Study this example This house was built in 1961. Was built is passive. ‘Compare active and passive: Somebody built thishouse in 1961. (active) subject object This house was built in 1961. (passive) subject ‘When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does: My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1961, It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people ‘When we use a passive verb, we say what happens to the subject: ‘How old is this house?’ ‘It was built in 1961." ‘Two hundred people are employed by the company. ‘When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant: A lot of money was stolen in the robbery. (somebody stole it, but we don't know who) Is this room cleaned every day? (does somebody clean it? it's not important who) If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by: This house was built by my grandfather. ‘Two hundred people are employed by the company, The passive is be (is/was etc.) + past participle (done/cleaned/seen etc.) (be)done (be) cleaned (be) damaged —(be) built —_(be) seenetc. For irregular past participles (done/seen/known etc), see Appendix 1 Study the active and passive forms of the present simple and past simple: Present simple active clean(s)/ see(s) etc. Somebody cleans this room every day. passive amiis/are + cleaned/seen etc. This room is cleaned every day. Many accidents are caused by careless driving. I'm not invited to parties very often. How is this word pronounced? Past simple active cleaned/saw etc Somebody cleaned this room yesterday. passive was/were + cleaned/seen etc This room was cleaned yesterday. ‘We were woken up by 2 loud noise during the night. "Did you go to the party?" ‘No, | wasn’t invited.’ How much money was stolen in the robbery?Exercises @ Complete the sentences using one of these verbs in the correct form, present or past: couse damage hold invite make overtake show surround translate write 1 Many accidents are caused. — by dangerous driving 2 Cheese from mitk 3 The roof of the building ina storm a few days ago. 4 You to the wedding. Why didn’t you go? 5 Acinemais a place where films 6 Inthe United States, elections for president every four years 7 Originally the book in Spanish, and a few years ago it into English, 8 Although we were driving fast, we bya lot of other cars. 9 You can't see the house from the road. It by trees. © write questions using the passive. Some are present and some are past. 1 Ask about glass. (how /make?) How is glass made? 2 Ask about television. (when / invent?) 3 Ask about mountains. (how / form?) 4 Ask about antibiotics. (when / discover?) 5 Ask about silver. (what /use for?) GZ “xt the verb into the correct form, present simple or past simple, active or passive 1 It’sabig factory. Five hundred people are employed _ (employ) there. 2 Did somebody dean (somebody / clean) this room yesterday? 3 Water (cover) most of the earth's surface. 4 How much of the earth’s surface (cover) by water? 5 The park gates (lock) at 6.30 p.m. every evening. 6 The letter (send) a week ago and it (arrive) yesterday. 7 The boat hit a rock and (sink) quickly. Fortunately everybody (rescue) 8 Robert's parents (die) when he was very young. He and his sister (bring up) by their grandparents, 9 | was born in London, but | (grow up) in Canada 10. While | was on holiday, my camera (steal) from my hotel room 11 While | was on holiday, my camera (disappear) from my hotel room. 12 Why (Sue / resign) from her job? Didn't she enjoy it? 13 Why (Ben / fire) from his job? Did he do something wrong? 14 The company isnot independent. It (own) by a much larger company. 1S. | saw an accident last night. Somebody (call) an ambulance but nobody (injure), so the ambulance (not / need). 16 Where (these pictures / take)? In London? (you / take) them, or somebody else? 17 Sometimes it's quite noisy living here, but it's not a problem for me ~ I (not / bother) by it. EB Rewrite these sentences. instead of using somebody, they, people etc, write a passive sentence. 1. Somebody cleans the room every day. The. room is leaned. every day 2 They cancelled al flights because of fog. All 3 People don’t use this road much. 4 Somebody accused me of stealing money. | 5 How do people learn languages? How 6 People warned us not to go out alone. 85Study the following active and passive forms: Infinitive active (to) do/elean/see etc. Somebody will clean this room later. passive (to) be + done/cleaned/seen etc. This room will be cleaned later. The situation is serious. Something must be done before it’s too late A mystery is something that can’t be explained The music was very loud and could be heard from a long way away. Anew supermarket is going to be built next year. Please go away. | want to be left alone Perfect infinitive active (to) have + done/cleaned/seen etc. Somebody should have cleaned the room pessive (to) have been + done/cleaned/seen etc. The room should have been cleaned. | should have received the letter by now. It might have been sent to the wrong address if you had locked the car, it wouldn't have been stolen, There were some problems at first, but they seem to have been solved Present perfect active have/has + done etc. The room looks nice. Somebody has cleaned it passive _have/has been + done etc. The room looks nice. It has been cleaned. Have you heard? The trip has been cancelled. ) Have you ever been bitten by a dog? ‘Are you going to the party?’ ‘No, | haven't been invite Past perfect active had + done etc. The room looked nice. Somebody had cleaned it passive had been + done etc. The room looked nice. It had been cleaned. The vegetables didn’t taste good. They had been cooked too long. The car was three years old, but hadn't been used very much Present continuous active am/is/are + (do)ing Somebody is cleaning the room at the moment. passive am/is/are + being (done) The room is being cleaned at the moment. There’s somebody walking behind us. | think we are being followed. (ina shop) ‘Can {help you?’ ‘No, thanks. I'm being served.’ Past continuous active was/were + (do)ing Somebody was cleaning the room when | arrived pessive was/were + being (done) The room was being cleaned when | arrived. There was somebody walking behind us. | think we were being followed. (Passive 1.3 Units 42,44Exercises GHP whet do these words mean? Use it can If something is rit can’t .... Use a dictionary if necessary. 1 washable, it can be washed 4 unusable, 2 unbreakable, it . 5 invisible, 3 edible, - 6 portable, (© complete these sentences with the following verbs (in the correct form): arrest carry cause de = make repair. «send. = spend wake up Sometimes you need have (might have, should have etc.). 1 The situation is serious. Something must be done _ before it’s too late. 2 I should have received the letter by now. It might have been sent _ to the wrong address. 3 A decision will not. until the next meeting. 4 Doyou think that more money should oon education? 5. This road is in very bad condition. It should allong time ago 6 The injured man couldn't walk and had to 7 {told the hotel receptionist | wanted to at 6.30 the next morning 8 Ifyou hadn't pushed the policeman, you wouldn't 9. It’s not certain how the fire started, but it might by an electrical fault SBD Rewrite these sentences, instead of using somebody or they etc,, write a passive sentence. 1. Somebody has cleaned the room. The room has been cleaned. 2 Somebody is using the computer right now. The computer 3 I didn’t realise that somebody was recording our conversation. | didn’t realise that 4. When we got to the stadium, we found that they had cancelled the game. When we got to the stadium, we found that 5. They are building a new ring road round the city. 6 They have built 2 new hospital near the airport. EB Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive. 1 There's somebody behind us. (|think / we / follow) | think we're. being followed. This room looks different. (you / paint / the walls?) Have you painted, the walls? My car has disappeared. (it / steal!) it My umbrella has disappeared. (somebody / take) Somebody ‘Sam gets a higher salary now. (he / promote) He Ann can’t use her office this week. (it / redecorate) It There was a problem with the photocopier yesterday, but now it’s OK. (it / work) It again. (it / repair) It 8 When | went into the room, | saw that the table and chairs were not in the same place. (the furniture / move) The 9 Aneighbour of mine disappeared six months ago. (he / not / see / since then) He 10. I wonder how Jane is these days. (|/ not / see / for ages) \ 11_ A friend of mine was mugged on his way home a few nights ago. (you / ever / mug?) Nouwsun > Additional exercises 22-24 (pages 314-15) 87Iwas offered ... / we were given ... etc. Some verbs can have two objects. For example, give: Somebody gave the police the information. (= somebody gave the information to the police) object 1 object 2 So it is possible to make two passive sentences: The police were given the information. or The information was given to the police. Other verbs which can have two objects are: ask offer pay show teach _ tell When we use these verbs in the passive, most often we begin with the person: I've been offered the job, but | don't think I'll acceptit. (= they have offered me the job) You will be given plenty of time to decide. (= we will give you plenty of time) | didn’t see the original document but | was shown a copy. (= somebody showed me.) Tim has an easy job — he’s paid a lot of money to do very little. (= they pay him a lot) I don’t like being The passive of doing/seeing etc. is being done / being seen etc. Compare active | don't like people telling me what to do. passive | don't like being told what to do. | remember being taken to the zoo when | was a child. (= remember somebody taking me to the z00) Steve hates being kept waiting. {= he hates people keeping him waiting) ‘We managed to climb over the wall without being seen, (= without anybody seeing us) Iwas born ... We say I was born ..." (not | am born}: I was born in Chicago. ees Where were you born? (not Where are you born?) | °* but How many babies are born every day? present Get You can use get instead of be in the passive: There was a fight at the party, but nobody got hurt. (= nobody was hurt) I don't get invited to many parties. (= I’m not invited) I'm surprised Liz didn't get offered the job. (= Liz wasn't offered the job) We use get only when things happen. For example, you cannot use get in these sentences: Jessica is liked by everybody. (not gets liked — this is not a ‘happening’) Peter was a mystery man. Very little was known about him. (not got known) We use get mainly in informal spoken English. You can use be in all situations. ‘We also use get in the following expressions (which are not passive in meaning): get married, get divorced get dressed (= put on your clothes) get lost (= not know where you are) get changed (= change your clothes) Passive 1-2 - Units 42-43Exercises GBD write these sentences in another way, be; 1 They didn’t give me the information | needed. 1 wasn't gwen the information | needed. 2 They asked me some difficult questions at the interview, i 3 Amys colleagues gave her a present when she retired. Amy 4 Nobody told me about the meeting. I wasn't 5 How much will they pay you for your work? How much will you 6 I think they should have offered Tom the job, I think Tom 7 Has anybody shown you what to do? Have you 1g in the way shown, GSD complete the sentences using being + the following verb: give invite -keep- knockdown stick treat the correct form): 1 Steve hates being kept waiting. 2 We went to the party without 3 ike giving presents and | also like them, 4 It’s. busy road and I don't like crossing it. I'm afraid of 5 I'm an adult. | don't like like a child. 6 You can't do anything about ina traffic jam. GD wren were they born? Choose five of these people and write a sentence for each. (Two of them were born in the same year.) Ludwig van Beethoven Mahatma Gandhi Elvis Presley 1452 1869-1935 Walt isney- Michael Jackson William Shakespeare «1564. «3904-1958 Galileo Martin Luther King Leonardo da Vinci 17701929 1 Walt Disney was bom in 1901 2 3 4 5 6 T Andyou? | ED complete the sentences using get/got + the following verbs (in the correct form): ask damage hurt pay steal sting stop use 1 There was a fight at the party, but nobody ot hurt 2 Alex by a bee while he was sitting in the garden. 3. These tennis courts don't very often. Not many people want to play. 4 Lused to have a bicycle, but it a few months ago. 5 Rachel works hard but doesn’t very much, 6 Last night | by the police as | was driving home. One of the lights ‘on my car wasn't working, Please pack these things very carefully. | don’t want them to . 8 People often want to know what my job is. | that question alot. + Additional exercises 22-24 (pages 314-15) 89