The Passive Infinitive

We form the passive infinitive with be + past participle Verbs such as can, must, may, might, have to, should often come before it. Active Passive People must keep dogs on leads in the park. Dogs must be kept on leads in the park. I have to return these books to the library. These books have to be returned to the library. They may not reserve seats. The seats may not be reserved.

Ex. 144. Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1. That building is old. It should ___be pulled ____(pull) down.

2. When you go through Customs, your luggage may _________________(check) by a customs

officer.

3. Do you think that less money should ____________________(spend) on arms?

4. The music at the party was very loud and could ___________________(hear) from far away.

5. This furniture can ___________________(assemble) by anyone, with just a screwdriver.

6. The work must ___________________(do) by the end of the evening.

7. The tourists should ____________________(warn) that swimming in this place is dangerous .

8. The meeting can ______________________(postpone) because of illness.

9. The advertisement of cigarettes in our country must ______________________(ban).

10. This letter may not _________________________(write) in pencil.

11. The football match had to _______________________(cancel) because of bad weather.

Ex. 145. The environment: what can be done to make the Earth a safer and better place?

1. We should clean up the air. __The air should be cleaned up.________________________

2. We should protect animals in danger. _____________________________________________

3. We could use more solar energy. _________________________________________________

4. We shouldn’t treat food with chemicals. ___________________________________________

5. We must find ways to prevent oil spills. ___________________________________________

6. We shouldn’t use products which damage the ozone layer._____________________________

7. We mustn’t put waste into seas and rivers. _________________________________________

8. We must change people’s attitude towards the environment. ___________________________

9. Governments ought to make tough laws against litter. ________________________________

10. We can safe more energy and water. _____________________________________________

11. We should ban cars which use leaded petrol. ______________________________________

12. We ought to stop cigarette advertising. ___________________________________________

Revision exercises

Ex. 146. Turn from active into passive.

1. Someone is helping her with the housework. _She is being helped with the housework.

2. A pickpocket robbed me. ______________________________________________________

3.You must give up your cigarettes. _______________________________________________

4. The mail-order company sent Mrs Green a parcel. __________________________________

5. Someone will pay you within the next few days. ___________________________________

6. You can improve your health with more exercise. __________________________________

7. A dog is chasing the child. _____________________________________________________

8. My friend sent me an invitation. ________________________________________________

9. The secretary has given Mrs Jones some letters. ____________________________________

10. The traffic warden had already given him a ticket for illegal parking. __________________

11. People must obey the law. ____________________________________________________

12. The farmer is building a new barn. _____________________________________________

13. They returned my keys to me: someone had picked them up in the street. _______________

14. You should keep the flowers in a warm sunny place. _______________________________

15. The watchman called the police. The police arrested the man.________________________

16. We can’t repair your clock. ___________________________________________________

17. Someone is interviewing Dr Johnson at the moment. _______________________________

18. You mustn’t touch this button. ________________________________________________

19. The court tried the man, found him guilty and sent him to prison. _____________________

20. We serve hot meals till 10.30. _________________________________________________

Ex. 147. Put the following sentences in passive.

1. I’ve only used this pen once since the day I had mended it. (2 passives).

_____________________________________________________________________________2. They had eaten all the dinner before they finished the conversation. (2 passives).

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. We’ll lock the house for the summer and the old gardener will look after it. (2 passives)

_____________________________________________________________________________

4. One cannot eat an orange if nobody has peeled it. (2 passives)

_____________________________________________________________________________

5. I can assure you I can arrange everything in time. (2 passives)

_____________________________________________________________________________

6. They gave the thief a fair trial and sent him to prison. (2 passives)

_____________________________________________________________________________

7. You must clear up all these books and papers and put them away in the cupboards you usually

keep them in. (3 passives)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. When I returned home I found that they towed my car away, I asked why they had done this

and they told me that it was because I had parked it under a “No Parking” sign. (4 passives)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ex. 148. Rewrite the following passage in passive.

Someone broke into a local jewellery shop yesterday. The owner had just locked up the shop when a robber with a gun threatened him. The robber told him to unlock the shop and give him all the diamonds in the safe. Then the robber tied him up. The police have organized a search for the robber. They hope they will find him in a few days. Doctors are treating the owner of the shop for shock.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ex. 149. A reporter is talking to Lucy Fame. Complete the interview.

Rep: It’s wonderful to interview such a famous person as you.

Lucy: Yes, you are very lucky!

Rep: I know that you 1) __have been interviewed___(interview) many times before.

Lucy: Yes, I have.

Rep: Also, I know that three books 2) ______________________(write) about you.

Lucy: Yes, they have – and another one 3) _______________________(write) at the moment.

Rep: A film 4) _____________________(make) about your life two years ago, wasn’t it?

Lucy: Yes, it was a brilliant film! The leading role 5) ___________________(play) by

a beautiful young actress.

Rep: 6) __________ any more films _________________(make) in the future?

Lucy: Oh yes, of course!

Rep: Where do you buy your clothes from, Lucy?

Lucy: I don’t buy them! They 7) _____________________(design) especially for me.

Rep: And what about your beautiful house?

Lucy: That 8) _____________________(build) five years ago by an Italian architect.

Rep: You must make a lot of money.

Lucy: I make lots of money and everybody loves me. Flowers 9) ___________________(send)

to my house every day.

Rep: Not by me, that’s certain!

Ex. 150. Put the verb into the correct form. Use the Passive Voice where necessary.

A driver __________________(sent) to jail for 90 days for driving with excess alcohol. Graham Smith, 29, of North Street, Barton, ________________________(stop) by a police officials near his home last November and ________________________(find) to have drunk almost twice the legal limit for drivers, Didcot magistrates ______________________(hear) on Thursday.

Twelve months earlier Smith ___________________________(disqualify) from driving for three years for drink-driving. He ____________________________(disqualify) for twelve months in 1988 for a similar offence.

Mr Peter Jones, defending, _____________________(say) Smith ______________(use) the car to visit sick friend.

He ____________(say) Smith ______________________(depress) after the visit and ____________(go) to a pub and ________________(drink) six pints before driving home.

He ___________________(catch) by police during a routine speed check in Wantage Road, Barton.

Ex. 151. Read these newspaper reports and put the verbs into the most suitable for.

1 CASTLE FIRE Winton Castle ____was damaged____ (damage) in a fire last night. The fire, which _____________________(discover) at about 9 o’clock, spread very quickly. Nobody ___________________(injure), but two people had to ____________________ (rescue) from an upstairs room. A number of paintings ___________________(destroy). It ________ _____________ (know) how the fire started.

3 ROAD DELAYS Repair woks started yesterday on the Paxham-Longworth road. The road _____________________________(resurface) and there will be long delays. Drivers __________________________(ask) to use an alternative route if possible. The work __________________________(expect) to last two weeks. Next Sunday the road ____________________________(close), and traffic _______________________(divert).

2 SHOP ROBBERY In Paxham yesterday a shop assistant __________________________(force) to hand over $700 after ________________________ (threaten) by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which ___________________ __________________(steal) earlier in the day. The car _______________________________ (later / find) in a car park where it __________ ________________________(abandon) by the thief. A man __________________________ (arrest) in connection with the robbery and ______________________________________ (still / question) by the police.

4 ACCIDENT A woman ______________________(take) to hospital after her car collided with a lorry near Norstock yesterday. She __________________ (allow) home later after treatment. The road ___________________________(block) for an hour after the accident, and traffic had to _______________________(divert). A police inspector said afterwards: “The woman was lucky. She could __________________(kill).

UNIT 4 ПРЯМАЯ И КОСВЕННАЯ РЕЧЬ