Раздел: Учебно-методические материалы. Вспомогательные материалы

Вспомогательные материалы

 

Grammar

 

 

I. The Passive Voice.

1. Form: Although it is possible to form a wide range of passive tenses, the most used are present simple and continuous, past simple and continuous, present perfect simple, past perfect simple, will future, and future perfect. There are also present and past passive infinitives.

Present simple:	am/are/is + past participle	The office is locked every evening.
Present continuous:	am/are/is + being + past participle	The house is being painted at the moment.
Past simple:	was/were + past participle	My car was stolen last night.
Past continuous:	was/were + being + past participle	The bridge was being repaired last week.
Present perfect simple:	have/has + been + past participle	Sarah has been invited to the party.
Past perfect simple:	had + been + past participle	I thought that you had been told the news.
Future simple:	will + be + past participle	Tomorrow Tom will be asked about his job again.
Future perfect simple:	will + have been + past participle	Tom won’t have been asked about his job before Monday.
Perfect cont. passives	(have/has/had + been being + past participle) are very uncommon.
The past participle of regular verbs ends in –ed		locked, painted
Irregular verbs have different past participle forms		steal— stolen, tell— told
When we add -ed to verbs, there are sometimes changes in spelling		stop— stopped

 

2. Use

2.1 Agent and instrument

The person who performs an action in a passive sentence is called the agent, introduced by by. The agent may or may not be mentioned. An object, which causes something to happen, is called an instrument, introduced by with.

My purse was found by one of the cleaners.

He was hit on the head with a hammer.

2.2 Most verbs with an object (transitive verbs) can be made passive. Common verbs not used in the passive include:

Become, fit (be the right size) get, have, lack, let, like, resemble, suit

Some verbs have both transitive and intransitive meanings.

We arrived at the hotel at eight, (cannot be made passive)

How was the answer arrived at? (passive with a different meaning)

2.3 Verbs with two objects: Verbs which have two objects can be made passive in two ways.

I was handed a note.            A note was handed to me.

Other common verbs of this type are: bring, give, lend, pass, pay, promise, sell, send, show, tell, teach, offer, ask….

2.4 Verbs with object and complement: Some verbs have a noun or adjective which describes their object.

We elected Jim class representative.

Everyone considered him a failure.

When these are made passive, the complement goes directly after the verb.

Jim was elected class representative.

He was considered a failure.

Using and not mentioning the agent

3.1 Change of focus: Jack won the prize, (focus on Jack).

The prize was won by Jack. (focus on the prize)

3.2 Unknown agent: My wallet has been taken.

In this case, there is no point in adding an agent: 'by somebody'

3.3 Generalized agent:

Bicycles are widely, used in the city instead of public transport.

3.4 Obvious agent: Linda has been arrested! (we assume by the police).

The company agreed to our request and a new car park was opened.

3.5 Unimportant agent: / was advised to obtain a visa in advance.

3.6 Impersonality: It has been decided to reduce all salaries by 10%.

3.7 In descriptions of processes:   

Then the packets are packed into boxes of twenty-four.

Have something done

4.1 Have something done usually describes a service performed for us by someone else:         I' ve just had my car serviced.

4.2 It can also describe something unfortunate that happens to someone.

We have had our car stolen so we need a lift.

4.3 This applies to a range of tenses:

I'm having my flat painted next week.

I have it done every year.

Sheila had her hair done yesterday.

I was having the roof repaired when it happened.

4.4 Note the quite different colloquial expressions have someone round/over. In this case, there is no sense of a service.

We had some friends round for dinner last night.

 

Get something done

5.1 Get cannot be used in all the same contexts as have in this case.

Get is common where there is a feeling that something must be done:

I must get my car serviced.

5.2 It is also common in orders and imperatives:               

Get your hair cut!

5.3 There is also a feeling of eventually managing something in some uses:     

I eventually got the car fixed.       

6. Need doing (can be described the need to have a service done).

Your hair needs cutting.

7. Passive get    Get can be used instead of be in spoken language.

Martin got arrested at a football match.

Reporting verbs:

8.1 Present reference: With verbs such as believe, know, say, think which report people's opinions, a passive construction is often used to give a generalized opinion. With present reference, the passive is followed by the present infinitive.

People think that Smith is in England.

Smith is thought to be in England.

8.2 Past reference: With past reference, the passive is followed by the past infinitive.

People believe that Smith left England last week.

Smith is believed to have left England last week.

With passive infinitive

Everyone knows the portrait was painted by an Italian.

The portrait is known to have been painted by an Italian.

8.4  Past reporting verb: If the reporting verb is in the past, the past infinitive tends to follow, though not always if the verb be is used.

People thought Sue had paid too much.

Sue was thought to have paid too much.

The police thought that the thief was still in the house.

The thief was thought to still be in the house.

8.5 If there are two objects, two versions are possible.

The portrait is known to have been painted by an Italian.

An Italian is known to have painted the portrait.

8.6  Continuous infinitive Past and present continuous infinitives are also used. Mary is thought to be living in Scotland.                

9. Verbs with prepositions:

9.1 At the end of the sentence:

Someone broke into our house.

Our house was broken into.

9.2 By and with

With is used after participles such as filled, packed, crowded, crammed.

The train was packed with commuters.

The difference between by and with may involve the presence of a person:

Dave was hit by a branch. (an accident)                   

Dave was hit with a branch. (a person hit him with one)

9.3 Make is followed by to when used in the passive.

 My boss made me work hard.                         

I was made to work hard by my boss.

9.4 Cover and verbs which involve similar ideas, such as surround, decorate can use with or by. Cover can also be followed by in.

 

 

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