19194 active passive whole topic

1 Mr Tushar Kanani ACTIVE VOICE – PASSIVE VOICE  WHEN IS THE PASSIVE USED? The passive is used quite often is English, both in speech and writing We use the passive when: (A) We don’t know who or what did something: (i) My mobile has been stolen (= Someone has stolen my mobile) (ii) The first tools were made in Africa two million years ago (= People made the first tools in Africa two million years ago.) (B) The action or the receiver is more important than who did it: (i) Income tax was introduced in England in 1798 (ii) The Prime Minister was given a warm welcome (C) It is obvious who or what did something: (i) The thief has been arrested (By the police) (ii) The meeting is called off (By the management) (iii) The new law of income tax is introduced (By the government)  RULES FOR CHANGING THE VOICE (A) Only transitive verbs (verbs that need an object to complete their sense) can ever be in passive The sentences, containing intransitive verbs (that don’t take an object after them) can’t be transformed in passive E.g (I) (II) She ate an apple (=Transitive verb) An apple was eaten by her The tree grows (=Intransitive verb) Can’t be changed into passive (B) Interchange the place of subject and object Subject: ‘Doer’ or the ‘performer’ of the action is called subject Asking question with ‘who’ to the sentence, replies subject as answer E.g Rajesh is a fast runner (‘Rajesh’ is the performer of the action so he is called ‘subject’) Object: ‘Recipient’ or a person or thing that receives the action is called an object Asking question with ‘what’ to the sentence, replies object as answer In the above example ‘a fast runner’ is object Example: Active Sentence: Greg painted the gate just now Subject: The person who did the action Active Verb Object: The thing that received the action Mr Tushar Kanani Passive Sentence: The gate was painted by Greg just now Subject: The thing that received the action Passive Verb Object: The person who did the action (C) While transforming the voice following changes occur in verb forms NO 10 11 12 13 14 15 TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE Simple Present Tense Write/s Is/am/are + written Simple Past Tense wrote Was/were + written Simple Future Tense Will write Will + be + written Present Continuous Tense Is/am/are writing Is/am/are + being + written Past Continuous Tense Was/were writing Was/were + being + written Future Continuous Tense Will be writing Will be writing (No Changes) Present Perfect Tense Has/have written Has/have + been + written Past Perfect Tense Had written Had + been + written Future Perfect Tense Will have written Will + have + been + written Infinitive Form To write To + be + written Modal Auxiliary Imperative Sentences May/might/shall/should … + write Write that letter May/might/shall/should … + be + written Let + that letter + be + written Sentences with ‘LET’ Let her write a letter Let + that letter + be + written Miscellaneous It is said … He is said to … Miscellaneous Everyone predicts that It is predicted that … NOTE: THERE ARE NO CHANGES OF VERBS IN ALL THE THREE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSES (D) Place conjunctions like ‘by’, ‘with’, ‘to’, ‘in’ etc before new objects in passive voice Example: (i) A saw cut the tree (Active) The tree was cut with a saw [cram, crowd, decorate, fill, flood throng] (ii) I know him (Active) He is known to me (Passive) (iii) This rack contains 200 books (Active) 200 books are contained in this rack (Passive) (iv) Nila wrote a nice letter (Active) A nice letter was written by Nila (Passive) Mr Tushar Kanani (E) Sometimes a passive sentence does not contain an agent (subject) We generally put appropriate subject in such sentences while converting it into active Example: (i) Our house was broken into last night (Passive) Some burglars broke into our house last night (Active) (F) Verbs with two objects: Sometimes an active verb (e.g give) has two objects: A witness gave the police some information (Active) Either object can be the subject of a passive sentence: The police were given some information by a witness (Passive) – (A) Some information was given to the police by a witness (Passive) - (B) Note: It is more common to begin with the person rather than the thing in the passive voice Hence in above example prefer ‘A’ to ‘B’ (G) When we use adverbs of time, manner or frequency in the passive voice, we usually place them after the first word in a verb made up of two or more words; for instance, We are always taught to be kind and honest Shyam and Raju have seldom been seen at the gym The carpets are often put out to air in the sun (H) When we change a phrasal verb (verb + preposition OR verb + adverb) from the active voice to the passive voice, we must not omit the adverb or preposition that is a part of it For eg A Coca Cola took over the brand Thumbs up in the last decade of 20th century P The brand Thumbs up was taken over by Coca Cola in the last decade of 20th cen COMPREHENSIVE EXERCISES OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE (A) (Simple Present) Turtles _ (find) in all the warm oceans of the world Turtle’s nests _ (make) at night on sandy beaches About one hundred eggs _ (lay) in each nest However, nesting turtles _ (often disturb) by noise and light of the discos When the babies leave the nest for the sea, they follow the light of the moon But if they _ (distract) by hotel lights, they move in the wrong direction Babies who lose their way on the beach _ (often kill) by birds If they reach the sea, they _ (sometimes injure) or even killed by speedboats Mr Tushar Kanani (B) (A/P) People all over the world _ (drink) tea It _ (suppose) to be a very refreshing drink It _ (also offer) to the guests as a mark of courtesy To make tea _ (be) quite easy Tea leaves _ (take) in a teapot and boiling water _ (pour) over them The teapot _ (keep) aside for a couple of minutes Meanwhile milk _ (boil) in another pot Now tea water _ (pour) into a cup Milk and sugar _ (add) to it according to one’s taste And a refreshing cup of tea _ (be) ready (C) (Simple Past) The country’s first school of magic _ (open) last year in Thiruvanthapuram In the first year, sixty students _ (teach) conjuring and other illusions Magicians from other states _ (invite) for guest lectures Approval for the school _ (give) by the International Brotherhood of Magicians The school, which _ (start) by Gopinath Muthukad, has become very popular Muthukad won an award for magic from the Sangeet Natak Akademi – the first one to be given after magic _ (add) to its list of awards in music, dance and theatre (D) (Simple Past) Last summer Tom went camping with Boy Scouts First, the ground _ (clear) of stones and plants The tents _ (put up) in a circle A special shelf _ (make) in each tent inches off the ground The suitcases and sleeping bags _ (put) on this shelf Wood _ (collect) and _ (place) in the centre of the circle for fire The kitchen tent _ (put up) near the sleeping tents All the food _ (put) inside this tent to keep it safe The boys stayed in this camp for eight days (E) (A/P) Let me tell you of a country where planting trees _ (be) an essential part of life This country is Israel In Israel, in the days gone by, fathers _ (plant) trees when their children _ (bear) A cedar tree _ (plant) if the child (be) a boy, for cedars are usually tall and strong But if the child _ (be) a girl, the father _ (plant) a cypress tree, for cypress suggests softness and sweetness The children _ (look) after these trees until they _ (get) married At the marriage ceremony, branches from these trees _ (cut) to hold up the wedding tent (F) Put the verb into the correct form, present simple or past simple, active or passive (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) It is a big factory Five hundred people _ (employ) there _ (somebody/clean) this room yesterday? Water _ (cover) most of the earth’s surface How much of the earth’s surface _ (cover) by water? The park gates _ (lock) at 6.30 p.m every evening The letter _ (post) a week ago and it _ (arrive) yesterday The boat hit a rock and _ (sink) quickly Fortunately everybody _ (rescue) Mr Tushar Kanani (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) Rechard’s parents _ (die) when he was very young He and his sister _ (bring up) by their grand parents I was born in London, but I _ (grow up) in Canada While I was on holiday, my camera _ (steal) from my hotel room While I was on holiday, my camera _ (disappear) from my hotel room Why _ (Sue/resign) from her job? Didn’t she enjoy it? Why _ (Bill/sack) from his job? Why did he wrong? The company is not independent It (own) by a much larger company I saw an accident last night Somebody _ (call) an ambulance but nobody _ (injure), so the ambulance _ (not/need) Where _ (these photographs/take)? In London? _ (you/take) them, or somebody else? Sometimes it is quite noisy living here, but it is not problem for me – I _ (not/bother) by it (G) (Simple Future) Mrs Lal is the headmistress of a big school The students of her school are going to stage a play Mrs Lal is talking to the director Mrs Lal: Have the boy’s costumes been made? Director: They _ (make) by the end of this week Mrs Lal: What about the girl’s dress? Director: They _ (finish) tomorrow Mrs Lal: Have the curtains been mended? Director: I don’t think they _ (mend) until Thursday Mrs Lal: What about the chairs? Director: I think they _ (sell) in a couple of days (H) (A/P) We promise that if our party comes into power, we _ (try) out best to improve the living conditions in the city To deal with the two major problems of water and power shortage, we _ (construct) a new, large water reservoir at a suitable place and _ (set) up a thermal power plant Some other plans are also under active consideration Two new senior secondary schools _ (open) in the next session Midday meals _ (supply) free in all the government schools Drains _ (repair), roads _ (remetal) and parks _ (develop) in all colonies Sports and transport facilities _ (improve) It _ (be) our sincere effort to make this city a model one (I) (Mixed) A youth _ (find) dead on the outskirts of Mota Bhandariya village on Thursday According to officials of Amreli rural police, the youth _ (strangle) to death with a handkerchief “The deceased _ (identify) as Premsinh Manusinh The name _ (tattoo) on his wrist,” said a police official “The youth was from Madhya Pradesh and had _ (come) to Mota Bhandariya to work as a labourer,” the official added Mr Tushar Kanani (J) (Mixed) Hospitals are places where people _ (examine) and _ (bring) back to good health I’m lucky because I _ (never / take) to hospital But I happened to go there once When Radha _ (hit) by a car last month Luckily no bones _ (break) but she _ (examine) carefully and x-rays _ (take) She _ (keep) there for a night and she _ (give) permission to leave the next day Ambulance services are also important Patients _ (must / take) to hospital as quickly as possible A lot of people _ (kill) in road accidents and a lot more _ (injure) but if more ambulances _ (put) into service, more lives (can / save) (K) (Mixed) Last summer, I took an airplane flight from London to New York I _ (board) the plane at Croydon Airfield and, from that moment on, my life _ (arrange) for me by the flight attendants on the trip First, I _ (direct) to my seat by the flight attendants Then, when the plane _ (be) ready to take off, the other passengers and I _ (tell) to fasten our seat belts Next, we _ (advise) where the emergency exits were I _ (make) sure that I _ (give) a seat next to an exit A few minutes after take off, magazines and newspapers _ (distribute) Because my ears hurt, I _ (take) out some gum to chew Next, we _ (give) instructions on what to in case of an emergency I _ (pay) two dollars for some earphones, which I _ (use) later to watch the movie Before dinner, we _ (ask) if we _ (want) a cocktail Dinner _ (serve) on a tray, and it _ (be + not) too bad; it was chicken We _ (permit) to have a refill on any beverage After dinner, we _ (show) a funny movie When I _ (feel) cold, I _ (give) a blanket, and when I felt airsick, I _ (give) a paper bag Everything _ (do) for the comfort of the passengers When the plane _ (land), I _ (be) sorry to have to leave and start dong things for myself again (L) (Mixed) Four burglars have escaped from custody only hours after _ (sentence) to ten years in prison They _ (transfer) from the law courts in Manchester to Strangeways Prison They _ (find) guilty of stealing electrical goods and money from shops in the Manchester area It _ (think) that they were all members of the same gang They escaped from the van in which they _ (transport), when the driver _ (force) to stop because of a tree across the road It _ (believe) that the tree _ (place) by other members of the gang, who _ (inform) of the route _ (take) by the van A full investigation of the events leading to escape _ (order) and anyone with information _ (ask) to contact the police to help with their enquiries Mr Tushar Kanani (M) Twenty five years ago, my father (join) a well known law firm as a junior lawyer Dad (dedicate) and smart and he (rise) quickly in the firm Soon after, the firm (employ) Mum as the personal assistant to the manager Dad and Mum (fall) in love and (get) married six months later Today, Dad (hold) the position of a senior partner in the firm My parents (raise) three children They (give) us plenty of love, encouragement and sound advice when we were young We always (be) grateful to them Next Friday, my parents (celebrate) their silver wedding anniversary My brothers and I (compere) an evening of entertainment We (present) them with gifts to cherish as mementos (N) Fill in the blanks with the correct passive form of the verb in brackets (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) A government minister _ (find) guilty of fraud yesterday It was a lovely surprise to find all the washing-up _ (do) while I was asleep These souvenirs _ (make) by children from the local school I didn’t come here in order _ (make) a fool of! The votes _ (count) right now and we should know the result before midnight This parcel appears _ (open) before it _ (deliver) As he _ (sack) from his previous job, he found it hard to get another The judges still have to decide which design _ (award) the top prize Many accidents _ (cause) by dangerous driving Cheese _ (make) from milk The roof of the building _ (damage) in a storm a few days ago You _ (invite) to the wedding Why didn’t you go? A cinema is a place where films _ (show) In the US, elections for president _ (hold) every four years Originally the book _ (write) in Spanish, and a few years ago it _ (translate) into English Although we were driving quite fast, we _ (overtake) by a lot of other cars You can’t see the house from the road It _ (surround) by trees The situation is serious something must _ (do) before it’s too late I haven’t received that letter That might _ (send) to the wrong address A decision will not _ (make) until the next meeting Do you think that more money should _ (spend) on education? This road is in very bad condition It should _ (repair) a long time ago The injured man couldn’t walk and had to _ (carry) It is not certain how the fire started But it might _ (cause) by an electrical fault I told the hotel receptionist I wanted to _ (wake) at 6.30 the next morning Mr Tushar Kanani (26) (O) If you hadn’t pushed the policeman you wouldn’t _ (arrest) Rewrite these sentences in Active Voice Supply the subject yourself wherever needed: Her sweet will never be heard again in this hall Superstitions are still believed in These instructions can be easily understood The account had already been checked by me Living conditions are being gradually improved It is often said that honesty pays in the long run The late comers shouldn’t be permitted into the examination hall Was the patient requested to wait? What are you being disturbed by? 10 How many candidates were called for interview? 11 Rotten eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the speaker (P) Rewrite these sentences in Passive Voice Remove subjects if needed: Somebody cleans the room everyday They cancelled all flights because of fog People don’t use this road much Somebody accused me of stealing money How people learn languages? Somebody warned us not to go out alone Somebody has cleaned the room They have postponed the meeting Somebody is using the computers at the moment 10 I didn’t realise that somebody was recording our conversation 11 When we got to the stadium, we found that they had cancelled the game 12 They are building a new ring-road round the city 13 They have built a new hospital near the air port (Q) Put the following sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE: Someone has already paid the electrician for his work They taught him French and gave him a dictionary When we first met, they had already offered me a job at the bank A man requested the stranger to leave the meeting A young woman asked the rest of us to be there at eight o’clock They had eaten all the dinner before they finished the conversation Who wrote it? The author has written a special edition for children Did the idea interest you? 10 Why didn’t they mend the roof before it fell in? 11 The burglars had cut a huge hole in the steel door Mr Tushar Kanani 12 The organizers will exhibit the paintings till the end of the month 13 When did they ring the church bells? 14 Does listening to music disturb you? 15 The principal has announced a revised programme of terminal tests 16 They will build a flyover at this site 17 People often say that it pays to be honest 18 You can avoid many serious accidents with a little care 19 Don’t offer eatables to the animals 20 This magazine contains much useful information 21 Why were they paying us so little? 22 By p.m., the guide had shown us all the places of historical interest 23 Do you deal in sports goods also? 24 A senior student of her school gives her judo lessons 25 We expect our students to behave properly 26 Who has packed my luggage? (R) Change these sentences into PASSIVE FORM: People believe that the strike will end soon People believe that the thieves got through the kitchen window People say that the company is loosing a lot of money When is he going to pay the taxes? Who has designed these buildings? How much they spend on these activities? They broke a lot of plates while they were dancing Who invented the electric bulb? People believe that they are secret agents 10 People think that he takes harmful drugs 11 Did they give you a great reception? 12 Nobody sends her a card at Christmas 13 Did anyone call an ambulance after the accident? 14 Will you pay the fine?