.

C . .

2 Herds of cattle are nowhere

.. .

. . . . . . . . seen. C .

3 Small teams have had to ........... flown in to some areas. C .

4 Other buildings seem to have . .... .. . . .. blown

away.

C . .

5 If the wind returns, more trees may ...... . .... knocked over. C .

6 Dozens of people could have . ..... ..... buried in there. C .

a Simple modal passive

b Modal perfect passive

c Passive gerund

d Phrasal modal passive

e Passive infinitive

f Perfect passive infinitive

58

Infinitives and gerunds

140

Modals and phrasal modals 29



5 THE PASS

IV

E

omplete this news report with these verbs

in

the passive.

block

close

destroy expect flood njure knock leave report rescue

Many homes

on

the island

of

Jamaica

(I ) . . . .

by hurricane Lester yesterday.

Today, high winds

(2) . .

. . .

.

to bring more rain and problems for the island s residents.

So

me parts

of

the island

3) . . . .

without electricity last night and many roads

4) .

.

. .

by fallen trees that

(5) .

. . .

down during the storm. The area

around Savanna-la-Mar

on

the south coast

(6) . . . .

.

.

.

and some residents have had

(7) .

tram

the raat\>

at

the\.r

hau\>e\>.

Ma\>t \:lU\>\ 1\e\>\>e\> ami

\>ch()()h

\ 1\ ¥:.il\ 6\>ta1\

8) .

.

. today

as

people emerge from their battered homes to survey the damage. More

than 100 people

(9) . . . . . . . . ,

but no deaths

(10 ) .

Complete each sentence with a passive so that it has a similar meani

n

to the one above.

1 You can t see the house from the street.

The house . . . .

.

. .. . . . .

. . . . . . .

2 They won t correct your papers before Friday.

He said

our

papers . .. .. .. .

.. . .

.. . . . . . . .

. . . ... .. .

. . .

3 Someone must have taken the towels

out of

the dryer.

The towels . .

.

.

..

.

. . .

.

. .. . . . .

. . .. .

. . . .

4 Nobody s going to steal your books from this room.

Your books .. ..

.

. . . .. . .. .. .. .. ..... ..

.. . .. . .. .. .

5 People were telling me what to do a

ll

the time and I didn t enjoy it.

I didn t enjoy . .. . . .. . .

Choose one passive verb phrase for each space in these sentences from a report on the

use

o

DNA testing by the police) .

is also called has also been used

is believed have been shown

was released had been sentenced

can

e

used

m y have been convicted

would never have been solved

DNA

is

the chemical in the

cell

s

of

plants and animals which carries inherited characteristics,

or

genetic information. DNA testing

(I ) . .

.

: . .

.

to identify each person

as

a

unique individual

on

the basis

of

that genetic information.

It (2) . . . . . .

genetic fingerprinting . The results

of

DNA testing are now being accepted as evidence in cases where

it

3) . . . .

that the wrong person

4) . . . .

of

a crime.

In recent years, more than seventy people

(5)

• • •

•

. .

to be innocent

through DNA testing. Many

of

those people 6) .

. .

. .

. .

.

. to life in prison.

In one case, a

man

(7) after nineteen years in prison. DNA testing

8) . • . • . . •

in some murder cases that

9) . . . . .

without it.

59



5 THE PASSIVE

Passive verbs

Verbs with

and

without objects

We create passives from verbs which can have objects (transitive verbs) (1), not from verbs which

don t have objects (intransitive verbs) (2) .

1 He

repaired the bike. Then he painted it. -

The bike

was repaired. Then it was painted.

2 Nothing happened

• We

arrived e

arl

y. (NOT

We were

arrived

earl):)

We usually create passives from verbs which describe actions (3) , not states (4).

3 They scored a goal in the last five minutes. - A

goal

was scored in the last five minutes.

4

My

sister has two sons

. • That

belongs

to

me.

(NOT That

is

belenged

te me.)

There are a few verbs that we usually use in the passive.

5 Her parents were married in 1983 and she was born two years later.

We create passives from transitive phrasal verbs (6) , not from intransitive phrasal verbs (7).

6

She locked her

house

up. They

broke

into it. - Her house was locked up. It was broken into.

7

Friends

came over later • My cold went away. (NOT

}, fy celd

was gene

awa):)

Verbs

with

two objects

We can create two passive structures when we use those verbs which can have an indirect object

(Maria)

and a direct object

(first prize).

8

The

y awarded Maria first prize.

-

Maria was awarded first prize.

9

They awarded first prize to Maria. - First prize was awarded to Maria.

Other

verbs like this include: give, hand, lend, pass, sell, send, show, teach, throw, wri te

The passive structure we choose

depends

on which person

or

thing we

want

to talk about.

1 No one taught us English. - English wasn't taught there . R We weren't taught English.

In

the passive, we put the indirect object as subject or after the preposition to , not after

the

verb.

11

He

handed

Cecilia

a

note.

- Cecilia

was

handed a

note.

R

A note

was

handed to Cecilia.

(NOT A nete i, as htlltded

Cecilia.)

When

a verb

with

two objects is used in

only one

active structure, we can

only

create

one

passive.

If

we can put

the

indirect object after

the

active verb, we can use it as subject

of the

passive.

12 The judge fined him £250. (NOT The judge filled

£2se

te

hi/H.)

- He was fined £250.

(NOT £ Se

was

filled te him.)

If

we

can t

put

the

indirect object after

the

active verb, we can t use it

as

subject of

the

passive.

13 Then we explained our solutions to him. - Then our solutions were explained to him.

(NOT explained him eur selutiens.) (NOT He ~ a s e plained eur

selutieHS.)

Other

verbs used like this include:

demonstrate,

describe,

mention,

present, report, suggest

We

can use a direct object

as

subject of a passive, but not another noun

that

classifies it.

14

Many people considered John Nash a genius. - John Nash was considered a genius.

15

They elected Clinton President

twice.

- Clinton was elected President

twice.

(NOT President

was elected

Clinten twice.)

6

Indi

rec

t objects 8 Phrasal verbs 134 Transitive and intransitive verbs 6



5 THE

PASS

IVE

8 Rewrite each sentence with the verbs in the passive where possible.

1 Someone saw Erin outside the theatre as she was waiting to go in. She had a new hairstyle.

2 Karen

feels

sad because they didn t promote her and she has to carry on as

if

nothing happened.

3 He throws the ball to Evans. Evans tries to go past Jennings, but Jennings stops him. It s a foul.

9 Using a dictionary if necessary choose an adjective for each space and choosea b or

both as correct sentences.

illegible

impossible

in udible

inexplic ble

knowledge ble

/

return ble

reus ble

unspe k ble

Example: It

says

here that your deposit isn t .. r-e:tur:no.

.6

\e

.

..

... .

a It won t be given back. / b

You

won t be given back. .. .

1 He doesn t think it s .. .. ..

.. . to sell ice to Eskimos.

a He thinks they can be sold ice. . .. b He thinks ice can be sold them.

2 His sudden disappearance remains . . .. . .

We

have

no

idea what happened.

a

We

can t be explained. . .. b It can t be explained. . . .

3 They think Ted Green

is

more . . about orchids than anyone else.

a n expert is considered Ted Green. . . . b Ted Green is considered an expert.

4 She couldn t read

us

the note because

of

his . . .. .

.. . .. .. .. . handwriting.

a We couldn t be read. b It couldn t be read.

5 His first two or three sentences were .

. .. ..

. . .. .. .. . , but he soon got more confident.

a He spoke up. b He was spoken up. . ..

6 None

of us

will ever understand the . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . suffering

of

the refugees.

a We can never be described.

b It can never be described.

7

You

can have one

of

these . .

. .. . .

.

.. . envelopes to send Marta the magazine.

a Marta can be sent the magazine. b The magazine can be sent to Marta.

10 Editing. Correct the mistakes

in

this text.

The Christmas I remember best from my childhood was-happened when I was about five just after

my younger sister born. Lots of people were come to our house with presents for I gave the job

of

taking the gifts and saying Thank you . As each guest was arrived, I handed boxes or bags which

filled with things that wrapped in Christmas paper. I told which ones were for me and which ones

had to be place in a pile for my new sister.

So

many presents brought for us. I will never forget the

experience of given so much. It really was a very special Christmas.

61



5

THE PASS

[

VE

The uses of the passive

Write the

numbers of appropriate

examples in the

spaces on this

and the opposite page

Focusing on what is done and who is affected

We

use passives when we describe a process by talking about what

is

done, not who does it , and

when we report events,

but

we don t know, or it s

not

important, who performed the actions

1

Wine

is

made from grapes • Oranges are grown in Spain • Oil has to be imported.

2

My

bag was stolen

•

Some

trees

have been

cut

down

•

I think the old road

has

been repaired.

We use passives to talk about the subject

as

the person

or

thing affected by the action , often when

that subject is the topic

of

two or more sentences .We can use passives for several actions that

affect the same subject in a single sentence

3

Two

old people were attacked in the park

•

A tourist was robbed

•

I

wasn t

badly injured.

4

After registration, courses

cannot

be added, dropped or changed without permission.

5

The house is still for

sale

It

was

built in 1928. It

was

completely renovated in

2002

The same subject can be used with different tenses: It

was

built

in

1928

and is being renovated.

In informal situations, we use indefinite pronouns such

as someone

and generic pronouns such

as

they or you plus active verbs more than passives.

6

Someone stole my bag • They make wine from grapes • You should wash fresh fruit.

We can also use

one, but

it

is very formal:

One should always wash fresh fruit.

Impersonal style

We often use passives when general information

is

presented in an impersonal way not intended

for a particular person). For example, passives are o t ~ n used in rules and warning notices , in

descriptions

of

procedures, especially in research reports , and other types

of

formal written

reports where personal reference 1, we) is typically avoided

7 Twenty students were given a test in which they were asked

to

answer

100

questions.

8 In the past year, two new computers were purchased and some old furniture was replaced.

9 Parking is prohibited • Cars will be towed away • Trespassers will be prosecuted.

We can use passives when

we

want to avoid personal commands and to avoid implying that

we

are only talking about ourselves

or our

personal actions

10 I can t do all this work in one day.

-

All this work can t be done in one day

11 You

must remove your shoes before entering. -

Shoes must be removed before entering.

12 Rewrite

these

library rules using active

verbs with y u

as

subject.

Reference books can only be consulted in the library. Special permission must be obtained to use

them outside the library.

All

books should be returned on time

or

a fine will have to be paid. If the

fine

is

not paid, borrowing rights will be lost. Library books may not be borrowed for others

or

given

to others. If a book is lost, the cost

of

replacement must be paid.

62

Ge

neric pronouns 97 Indefinite pronouns 98 Subjects and verbs 4



5

THE

PASSIVE

Reporting in the passive

We can

use reporting verbs

in

the passive when we

don t

kriow,

or don t

want to mention, the speaker

of statements and questions or

of

orders and requests in infinitives

12

We

were instructed

to

wait here • I was asked

to

work late on several occasions.

13 I was told that everyone had passed • Some students were asked if they were communists.

We

can use reporting verbs

in

the passive after

empty

subject

it

to distance ourselves from the

reported information . We can use this structure with verbs such as claim or imply when we are

not sure

i f

the information

is

reliable

14

It is often

said

that ch ildren can learn foreign languages more easily than adults.

15 -It was claimed that Sandy

had

stolen something. It was also implied that-he was lazy

Note that these passive reporting verbs are followed by a that-clause. (NOT It

Wti

repf rff:ti ttpfflblel1l.)

Other

verbs used in this structure include: allege, assert, hint, report, state, suggest, suspect

We can use empty subject

it

before a reporting verb such as mention in the passive.

16 Someone mentioned (to me) that he was Irish. - t was mentioned (to me) that he was Irish.

(NOT Sf mefJIfe merti if r teti me lt t i he ,I> /itS

Irish

.) (NOT I

Wti

l1lertiifJIfeti ihtti he ,I> /itS

Irish.)

We

can use a present passive reporting verb plus an infinitive as a way

of

distancing ourselves from

the truth of a

current

report . We can use a past passive reporting verb plus a perfect infinitive for

a report of something in the past

17 The rebels are near the capital. - The rebels are reported to be near the capital.

18 She inherited a lot ofmoney. - She was rumoured to have inherited a lot ofmoney.

We can use a passive reporting verb between

There and

to be to repor t the existence of something.

19 There are lots ofproblems - There are said to be lots ofproblems. (NOT There

sttiti

ffi he

...

)

20 There were reported

to

be thousands of refugees in camps all along the

border

Note

that tell

is

not

used

in

this

way

(NOT There were

ffilti

if

be

ihmtSttlftis

of

refugees . ..

13

Complete

these

sentences

,

using approp

riate

forms

of

these verbs

in

combination.

not mention / receive report / die / request / keep

sa

y /

be

tell / not use

Example: Dog owners .

\ r : ~ t9

€ : p . their dogs

under

control in the park.

1 There . .. ...... .. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .... . . . . . . .. . . . .. . .. . . . more sheep

than

people in some par ts of Scotland.

2 The students .... .. .. . . . . ...... . . .. . . . . .

.. .

.

.. .

. .. . .

.. .

.... their computers yesterday because of a virus.

3 Mr Harman s first wife .. . . .. . .

....

. . . .. .. . . . ...... . . . .. .. .. . . . .

....

in a boating accident two years ago.

4 It .. . . . .. .. .

....

. . . .. . . ...... . . . earlier, but six more applications .. . . . ....... . ....... . ...... . .. last week.

14 Rewrite these

sentences with

ver

bs

in

the

passive, where

possible

.

People have claimed

that

they cannot use tasks successfully with beginner level students. I designed

the following study so that I could investigate that claim. I created two groups of students, each with

different proficiency levels. I gave

them

a task in which I showed them a set of pictures and I asked

them

to tell a story. I recorded

them as

they spoke

and then

I examined their stories.

Empty subject it

102

Repo rting verbs 152 That·clauses 161

63



5 THE PASSIVE

Passives with by-phrases and ergatives

Passives

with

by-phrases

The agent is the person or thing that does

or

causes the action. In active sentences, the agent is the

subject (1).

In

passive sentences, we don t usually

mention

the agent. We

can

include the agent in

a by-phrase after the verb when the meaning is

not

complete

without

it (2) or for emphasis

and

contrast

(3). We

don t

usually include

pronouns or

nouns

with

general

meaning

such

as

people

in

a

by-phrase (4).

1

Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. any famous actors have played the title role.

2 Hamlet was written by Shakespeare. (NOT Hamlet WtlS writte1t.)

The title role has been played by many famous actors.

(NOT

The

title

Fele htls been pltiJ ed

.)

3 Was the Mona Lisa painted by Michelangelo

or

(by) Leonardo da Vinci?

4 WelPeople store equipment in the basement. - Equipment

is

stored in the basement.

We

can

use a by-phrase for information about causes (5) and the method of

doing

something (6).

5 The girl was bitten by a snake • Flu is caused by a virus and can t be cured by antibiotics.

6 The temperature can

be

controlled by

adjusting

the thermostat.

We use a by-

phrase

for

the

agent

of

an

action

and

a

with-phrase

for

the thing

used to

perform

that

action

(7). After verbs

such

as cover or decorate

used

in the passive in descriptions, we typically use a

with-phrase rather

than a

by-phrase (8).

7 The rescue was

filmed by

a man with a video camera • The box was locked with a gold key.

8 The Christmas tree was covered with ornaments and decorated with lights.

(NOT Flie

tree WtlS deeBrated bylig, Its.)

Other

verbs used

in the

passive plus with include: align, associate, crowd, fill

15 Complete these sentences from an article about Shakespeare)

with appropriate forms of the verbs, plus

y or

with

where necessary.

consider establish experience fill perform not write

e

0be

1 Shakespeare was born

in

1564 and

.......

.

.......

.. .. . . many to be the greatest English writer.

2 His early reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

writing

and

appearing

in his own plays.

3 His plays .. . .. .

.. .

.. . ..

.. . ....

interesting characters and memorable speeches.

4 Today,

at the

new Globe Theatre,

the

plays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

in

conditions similar to those

which

.. .

. .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

audiences

in

Shakespeare s time.

5

Some people

have claimed that many of the plays . . . . . . . . .

.. .

.. ..

.. .

. . Shakespeare.

Ergatives

Ergatives are transitive verbs that are

used

without

an

object (9). We use ergatives to say that

an

action simply happens, without an agent. We

sometimes

use ergatives instead of passives (10).

9 The park closes

at

six

•

The door suddenly

opened

.

10

The park is closed (by the guard) at six • The door was suddenly opened.

We

can

use ergatives when we want to describe natural processes and changes (11)

or

to describe

actions,

but not

mention

a cause (12) .

11 The snow is

melting •

This material won t shrink

•

The river has dried up this summer.

12

Exchange rates stabilized yesterday • I don t know how

it

happened, but the string broke.

We

don t

use reflexive

pronouns

with ergatives.

(NOT

The

string

bFeke itself.)

Other verbs

used

like this include:

burst,

crack, crash, grow, increase, shake, start

64

By or with 132 Reflexive pronouns 1 Transitive verbs 6



5

THE

PASSIVE

Passives with g t

We

can use get + past participle 1) instead

of

be + past participle (2) as a passive, usually in informal

situations.

1 I'll get

paid

on Friday • My books got damaged when the basement got flooded last year.

2 I'll be paid on Friday • My books were

damaged

when the basement was flooded last year.

We use auxiliary do in passives with get when we form questions or negatives.

3

Why

does Susan

get

asked to go to all the parties? We don't get invited to any

of

them

We often use passives with

get

for unexpected events (4)

and

difficult

or

bad

experiences (5).

4 Professor Brown got stuck in traffic so her lecture got moved till later in the afternoon.

5 Did anyone get injured? Some people got hurt. They were lucky they didn t get killed.

Others like this include: get arrested, get broken get caught, get divorced, get smashed

16 Choose n ending a-d) for each

beginning

1-4) and add these verbs.

get beaten up

get caught

reacted

were defeated

were reported

were smashed

1 After their team

....

.. .............. . 2- 0 by a

local rival

on

Wednesday night,

C

J

were stolen

were treated

a but

no

serious injuries . . . . . .. . . . ... . .. . .... ,

according to the police.

2 Several shop windows .. . .. . .. . . .. .. . . ..... C.J

b Of course not; he explained. 'Because nobody

wants to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... by those hooligans.'

3 Did any of the thieves . . . . ..

........

.. . . . .. ?'

c and items such as televisions, radios

and

asked

one

shop owner

in

frustration. C.

J

cameras . . ..... . . . . . . . . . .... .

4 Some people .. . .. .. .. .. . . . . .... . .

in

hospital d angry football fans ..

.......

.. .... . .... .

for

minor

cuts

and

bruises, C

J

violently.

17 Add appropriate forms

of

these verbs to the text. Then in the space below, write those

expressions if

any) that are used in the text

to identify

the agents

of

these verbs.

carry crash explode hand Injure knock open run shake stop / tell

When I was

in

Ireland, people often . .. . . . . .

. .....

me

that

I was lucky. I remember one time,

years ago, when I was sitting with friends in the Emerald Arms, Belfast. The door suddenly

(I)

. .

. .

..

. . .

. .

.

and a voice called out, 'Bomb Get out ' Conversations (2) . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

instantly as everyone

and

everything suddenly moved. Glasses and bottles 3) . . . . . . . . to

the floor. As I started to get

up

from my seat, I (4) . .

..

. . . .

. . . down. I struggled to my feet

and then

I 5) . . . .

..

..

along by the surging crowd towards the back door. I was pushed

out

of the door backwards by the force of the people behind me. Then I just

6) . . . . .

. . .. . . .

like everyone else until I reached a crowd

at

the

end

of

the street.As I stood there waiting, an old

woman

told me

that

there was blood

on

my cheek. We waited, but no

bomb

(7) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . ,

no walls

8) . . . . . . . . . . .

.

. .

. . . . and no

windows shattered into a

thousand

pieces. I wiped the

blood

from my cheek with a piece of cloth that (9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to me by the old woman. I thanked

her. 'It's just a scratch; she said. 'You're lucky you didn't (10) .. . . . .

. . . . . . seriously

Agents: (Example) . .P.epp.\/?)

. ..... .. . ... . ...

... .. .. ... ... . .... ... ...... . . .... ..... .. . .... . ..... .. .

65



5 THE PASSIVE

ests

A Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.

1

We were told to put it where it

was

usually _ _ _ _

a belonged b fit ch d d stored

2 It wasn t the first time they had been _ how it worked.

a taught b reported c explained d described

3 DNA tests accepted in court cases.

a are known b were used c have been d

will

have

4 Something happened or they would be here by now.

a must b must be c must have d must have been

5 There to be serious

flaws

in the design.

a claimed b reported c were said d were told

S Identify the one underlined expression A, S, C or D) that must be changed in order to

correct these sentences.

1 When he said they weren t going to get engaged because they were getting married right

away

I

A B

assumed he wasn t already got married,

but

I didn t know he had just got divorced that day.

e

D

2 No one died,

but

four people were injured and had to be taken to hospital after a small plane

A B

e

was

crashed near Dublin last night.

D

3 The main door couldn t be opened.

It

had been locked by a special key that the caretaker

A B

didn t have. He had been given a large set of

keys

but none of them fitted the main door.

e

D

4 The sign said parking was prohibited, but my car wasn t left there more than five minutes while I

A B

ran to pick up the shoes were repaired at Mendems, but I was given a parking ticket anyway.

e D

5 A new company has taken over the office which located next to yours and it s going to be

A B

redecorated after it s been cleaned up a bit.

e

D

C Complete this text with appropriate passive forms

o

these verb phrases plus

by

if

necessary.

believe bite consider c n cure experience recommend

m y

s y

A hangover

is

the unpleasant physical feeling which (1) the day after drinking

too much alcohol. The expression a hair of the dog that bit you refers to another drink of alcohol

that you might have to help you recover from a hangover. In the past, it (2)

that, if you

3)

a mad dog, you

4) _ _ _ _ _ _

placing a hair from

that dog

on

the wound. This treatment

5)

widely _ _ _

doctors up to the middle

of

the eighteenth century, but it

6) _ _

no longer

_ effective. The same

7) _ _ _ _ _ _

about trying to use more

alcohol as a cure for a hangover.

66



5 THE PASSIVE

Complete each sentence n such a way that it is as similar as possible n meaning to the

sentence above it

1

They didn t

build

Rome

in

a day.

There s a saying

that

Rome _ _

_

_ _ _ _

_ _

2

They

have collected the tests

and

checked the answers.

The tests _ _

_

3 A bee sting is

more

likely

to

cause death these days

than

a snake bite.

Death _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4

t

was reported

that

there were serious problems with the

new

design.

There _

5 No

one

gave us instructions or showed us

what

to do.

e

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

E Choose one verb phrase from each pair to ill each space n the text

a

re

feeding

c

re

being

c used

e

being hit

g

brought

b

re

being fed d h ve

c used

f h ving hit h w s brought

i

died k frightened

m

h ve

driven

o

to t ke

j w s died

1 w s

frightened n

h ve been driven

p

to be t ken

Thailand has a

problem with

unemployed elephants which (I

) _ _ _ _

on to the

streets by the country s economic crisis and a loss of traditional employment. Many of

them

(2) by

tourists who like

(3) photographs

of them.

Major traffic problems (4)

by

homeless elephants wandering the streets.

Traffic

5)

to

a standstill

one

day by a raging bull elephant which

6) by

the

sounds

of

motorcycles

and

cars.

Another

elephant

7) after 8)

by

a car in Bangkok last

month.

7



Unit 5 The passive

1

will

find (line 28); were found (line 42) have

been moving ( lin e 23); had

been

moved

(line 16 )

2 1 have been

...

injured

2 have been left

3 was

hit

4 were (OR have been) des troyed

5 were

(O

Rhave been ) buried/trapped

6 have blocked

7 have had to be flown in

8 are going to be felt

3 1

the

apple blossoms that

are

always shaken

loose from th e trees (line 4)

4

5

OR and (are) blown along the country roads

(line 6)

OR Th e scenes

of

devastation th is morning

are described by one rescue worker as

' like the

end

of the world' (lin e 21)

2 Th

e na

me

s

of

all victims

are bei

n g withheld

until their famili

es

can be notified

(line 47)

3 For

as

long as people ca n remember. small

towns

... have been hit by

s

torm

s every

spring (line 1)

OR . . the roads have been blocked by

dozens

of

fallen trees (line 26)

OR

About

100 people have

been

ser iou sly

injUl ed (line 50)

OR

more than 1,000 have been left homeless

(line 51)

4 the Clintons were found alive by rescuers

thi s morning (line 42)

OR

Tragically, they

were

bo th killed

when

part

of

a wall crashed through the floor

on top of them (line 45)

5 Other buildings where tractors and

equipment were being stored seem to have

been completely blown away (line

18

)

6 Herds

of

cattle that h

ad

been

moved

in to

barns

for safety are nowhere to be seen,

nor

are th e barns (line 16)

I being (c) 2 to (e) 3 be (d)

4 been f) 5 be k) 6 been (b)

were destroyed

2 are expected

3 were left

4 are blocked

(OR

were blocked

OR

have

bee n blocked)

5 were knocked

6 was flooded

(OR

is flooded )

228

7 to be

re

scued

8 are closed

9 were injured

(OR

have been injured

OR

are

injured)

10

were reported

(OR

have been re

port

ed)

6 The

hou

se can't

be

seen from the

st

reet

7

2 He said our papers wouldn t

(OR

won't) be

corrected before Friday.

3 The towels must have been taken out

of

the

dryer.

4 Your b

oo

ks aren't going to be stol en from

this room.

S I

didn

't enjoy being told what to do all th e

time .

I

can

be

used

2

is also called

3 is believed

4

may have

been

convicted

5 have been s

hown

6

had been sentenced

7

was released

8

has also been used

9

wo uld never have been solved

8 Erin was seen outside the theatre as she was

waiting to go in. She had a new hairstyle .

2 Karen fee ls sad because she wasn't promoted

(OR

hasn t been promoted) and she has to

carry

on as

if nothing happened.

3

Th

e ball

is

thr

own to

Eva

ns

(OR

Eval1s

is

thrown the ball). Evans tries to go past

}ennings, but

he

is stopped (by Jennings).

It

s a foul.

9 1 impossible (a)

3 knowledgeable (b)

5 inaudible (a)

7 reusable (a), (b )

2 inexplicable Cb)

4 illegible (b)

6 unspeakable (b)

10

just after my younger sister geffl > was

born

Lots

of

people wefe ceme > came

I

gtl¥e

th

e j

ob

> was given

As each guest was arrived > arrived

I handed boxes> was handed

which

ftIle

with

things

were

fill

ed

that 'Nral'lped in Christmas paper > were

wrapped

I tekl which ones> was told

and which ones

had te

be place >

had

to be

placed (OR I had to place)

So

many

presen ts

hF01:l

gR t for us > were

broug

ht

th

e experience

of

gi¥eFt

so

mu

ch >

be

in

g given



( -

11

what is done, not

who

does it [1]

we don t know .. . who performed th e

actions 1

the person

or

th ing affected by the action [3]

that

subject is the topic

of

two or

more

sentences [SI

several actions that affect the same subject in a

single sentence

14J

rules and warning notices

[9

1

procedu

re

s, especially in research reports

PI

formal written r

epor

ts [8]

to av

oid

personal commands [11 J

to avoid implying that we are

on

ly talking

about

ourselves [10]

the speaker

of

sta tements and

qu

es

ti

ons [1

3J

of orders and requests in infiniti

ves

[1

2J

to distance ourselves from the reported

in fo

rm

ation [14J

not sure if the in formation is rel

ia

ble [151

a

current report

[17/

a report of so meth ing in the

pa

st [18]

12 You can only consult reference books in the

library.

You must obtain special

perm

ission to use

them outside

th

e library.

You should

return

all books

on

time or you

will have to pay a fine.

If you do no t pay the fine . yo u will lose

borrowing rights.

You

ma

y

not borrow

li

brary books

for others

or

give them to

others.

f you lose a book. yo u mu st pay the cos t of

replace

ment.

13 1

ar

e (OR were) sa id to be

2

were told not to use

3 is (OR was) reported to have died

4 wasn t mentioned . . . were received

14 t has been claimed that tasks cann

ot

be used

successfully with beginner level s

tudent

s.

The

followi

ng

study was des igned

so

that

that

claim could be

in

vestigated.

Two groups of students were created, each

with diffe

rent

proficiency levels.

They were given a task in which they were

sh

own

a set

of

pictures

and

asked to tell a

story. (OR A task was given to them .. . a set of

pictures was shown to them ... they were

as ked)

They were r

ecor

ded as they spoke

and

th en

their stories were examined.

15 1 is considered by

2 was established by

3 are fill ed with

4 are performed

...

were experienced by

5 were

not

written by

16

1

were defeated (d) reacted

2 were smashed (c) were stolen

3 ge

t

ca

ught (b ) get beaten

up

4 were treated (a) w

er

e reported

17 1

opene

d

3 crashed

2 stopped

4

was knocked

5 was carr ied 6 ran

7 expl

oded

8 sh

ook

9 was handed

10

get . . . injured

Agents: (5) the surging crowd, (6) I, (9) the

old

woman

Tests

A I d 2 a 3 c 4 c 5 c

8 C (married )

2 D (cras

hed

)

3 B (w ith a special key)

4 C (being repaired OR which were being

repaired OR which had been repaired)

S B

(was

OR

is located)

C 1 is experienced

2 was believed (OR c

on

sidered)

3

were bitten by

(OR had

been bitten b

y

4 could be cu red by

S was

... re

commended by

6 is

...

considered

(OR

believed)

7

may

(OR

might) be said

o 1 Th ere s a saying

that

Rome wasn t built in a

d

ay.

2 Th e tests have been co

ll

ected

and

th e

an swers (have been) checked.

3 Death is more likely to be caused by a bee

sting than

a

snake bite these days.

4 There were reported to be se

riou

s problems

with the new design.

S

We weren t given instructions

or shown

what to d

o. (OR

We were given no

inst ructions

...

OR We weren t given any

inst ructions

...

)

ln 2 b 3 4 c S h 6 1 7 i

8 e

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