Scarica The Passive Voice: Grammar Exercises for English Language Learners e più Sintesi del corso in PDF di Lingua Inglese solo su Docsity!
Ist YEAR - the PASSIVE - forms and tenses
PRESENT simple: Tom prepares lunch every day. Lunch is prepared by Tom every day.
progressive: Tom is preparing lunch now. Lunch is being prepared by Tom now.
perfect: Tom has prepared lunch. Lunch has been prepared by Tom.
[ perfect progressive: Tom has been preparing lunch all morning. Lunch has been being prepared by Tom all morning. - RARE ]
PAST simple: Tom prepared lunch yesterday. Lunch was prepared by Tom yesterday.
progressive: Tom was preparing lunch yesterday (when the phone rang). Lunch was being prepared by Tom yesterday (when the phone rang).
perfect: Tom had prepared lunch. Lunch had been prepared by Tom.
[ perfect progressive: Tom had been preparing lunch. Lunch had been being prepared by Tom. - RARE ]
FUTURE simple: Tom will prepare lunch tomorrow. Lunch will be prepared by Tom tomorrow.
progressive: Tom will be preparing lunch tomorrow. Lunch will be being prepared by Tom tomorrow.
going to: Tom is going to prepare lunch tomorrow. Lunch is going to be prepared by Tom tomorrow.
perfect: Tom will have prepared lunch. Lunch will have been prepared by Tom.
[ perfect progressive: Tom will have been preparing lunch. Lunch will have been being prepared by Tom. - RARE ]
CONDITIONAL present: Tom would prepare lunch if he had time. Lunch would be prepared by Tom if he had time.
past: Tom would have prepared lunch if he had had time. Lunch would have been prepared by Tom if he had had time.
INFINITIVE present: to prepare / to be prepared present progressive: to be preparing / to be being prepared perfect: to have prepared / to have been prepared [ perfect progressive: to have been preparing / to have been being prepared - RARE ]
The PASSIVE
i) only transitive verbs [i.e. verbs with an object] can be made passive: e.g. They sent the letter. The letter was sent. They arrived early. ---
ii) the object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb
iii) it’s formed using various tenses of ‘to be’ + the past participle
iv) the agent of the passive verb is introduced using ‘by’: e.g. Oliver Twist was written by Charles Dickens.
v) some uses: a) when the action itself is more important than the agent who carries it out; b) when the agent is unclear or vague: e.g. She’s been kidnapped. (Someone/Some people has/have kidnapped her.); c) to translate the Italian form ‘si’: e.g. Qui si parla inglese. - English is spoken here.
Verbs with two objects
Some verbs* can be followed by two objects (a direct one and an indirect one): Someone sent a letter to Jane./ Someone sent Jane a letter. He gave the dog to his brother. / He gave his brother the dog.
Both structures can be made passive: A letter was sent to Jane. / Jane was sent a letter. The dog was given to his brother. / His brother was given the dog.
(* e.g.: bring, give, lend, offer, send, show, take + to ; buy, cook, find, get, make, order + for)
NB: NOT all verbs take this structure: Can you suggest a good school to me? CANNOT be expressed as: Can you suggest me a good school?
A. Put these sentences in the passive form, where possible.
- They sell stamps at the Post Office.
- Somebody has thrown away the key.
- Jane sings in a pop group.
- Nobody knows the address.
- Bob has smashed a window.
- Peter is going to walk to school.
- Has anybody brought a dictionary?
- John will put up some shelves.
- Susan broke the sugar bowl yesterday.
- Mary was tired and sat down on a wall.
- Jack was taking the papers to Rob. i) The papers… ii) Rob… 7.We’ll have to buy some new chairs for Tony. i) Some new chairs… ii) Tony…
- Have you shown Rob your new car? i) Has your…?ii) Has Rob…?
D. Rewrite these sentences another way in the active form, then put them into the passive form in two ways.
- The shop sent the customer the wrong order.
- They have given the parcel to my sister.
- His uncle left him the portrait in his will.
- We must send Susan a postcard.
E. Translate sentences 1-6 in two ways; 7-10 in three ways.
- Questo orologio mi è stato regalato da mio padre.
- Agli invitati sarà offerto un calice di spumante.
- Gli sono stati prestati $100.000 da suo suocero.
- Agli studenti saranno mostrati i vecchi manoscritti.
- Un invito fu inviato anche al preside.
- La foto del cane è già stata mostrata alla polizia
- Mi hanno offerto un lavoro.
- Ci cucineranno la cena.
- Suo padre le sta comprando un nuovo appartamento.
- Le hanno portato la valigia.
F. Translate
- Da chi è organizzata la conferenza su Wordsworth?
- Il progetto deve essere stampato entro domani mattina.
- Sono nato in Uruguay.
- Dove vengono fabbricati questi computer?
- E stato bevuto tutto il latte?
- Il francese è parlato da molte persone in Africa.
- L’auto rubata non è stata ancora ritrovata.
- Quando è stato costruito il castello di Windsor?
- Macbeth fu scritto da Charles Dickens?
- La partita sarà giocata giovedì sera.
