Introduction to the passive The passives dealt with in Units 2,3, and 7. Form to be + past participle ‘The tense ofthe verb o Be changes to give different tenses in the passive, Compare: A party is being hel by the Patels nest week. (Present Continuous passive) ‘Mj neighbour ds invited to their party every year. (Present Simple passe) He was invited lst yar, Iva (Present Perfect passive) Ta love tobe invited wo hr party (Passive infinitive) Use 1 Passive sentences move the focus ftom the subject tothe object of active sentences Alf Hicheack directed Psycho i, 1960. Psycho, one of the clase tiles of all ime, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock The passive isnot just another way of expressing the same sentence in the active, ‘We choose the active or the passive depending on what we are more interested in. In the fist sentence, we are more interested in Aled Hitchcock in the second sentence, Pxjcho has moved to the beginning ofthe sentence hecause we are more interested i the film. 2. Byand the agen are often omitted in passive sentences if he agent ~ isnot known, My apartment was robbed ls nig ~ isnot important. ‘This bridge was bul in 1886. ~ is obvious 1 vas fined £100 for speding 3. The pasiveis associated with an impersonal, formal syle. Is often used in notices and announcement Customers are requested to refain from smoking Ihas been noticed that reference books have been removed fromm the brary. 4 In informa language, we often use you, we, and they to refer to people in general ‘oF to:no person in particular. In this way, we can avoid using the passive. ou ean buy stomps in lot of shops, nots he pos offices. They're building e new deparenent stor inthe cy centre We speak Eiglish in thie shop © sie carefull Many past participles are used a adjectives. {ne very intrested in madern art We were extremely worried about yo Tmeshausted! I've been working hard al day Bp 24 Present Simple and Present Continuous passive Form Present Simple Passive amtisiare + past participle Present Continuous Passive ___antislare being + past participle a mended. They Use The uses ae the same inthe passive as inthe active, My car is serviced every six nants. (habit) Computers are used in all areas oie and works (fact that is lays ue) Sorry about the mess. The house is being redecorated athe moment. (activity happening no) UNIT 3 Introduction to past tenses ‘We use different past tenses to focus on diferent ‘moments and periods of time in the past. Lookat the diagram. Read the sentences When Andrea arrived at work at 9.00 a.m a3 (GH) 930000 Her secretary opened the post Her secrerary was opening the post. Her secretary had opened the post. Bp 31 Post Simple Form “The form of the Past Simple is the same forall persons, Positive T HerShe/it | finished We lef | ad oock You arrived | thee weaks ago. They yesterday. at3 dclock the | Gnish the report? they | get married? (etc) when | did Short answer Yes, we did Did you enjoy the meal? | oe isi, Use ‘The Past Simple is used to express 1 finished action in the past. ‘We met in 2000, went to Manchester last weok. John lef v0 minutes ago. 2 actions that follow each other ina story. ‘Mary walked into the room and stopped. She listened carefull, She heard a noise coming from belind the curtain, She threw the curtain open, and then she saw...3a past situation or habit. When I was.a chil, we lived ina small house by the sea. Every day T ‘walked for miles on the beach with my dog. This use is often expressed with used to, ‘We used to live ina small house... used fo walk for miles Spelling of verb + -ed 1 Most verbs add -ed to the base form of the verb. worked wanted helped — washed 2 When the verb ends in «add -d. Tiked used hated cared 3. Ifthe verb has only one sylable, with one vowel + one consonant, double the consonant before adding -ed. stopped planned robbed But we write cooked, seared, and moaned because there are two vowels. 4 The consonant is not doubled if itis -y or -w. played showed In most two-syilable verbs, the end consonant is doubled ifthe stress is on the second syllable, preferred admitted But we write entered and ‘visited because the stress on the frst, syllable, 6 Verbs that end in a consonant + -ychange the -y to -ied. carried —Inervied buried But we write enjoyed, because it ends ina vowel + -y. There are many common icregular verb. >> irregular verbs pI87 Past Simple and time expressions Lookat the time expressions that are common with the Past Simple. lastnight. two days ago. yesterday morning. in 2001, ‘when T was young, I met her Ne 3.2 Past Continuous Form Positive and negative Question T i He | was was | sh She | wasn't he te working, | | What iv [We | ere we You |e were | you They they. Short answer Yes, was/No Iwas Yes, they were/No, they weren't Were you looking for me? Were they waiting outside? Use ‘We often use the Past Continuous in sentences with the Past Simple, ‘The Past Continuous refers to longer background activities, while the Past Simple refers to shorter, completed actions. BS Grammar Reference 3.2-33 ‘The children were playing inthe garden when their grandparents arrived, ‘The Past Continuous is used: 1 to express activites in progress before, and probably after a ‘particular time in the past. At7 o'clock this morning Iwas having my breakfast. walked past your house lastnight. There was an afi lot of noise. What were you doing? 2. for descriptions. Jan looked beautiful. She was wearing a green cotton dress. Her ees ‘were shining inthe light ofthe candles thar were burning nearby. 3. to express an interrupted past activity. Wher te pone rang. I was having « shower. While we were playing tennis, it started to rain, 4. twexpressan incomplete activity in the past in order to contrast. ‘with the Past Simple that expresses a completed activity, was reading a book during the flight. (I didn't finish it.) watched a film during the flight (the whole film) Note ‘The Past Simple is usually used to express a repeated past habit or situation, But the Past Continuous can be used if the repeated habit ‘becomes a longer setting for something, Compare: went out with Jack for ten years. [first mer Harry while I was going out with Jack DP Workbook p20 More information on whi during, and for {> 33 Past Simple or Past Continuous? 1 Sometimes we can use the Past Simple or the Past Continuous. The Past Simple focuses on past actions as simple facts. The Past Continuous focuses on the duration of past situations and activities, Compare A. Lid se you at the party lst night B No.1 stayed at home and watched fotbal A. Lid see you at the party lst ght B No was watching football ar home. 2 Questions inthe Past Simple and Past Continuous refer to different time periods: the Past Continuous asks about activites before; the Past Simple aks about what happened ater. When the war broke out, Peter was studying medicine at medical school. He decided tha twas safer 1 go home this parents and postpone his stutos What was Peter doing when the war broke out? He was studying. What did Peter do when the war broke out? ‘He went home to his parents,Rp 34 Past Perfect Perfect means before’ so Past Perfect refers to an action in the past that was completed before another action inthe past. Form ‘The form of the Past Perfect isthe same for ll persons. Positive and negative 1 You | (had) | seen him before Wwe | hat | Boithed work a6 odock e) Question he Wherehad | re webu | | een bet (ey Short anewet > | Yewte ned. Hadhe andy ete | Yovbehed, Use 1 The Past Perfect is used to make clear that one action in the past happened before another action in the past. When got home, [found that someone had broken ino mp ‘apartment and had stolen my DVD player, oI called the police mast x x x > now I 1 i MyDYD player wasstolen larrvedhorne called the plice [Action I: Someone broke into my apartment and stole my DVD player. Action 2:T got home and called the police. 1 die’ wat to got the theatre with my ends because seen the Play before. st — >} >} wow saw the play My ends the play Action 1: Isa the pay “Action 2: My frends went to the theatre tose the ply. 2 Notice the difference between the fllowing sentences: When got w the party, Peter went home. (= First I arrived, then Peter lee) When I go to the party, Peter had gone hom. (= Fist Peter lft then I arrived.) [> 35 Past tenses in the passive Form Past Simple Passive Past Continuous Passive Past Perfect Passive ‘wus! were-+ past participle ‘ws! were being + past participle dha been + past participle Use The uses are the same in the passive a in the active. The bridge was buil in 1876. (finished action inthe past) The bomb was being defused when i exploded. (interrupted past activity) The letter dds’ arrive because it had been sent to my old address. (one action before another action in the past) UNIT 4 Introduction to modal verbs ‘The modal verbs are cam could, may, might, must, will would, should, ‘ought to, They are known as modal ausiliary verbs because they ‘help’ another verb, (See also Units 1,5, 8, and 9.) Tean swim. Do you think I should go? Form 1 There is no -sin the third person singular. She cam ski, He must be tired, It might rain, 2 There is no do/does/dor’u/does'tin the question or negative What should Ido? Can Thelp you? You mustwt steal! Hecaritdance, — Twon't bea minute. 3. Modal auxiliary verbs are followed by the infinitive without ro, The exception is ought to. You must go. PIhelp you. You ought to soe a doctor 4 They have no ininitives and no -ing forms. Other expressions are used instead. Td love ro be able to ski hate having to get up on cold, winter mornings. 5 They don't usually have pas forms. Instead, we can use them with perfect infintives: You should have told me that you can't swi. You might have drowned! fo we use other expressions: Thad to work har ie school. Note CCould is used with a past meaning to talk about a general ability eould swin: when I was sx (= general ability) ‘To talk about ability on one specific occasion, we use was able t/ ‘managed to The prisoner was able to/managed to escape by climbing on 10 the roof ofthe prison, NOT 1 Modal verbs expres our attitudes, opinions and judgements of events. Compare “Whos that knocking on the dor? ‘ts John? (This isa fact.) “Who's that knackng onthe door” “Treould/may/might/mustshould/ean'/ be Joi’ (These all ‘xpress our attitude or opinion) 2 Each modal verb has at least two meanings. One use ofall of them is to express possiblity or probably (See Unit p17.) 1 must post sis ltr! (= obligation) You mus be tre! (= deduction, probability) Could you hp me? (= request) We cout goto Spain fer our holiday. (= possibly) You may go hore now: (= permission) “Wheres Anna?” ‘Tm no sure. She may be at work? (= possibilty) Grammar Reference 34-Unit 4 139