Past Simple/Past Continuous/Past Perfect

This time last year I (cycle) in the rain along a country road in France with a friend of mine. We (decide) to go on a cycling holiday in Normandy. Neither of us (be) to France before, but we (know) some French from our time at school and we (manage) to brush up on the basics. Now we (won­der) if we (make) the right decision. We (plan) our route carefully in advance, but we (forget) one important thing, the weather. It (rain) solidly since our arrival and that night we (end up) sleeping in the waiting room at a railway station. Then the next morning as we (ride) down a steep hill my bike (skid) on the wet road and I (fall off). I (realize) imme­diately that I (break) my arm, and after a visit to the local hospital I (catch) the next train to Calais for the ferry home. Unfortunately my parents (not/expect) me home for a fort­night, and (go) away on holiday. So I (spend) a miserable couple of weeks alone, reading «Teach Yourself French».

16. Present Simple/Past Simple/Future Simple/

Present Perfect/Past Perfect/Past

Perfect Continuous

Yesterday I (receive) a phone call from an old friend who I (not/hear) from for months. I (ask) him what he (do) lately, and he told me that he (spend) the past three months sailing around the world on an old-fashioned sailing ship. I always

(love) everything to do with the sea, so I was very excited to hear that he (manage) to do something so thrilling. I (ask) him if we (can) get together soon and (make) him promise that he (bring) all the photos he (take). When he (come) next week, Г11 expect him to tell me exactly what the trip (he) like.

Past Simple/Present Continuous/Present Perfect/Past Perfect/Past Perfect Continuous

Yesterday evening Sally (miss) the last bus home because she (work) late at the office, so she (decide) to get a taxi. She (get) into the first one that (come) along, but immediately (regret) that she (do) so, because the driver (seem) a bit crazy. After he (go) through the third red light at top speed Sally said, 'You (drive) a bit too fast. Please slow down. I (be) in two car accidents already in my life'. 'That's nothing', (reply) the driver. 'I (be) in over a hundred!'

18. Present Simple/Past Simple/Past Continuous/ Past Perfect/Past Perfect Continuous

I (walk) down the street the other day when I (bump) into an old friend of mine. We (be) friends at university but we (lose) touch. We (talk) for a few minutes and he (tell) me that he (work) with computers for the past two years. I (can) hardly believe it; he (do) a drama degree at university and (act) in several films when he was younger. It (be) funny how things (turn out) sometimes.

THE USE OF TENSES IN THE PASSIVE VOICE

FORMATION

The Passive voice is formed with the help of the auxiliary be in the appropriate form and the Past Participle of the main verb (see Table 13).

Tense	Structure	Example
Present Simple	am/are/is + Past Participle	English is spoken here.
Past Simple	was/were + Past Participle	His leg was hurt in an accident.
Future Simple	shall/will + Past Participle	The matter will be discussed tomorrow.
Present Cont.	am/are/is being + Past Participle	She is being interviewed now.
Past Continuous	was/were being + Past Participle	I felt I was being watched.
Present Perfect	have/has been + Past Participle	My brother has never been beaten in tennis.
Past Perfect	had been + Past Participle	The bridge had been built by winter time.
Future Perfect	will have been + Past Participle	Everything will have been done by Tuesday.

Note 1: Future Continuous Passive (will be being + Past Participle) and Perfect Continuous Passive (have been being + Past Participle, etc.) are unusual and are not normally used. Note 2: Passive Infinitives are used with 'to' or without 'to' in the same way as Active Infinitives: e.g.

The pupils must be warned about the change in the time-table. The letter doesn 't have to be sent

tomorrow.

USAGE

The use of the verb-tenses in the passive voice is determined by the same principles as in the active voice. Yet a passive construction is not merely a transformation of the active one. It is made to show that the subject of a sentence is not the

doer of the action but the receiver of it. Hence the passive

voice has its own uses marked by the shift of focus from the doer of the action to the action itself which is typical of more formal speech.

Customers are requested to ask for a receipt. When were you told about the new rules? The floor is filthy. It must be scrubbed.

PRACTICE

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