UNIT 11
1. PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice is used when focusing on the person or thing affected by an action.
ü The Passive is formed: Passive Subject To Be Past Particple
ü It is often used in business and in other areas where the object of the action is more important than those who perform the action.
For Example: We have produced over 20 different models in the past two years. Changes to: Over 20 different models have been produced in the past two years.
ü If the agent (the performer of the action) is important, use "by" For Example: Tim Wilson wrote "The Flight to Brunnswick" in 1987. Changes to:"The Flight to Brunnswick" was written in 1987 by Tim Wilson.
ü Only verbs that take an object can be used in the passive.
The following chart includes sentences changed from the active to the passive in the principal tenses.
Active
|
Passive
|
Time Reference
|
They make Fords in Cologne.
|
Fords are made in Cologne.
|
Present Simple
|
Susan is cooking dinner.
|
Dinner is being cooked by Susan
|
Present Continuous
|
James Joyce wrote "Dubliners".
|
"Dubliners" was written by James Joyces.
|
Past Simple
|
They were painting the house when I arrived.
|
The house was being painted when I arrived.
|
Past Continuous
|
They have produced over 20 models in the past two years.
|
Over 20 models have been produced in the past two years.
|
Present Perfect
|
They are going to build a new factory in Portland.
|
A new factory is going to be built in Portland.
|
Future Intention with Going to
|
I will finish it tomorrow.
|
It will be finished tomorrow.
|
Future Simple
|
USE OF PASSIVE
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).
Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
ü the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
ü the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
ü the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)
Examples of Passive
Tense
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object
| |
Simple Present
|
Active :
|
Rita
|
writes
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
is written
|
by Rita.
| |
Simple Past
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
wrote
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
was written
|
by Rita.
| |
Present Perfect
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
has written
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
has been written
|
by Rita.
| |
Future I
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
will write
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
will be written
|
by Rita.
| |
Modal
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
can write
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
can be written
|
by Rita.
| |
Examples of Passive
Tense
|
Subject
|
Verb
|
Object
| |
Present Progressive
|
Active :
|
Rita
|
is writing
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
is being written
|
by Rita.
| |
Past Progressive
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
was writing
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
was being written
|
by Rita.
| |
Past Perfect
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
had written
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
had been written
|
by Rita.
| |
Future II
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
will have written
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
will have been written
|
by Rita.
| |
Conditional I
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
would write
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
would be written
|
by Rita.
| |
Conditional II
|
Active:
|
Rita
|
would have written
|
a letter.
|
Passive:
|
A letter
|
would have been written
|
by Rita.
| |
Online Review
2. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
How to Form Relative Clauses
Imagine, a girl is talking to Tom. You want to know who she is and ask a friend whether he knows her. You could say:
A girl is talking to Tom. Do you know the girl?
That sounds rather complicated, doesn't it? It would be easier with a relative clause: you put both pieces of information into one sentence. Start with the most important thing – you want to know who the girl is.
Do you know the girl …
As your friend cannot know which girl you are talking about, you need to put in the additional information – the girl is talking to Tom. Use „the girl“ only in the first part of the sentence, in the second part replace it with the relative pronoun (for people, use the relative pronoun „who“). So the final sentence is:
Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
Relative Pronouns
RELATIVE PRONOUN
|
USE
|
EXAMPLE
|
who
|
subject or object pronoun for people
|
I told you about the woman who lives next door.
|
which
|
subject or object pronoun for animals and things
|
Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof?
|
which
|
referring to a whole sentence
|
He couldn’t read which surprised me.
|
Whose
|
possession for people animals and things
|
Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?
|
whom
|
object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially prefer who)
|
I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference.
|
that
|
subject or object pronoun for people, animals and things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also possible)
|
I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen.
|
SUBJECT PRONOUN OR OBJECT PRONOUN?
Subject and object pronouns cannot be distinguished by their forms - who, which, that are used for subject and object pronouns. You can, however, distinguish them as follows:
If the relative pronoun is followed by a verb, the relative pronoun is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns must always be used.
ü The apple which is lying on the table
If the relative pronoun is not followed by a verb (but by a noun or pronoun), the relative pronoun is an object pronoun. Object pronouns can be dropped in defining relative clauses, which are then called Contact Clauses.
ü The apple (which) George lay on the table
Defining relative clauses (also called identifying relative clauses or restrictive relative clauses) give detailed information defining a general term or expression. Defining relative clauses are not put in commas.
Imagine, Tom is in a room with five girls. One girl is talking to Tom and you ask somebody whether he knows this girl. Here the relative clause defines which of the five girls you mean.
ü Do you know the girl who is talking to Tom?
Defining relative clauses are often used in definitions.
ü A seaman is someone who works on a ship.
Object pronouns in defining relative clauses can be dropped. (Sentences with a relative clause without the relative pronoun are called Contact Clauses.)
ü The boy (who/whom) we met yesterday is very nice.
Online Review
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