(The Passive Voice. Structure of the Passive Voice)

Task 1. Check your understanding. Say whether these sentences are true or false. 1. Passives are used when we are interested in who has done something rather than what is done.

2. Passives are used when the focus is on what is done rather than the people who perform the action.

3. The object of an active verb corresponds to the subject of a passive verb.

4. Passives are common in an informal style.

5 The passive is often used to describe the stages of a process.

Task 2. Make up sentences. Use the words given in each column. The first and the last columns should remain in the given order.

1. The contract will be distributed at the moment.

2. Radio sets were being taken every year.

3. This decision had been emitted last Monday.

4. The delegates are signed yet.

5. The houses is being built when John arrived.

6. The minutes was elected by the beginning of the last meeting.

7. The stocks have not been produced tomorrow.

Task 3. Make the following sentences negative.

1. All office workers are normally supplied with textbooks.

2. America was discovered by Columbus.

3. The tickets had been sold out by that time.

4. A new business center has recently been built in our town.

5. This firm will be liquidated next month.

6. The advertising campaign for McMillan was being conducted at that time.

7. This contract is being translated into English at the moment.

8. The CEO reported that the volume of production would be doubled in the next eighteen months.

9. Every effort will have been made to end the strike by the next week.

10. The factory is soon going to be closed.

Task 4. Put questions to the words in italics. Use the words in brackets.

1. Your letter will be answered tomorrow. (When?)

2. The clients were shown a new presentation. (What?)

3. This company was set up 20 years ago. (How many?)

4. The missing file has already been found. (What?)

5. The address was poorly written in this letter. (How?)

6. Our delegates were asked for their passports in the airport. (Whose?)

7. Water-power stations are being built on the mountain rivers. (Where?)

8. Jane had been told the news before she came to the department. (Who?)

Task 5. Match the sentence halves appropriately.

1. . Your enquiry a) has been confirmed

2. . Make sure that your mobile phone b) has been credited to your account

3. . All tenders and supporting documents c) has not yet been printed

4. . Your hotel booking d) is switched off during important meetings

5. . As requested, the sum of $75,000 e) must be returned by 31 March.

6. The full conference program f) is being dealt with.

Task 6. Complete the texts with the following verbs in the Passive Voice.

was robbed were arrested has been seriously injured

was attacked was beaten

Gina Hershaw, the well-known scientist, (1) ____________ . She (2)____________ late last night, outside the Worthington University where she is currently working. She (3)____________ of money and jewelry worth $15,000, and (4) ____________ by her attackers. Two men (5) ____________ later last night.

Task 7. Put the words in the correct order to make sentences. Put the verbs in the Passive Voice.

1. the picture/paint/great artist

2. the window/break/the other day

3. the letter/post/tomorrow

4. your report/discuss/next week

5. the schedule/change/in a week

6. meet/at the station/the delegates/last week

7. the e-mail/answered/recently

8. the rules of this company/violate/the new Sales Manager/all the time

9. the lecturer/ask/question/about Adam Smith

10. I/give/a loan/a small bank/last Tuesday

11. the chairperson/listen to/attentively/at the Annual General Meeting/two day ago.

12. his reforms/speak about/much/for a year already.

13. the plan/agree upon/all the directors

14. Mr. Andrews/listen to/with great interest/tomorrow.

15. The employee/praise/the senior executive/work hard/now.

Task 8. Underline the correct form of the verbs.

1. I had my car be repaired/ repaired yesterday.

2. Profits are expected/expect to grow by 10% in the next quarter.

3. I was born /born in a little town just outside Dijon.

4. We're getting the machines cleaned/ to be cleaned tomorrow.

5. The Board is thought to be demanded/have demanded his resignation.

6. We have the components assembling /assembled in Taiwan.

7. Where exactly were you born / did you born?

8. She is supposed to been looking / to be looking for a new job.

Task 9. Choose the correct form of the verbs to fill in each gap.

1. This company _________ by my wife’s grandfather before the Great American Depression in the 1920-1930s.

a) is set up b) set up

c) had been set up d) was set up

2. As a result of an earthquake last year our factory in Mansfield ___________ and many workers lost their lives.

a) was destroyed b) will destroy

c) is destroyed d)has been destroyed

3. Politicians don’t usually shop in supermarkets. They ___________ often.

a) will recognize b) are recognized

c) recognize d) have been recognized

4. All the ideas of the new advertisement campaign _________ at the moment.

a) are discussed b) have discussed

c) are being discussed d) discussed

5. Spain _________ by millions of tourists next year.

a) will be visited b) will visit

c) are visiting d) will have been visited

6. The order _________ by Jones, Inc. by tomorrow.

a) will be confirmed b) have been confirmed

c) will confirm d) will have been confirmed

7. Jane’s suitcases _________already by the customs officers.

a) have searched b) have been searched

c) had been searched d) searched

8. The tax on cigarettes _________ twice by the end of last year.

a) was increased b) had been increased

c) had increased d)will be increased

9. The chairperson ________ 24 hours a day.

a) is protected b)is being protected

c) was protected d) protected

10. BBC News reported yesterday that air fares on all international flights _________ by most major European airlines.

a) would increase b) would be increased

c) will be increased d) would have been increased

Task 10. Fill in the gaps in the report. Use a verb in the list and an appropriate form of the passive. The first is given as an example.

produce interview (x2) design renovate award

base built consider (x2) show

equip provide close visit

This report __has been produced__ at the request of the Hotel and Catering Association. The survey on which the report (1) _____________ was carried out between June, 2 and July, 20, 2007. Thirty hotel managers (2) ___________ for the purposes of this report. The majority of the hotels which (3) ___________ (all in Kent) (4) ___________ in the last twelve years and (5) ___________ to meet the needs of the modern tourist. One hotel which (6) ____________ unacceptable by the Association (7)____________ at the end of the tourist season. Some of the older ones (8)____________ recently and also meet the highest standards. This (9) ____________ by the fact that all the hotels (10) _____________ with modern facilities, from bars and swimming pools to cable or satellite TV. In addition, the usual services (11)____________ (laundry service, room service) and the restaurant and bar service (12)____________ satisfactory in almost all cases. Most of the hotel personnel who (13)____________ were highly qualified or experienced. Sixty-seven per cent of the hotels in this report (14) ____________ a five or four star rating by the tourist board.

Task 11. Complete the text. Write the Present Simple passive form of the verbs in brackets. The first one is done for you.

GLASS-MAKING

Champagne, the king of wines and wine of kings, tastes all the better when it (1) ____is drunk____ (drink) from an elegant, fine-quality glass. That, however, is only one of thousands of ways glass (2) ____________ (use) today. And for all these different uses, many different types of glass (3) ___________ (produce). Glass products (4) _____________(manufacture) in different ways. Today, glass (5) ____________ (blow) by hand in the traditional way which the Romans first developed, but now this work (6) _____________ (do) by robots, too. Generally, in the modern industry, a much faster method of mass production (7) ____________ (need). Often, for example, glass (8) _____________ (press) into the necessary shape by machines. Glass (9) _____________(shape) in other ways, too. For example, it (10) _____________ (make) into long, very thin fibers. Fibers like these (11) _____________ (require) to make the fiber-optic cables that help to build the Information Super-Highway around the world.

Task 12. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of Past Simple Passive and Past Continuous Passive

1. The lecturer ___________ (to ask) to speak about current economic problems once again.

2. Several centuries ago houses ___________ (to make) of stone and wood

3. A modern tune ____________(to play) when the guests entered the exhibition hall.

4. In the past few years the employees of most firms __________ (to instruct) about their tasks every morning.

5. A week ago three clerks of Bank of Scotland __________ (to choose) for the jury service.

6. When Jack entered the room the new strategy __________ (to vote for) by the directors.

7. I __________ (not to inform) about the meeting because I was away on business.

8. At last the dilemma __________ (to solve) to everyone’s satisfaction.

9. The new dress code that had provoked much criticism __________ (to argue about) at that moment.

10. Last Monday Kathleen Morris __________ (to meet) at the railway station.

Task 13. Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the forms of Past Continuous Passive or the Past Perfect Passive.

1. The visitors could not leave the restaurant until the bill ____________ (to pay).

2. I could not go to my favourite café because it _____________ then. (to redecorate)

3. By the time Mr. Johnson returned from the business trip, the new equipment ____________ to his department. (deliver)

4. When Tim looked for the contract he could not find it. He had forgotten it ___________ already. (to mail)

5. The search was called off. The criminal who had escaped _____________ . (to find)

6. The managers of this department were not at the presentation of the new product line because they ____________. (not to invite)

7. The sales representative ____________ (to interview) when the supervisor entered the room.

8. Enquiries ___________ (to make) already when the new details of the case came out.

Task 14. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive form. The first form is given as an example.

Professor Raynolds, who (1) ___was awarded___ (to award) a major science prize last week, (2) __________ (to invite) to take part in a conference which (3) ___________ (to hold) in New York two days ago. He (4) ___________ (to meet) at the airport by a driver who, unfortunately, (5) __________ (to give) the name of the wrong hotel to take the professor to. A large reception (6) __________ (to organize) for the professor, and at least 230 eminent scientists (7) __________ (to invite) to meet him that evening. The poor professor, however, (8) __________ (to leave) at a small hotel in a rather bad area, and when he asked to speak to the Head of the Conference Committee he (9) __________ (to tell) to try somewhere else because he (10) ___________ (not to hear of) there. Luckily, later that evening, the driver (11) __________ (to send) to the hotel where the reception (12) __________ (to hold), and when he (13) ___________ (to ask) what he had done with the professor, everyone realized that a mistake (14) ___________ (to make). The professor says that if he (15) __________ (to ever send) another invitation to a conference, he is hopeful that it (16) ___________ (to organize) more efficiently.

Task 15. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive form. The first form is given to you.

Something should (1) ___be done___ to protect holidaymakers from bad experiences. So many articles (2) ___________ (to write) so far in newspapers warning tourists to guard against being victims. The brochure advertisements should (3) __________ (to approve) by ABTA before (4) ___________ (to publish) to ensure that the details that (5) __________ (to give) are not deceptive or inaccurate. The Smiths had a typical bad holiday experience. They arrived at the old hotel that was situated in the middle of nowhere. The brochure promised that it (6) __________ (to build) recently, but it was clear that it was old. It (7) __________ (not/to redecorate) for years and the paint was peeling off the walls. The previous owners had sold the hotel, which (8) __________ (to buy) by an elderly couple. They (9) __________ (to advise) by their relatives to hire staff to manage it but, unfortunately, people (10) ___________ (to interview) at the time the Smiths arrived. Food (11) __________ (not to serve) in the restaurant and quests (12) _________ (to expect) to make their own arrangements. As if that was not enough, when they went to their rooms, they found the bed linen (13) __________ (to change) after the previous occupants. As far as the Smiths were concerned the hotel should (14) ___________ (to close) until the adequate personnel (15) __________ (to employ). It is certainly nothing like the hotel which (16) __________ (to describe) in the brochure.

Task 16. Complete the article about Manchester United with the verbs in the brackets. Put the first verb in the Present or Past Simple Passive (to be done) and the second verb in the suitable form of the infinitive (to do, to be doing, or to have done). The first form is given for you.