Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.

F. PASSIVE FORM

A. Study this example.

This house was built in 1920

We often prefer the passive when it is not important who or what did the action.

In a passive sentence if you want to say who did the action: USE by

This house was built by my grandmother.

B: In a passive sentence we use the correct form of be (am, is, are, was, were, has, have been) + the past participle

Many accidents are caused by dangerous driving

The president has been shot

C. We use the base form (be done, be cleaned, be built…) after modal verbs (will, can, must..) and some other verbs (for example have to, be going to, want to

The new hotel will be opened next year

George might be sent to Venezuela by his company in August

This room is going to be painted next week

Go away! I want to be left alone

D. This is a past form after modal verbs: Have been done, have been cleaned…

Somebody should have cleaned the windows yesterday

The windows should have been cleaned yesterday

My bicycle has disappeared; it must have been stolen

E. Some verbs can have two objects. For example: Offer

They didn’t offer Ann the job

Ann was not offered the job

The job was not offered to Ann

Other verbs like offer that can have two objects are:

Ask, give, send, show, teach, tell, pay….

I was given two hours to make my decision

Have you been shown the new machine?

F. The passive –ing form is: being done / being cleaned

I don’t like people telling me what to do

I don’t like being told what to do

He hates people keeping him waiting

He hates being kept waiting

G. To be said to

This is Marry. She is very old and nobody knows exactly how old she is. But:

It is said that she is 108 years old.

She is said to be 108 years old.

(Both sentences mean: “People say that she is 108 years old”)

You can also use this structure with: alleged, believed, considered, expected, known, reported, thought, understood…etc.

N/B: If we have: it + passive verb + relative clause in the first sentence, we will have: subject + passive verb + infinitive clause.

PRACTICE

Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning

1. It is said that marry eats ten eggs a day

.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2. It is believed that the wanted man is leaving in New-York

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. It is expected that the strike will begin tomorrow

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. It is alleged that he stole 10,000 Frs.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5. It was alleged that he stole 10,000 Frs.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Exercise1:

Put the verbs between brackets into the right form and tense

1. Frostbite may occur when the skin (expose)………………………….to extreme cold. It most frequently (affect)…………………………..the skin of the cheek, nose and toe.

2. The first fish (appear)………………………on earth 5 million years ago. Up to now, more than 20,000 kinds of fish (name)………………………..and (describe)……………………………..by scientists. New species (discover)………………………….every year, so the total increases continually.

3. Right now, Roberto in hospital, he(treat)…………………………….for a bad burn on his hand and arm.

4. There was a terrible accident in a busy road downtown yesterday. Dozens of people (see)………….it, including my friend who (interview)…………………………by the police.

5. The game (probably/win)……………………………..by the other team tomorrow. They are a lot better than us.

Exercise2:

Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning

1. The clear explanation of the teacher helped the students

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The teacher dislikes students interrupting him while he talks.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Her mother must have taken him to hospital

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. It was reported that six soldiers were killed in Iraq

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5. My car has been Brocken down. The mechanic will repair it tomorrow.

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6. He hates people insulting him

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

7. They should give him the reward because he really deserves it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………