Unit

4 2 ' Passive 1 (is done / was done)

Study this example:

This house was built in 1961.

Was built is passive.

Compare active and passive:

Somebody built this house in 1961. (active)

subject object

This house was built in 1961. (passive)

subject

When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does:

My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1961.
O It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people.
When we use a passive verb, we say what happens to the subject:
O 'How old is this house?' 'It was built in 1961,'
Two hundred people are employed by the company.

When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant:
A lot of money was stolen in the robbery, (somebody stole it, but we don't know who)
Is this room cleaned every day? (does somebody clean it? - it's not important who)

If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by:
This house was built by my grandfather.
Two hundred people are employed by the company.

The passive is be (is/was etc.) + past participle (done/cleaned/seen etc.):

(be) done (be) cleaned (be) damaged (be) built (be) seen etc.

For irregular past participles (done/seen/known etc.), see Appendix 1.

Study the active and passive forms of the present simple and past simple:

Present simple
active clean(s) / see(s) etc. Somebody cleans this room every day.

passive am/is/are + cleaned/seen etc. This room is cleaned every day.

Many accidents are caused by careless driving.

G I'm not invited to parties very often.
How is this word pronounced?

Past simple
active cleaned/saw etc. Somebody cleaned this room yesterday.

passive was/were + cleaned/seen etc. This room was cleaned yesterday.

We were woken up by a loud noise during the night.

'Did you go to the party?' 'No, I wasn't invited.'
How much money was stolen in the robbery?

JT

84 Passive 2-3 -► Units 43-44 By -¥ Unit 128

Exercises
Complete the sentences using one of these verbs in the correct form, present or past:

-cause- damage hold invite make

overtake show surround translate write

1 Many accidents . caused by dangerous driving.

2 Cheese from milk.
3 The roof of the building in a storm a few days ago.
4 You to the wedding. Why didn't you go?
5 A cinema is a place where film s ............. .
6 In the United States, elections for president .................... every four years.
7 Originally the book in Spanish, and a few years ago it
into English.
8 Although we were driving fast, we by a lot of other cars.
9 You can't see the house from the road. It by trees.

Write questions using the passive. Some are present and some are past.
1 Ask about glass, (how / make?) How is glass mode? ....................................................
2 Ask about television, (when / invent?)
3 Ask about mountains, (how/form?) ............ .
4 Ask about antibiotics, (when / discover?)
5 Ask about silver, (what / use for?)

Put the verb into the correct form, present simple or past simple, active or passive.
1 It's a big factory. Five hundred people OJrtemployed (employ) there.
Z Dut somebody clean (somebody / clean) this room yesterday?
3 Water (cover) most of the earth's surface.
4 How much of the earth's surface (cover) by water?
5 The park gates (lock) at 6.30 p.m. every evening.
6 The letter (send) a week ago and it (arrive) ........................ yesterday.
7 The boat hit a rock and (sink) quickly. Fortunately everybody
(rescue).
8 Robert's parents (die) when he was very young. He and his sister
(bring up) by their grandparents.
9 I was born in London, but I (grow up) in Canada.
10 While I was on hoLiday, my camera (steal) from myhotel room.
11 While I was on holiday, my camera (disappear) frommy hotel room.
12 Why (Sue / resign) from her job? Didn't she enjoy it?
13 Why (Ben / fire) from his job? Did he do something wrong?
14 The company is not independent. It (own) by a much larger company.
15 I saw an accident last night. Somebody (call) an ambulance but nobody
............. (injure), so the ambulance (not / need).
16 Where . (these pictures / take)? In London?
(you / take) them, or somebody else?
17 Sometimes it's quite noisy living here, but it's not a problem for me -
I (not / bother) by it.

Rewrite these sentences. Instead of using somebody, they, people etc., write a passive
sentence.
1 Somebody cleans the room every day. The. room is cleaned every d a y . ...................
2 They cancelled all flights because of fog. AIL.........................................................................
3 People don't use this road much.
4 Somebody accused me of stealing money. I
5 How do people learn languages? How
6 People warned us not to go out alone. ............... .........................................
Unit I
43 Passive 2 (be done / been done / being done)
Study the following active and passive forms:

Infinitive
active (to) do/clean/see etc. Somebody will clean this room later.

passive (to) be + done/cleaned/seen etc. This room will be cleaned later.

The situation is serious. Something must be done before it's too late.
A mystery is something that can't be explained.
C 1 The music was very Loud and could be heard from a long way away.
A new supermarket is going to be built next year.
Q Please go away. I want to be left alone.

Perfect infinitive
active (to) have + done/cleaned/seen etc. Somebody should have cleaned the room .

passive (to) have been + done/cleaned/seen etc. The room should have been cleaned.

I should have received the letter by now. It might have been sent to the wrong address.
If you had locked the car, it wouldn't have been stolen.
There were some problems at first, but they seem to have been solved.

Present perfect
active have/has + done etc. The room looks nice. Somebody has cleaned it

passive have/has been + done etc. The room looks nice. It has been cleaned.

Have you heard? The trip has been cancelled.

Q Have you ever been bitten by a dog?
Are you going to the party?' ‘No, I haven't been invited.'

Past perfect
active had + done etc. The room looked nice. Somebody had cleaned it

passive had been + done etc. The room looked nice. It had been cleaned.

) The vegetables didn't taste good. They had been cooked too long.
O The car was three years old, but hadn't been used very much.
.'. 'f v z m n

Present continuous
active am/is/are + (do)ing Somebody is cleaning the room at the moment.

passive am/is/are + being (done) The room is being cleaned at the moment.

There’s somebody walking behind us. I think we are being followed.

(in a shop) ‘Can I help you?' ‘No, thanks, i'm being served.'

Past continuous
active was/were + (do)ing Somebody was cleaning the room when I arrived.

passive was/were + being (done) The room was being cleaned when I arrived.

There was somebody walking behind us. I think we were being followed.

Passive 1, 3 - ¥ Units 42, 44

Unit
Exercises 43
W h at do these words mean? Use it can ... or it c a n 't.... Use a dictionary if necessary.
If something is
1 washable,... & can be washed,..................... 4 unusable,..................................................
2 unbreakable, it ........................................... 5invisible, .......
3 edible, 6portable, ....................... ..

Complete these sentences with the following verbs (in the correct form):

arrest carry cause -do- make repair -send- spend wake up

Sometimes you need have (might have, should have etc.).

1 The situation is serious. Something must be done before it's too late.
2 I should have received the letter by now. It might have been sent . to the wrong address.
3 A decision will n o t until the next meeting.
4 Do you think that more money should on education?
5 This road is in very bad condition. It should a long time ago.
6 The injured man couldn't walk and had to .
7 I told the hotel receptionist I wanted to at 6.30 the next morning.
8 If you hadn't pushed the policeman, you wouldn't ..............................................................
9 It's not certain how the fire started, but it might by an
electricaL fault.

Rewrite these sentences. Instead of using somebody or they etc., write a passive sentence.
1 Somebody has cleaned the room.
TVie room has been cleaned.
Somebody is using the computer right now.
The computer ........
I didn't realise that somebody was recording our conversation.
I didn't realise th a t .................................................................................
When we got to the stadium, we found that they had cancelled the game.
When we got to the stadium, we found that
They are building a new ring road round the city.

6 They have built a new hospital near the airport.

Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive.
1 There's somebody behind us. (I think / we / follow) I thinkwe re. being“followed,
2 This room looks different, (you / paint/the walls?) Have you painted the w a lls7
3 My car has disappeared, (it/steal!) It ............................. ..................................
4 My umbrella has disappeared, (somebody / take) Somebody
5 Sam gets a higher salary now. (he/promote) He .
6 Ann can't use her office this week, (it / redecorate) It
7 There was a problem with the photocopier yesterday, but now it's OK.
(it/work) It ................ again, (it / repair) I t ...............
8 When I went into the room, I saw that the table and chairs were not in the same place.
(the furniture / move) The
9 A neighbour of mine disappeared six months ago. (he / not / see / since then)
He ....................................................................................................................................
10 I wonder how Jane is these days. (I / not / see / for ages)

11 A friend of mine was mugged on his way home a few nights ago. (you / ever / mug?)

-*■ Additional exercises 22-24 (pages 314-15) 87

1was offered ... / we were given ... etc

Some verbs can have two objects. For example, give:

' J Somebody gave the police the information. (= somebody gave the information to the police)
v " “ '' v ‘
object 7 object 2

So it is possible to make two passive sentences:

The police were given the information, or
The information was given to the police.

Other verbs which can have two objects are:

ask offer pay show teach tell

When we use these verbs in the passive, most often we begin with the person:
I've been offered the job, but I don't think I’ll accept it. (= they have offered me the job)
You will be given plenty of time to decide. (= we will give you plenty of time)
I didn’t see the original document but I was shown a copy. (= somebody showed me.)
Tim has an easy job - he's paid a lot of money to do very little. (= they pay him a lot)

I don't like being ...

The passive of doing/seeing etc. is being done / being seen etc. Compare:

active I don't like people telling me what to do.

passive I don't like being told what to do.

I remember being taken to the zoo when I was a child.

(= I remember somebody taking me to the zoo)
Steve hates being kept waiting. (= he hates peopLe keeping him waiting)
We managed to climb over the wall without being seen. (= without anybody seeing us)

I was born ...

We say ll was bom ...' (not I am born):

1was born in Chicago. 1
Where were you born? [not Where are you born?) \
but
How many babies are born every day? present

Get

You can use get instead of be in the passive:

There was a fight at the party, but nobody got hurt. (= nobody was hurt)
I don't get invited to many parties. (= I'm not invited)
J I'm surprised Liz didn't get offered the job. (= Liz wasn't offered the job)

We use get only when things happen. For example, you cannot use get in these sentences:
Jessica is liked by everybody. (not gets liked - this is not a ‘happening’)
Peter was a mystery man. Very little was known about him. (not got known)

We use get mainly in informal spoken English. You can use be in all situations.

We also use get in the following expressions (which are not passive in meaning):
get married, get divorced get dressed (= put on your clothes)
get Lost (= not know where you are) get changed (= change your clothes)

Passive 1-2 Units 42-43

Unit
Exercises 44
Write these sentences in another way, beginning in the way shown.
1 They didn't give me the information I needed.
I wasn’t given the information I needed.
2 They asked me some difficult questions at the interview,
I ............................... ..................................................... .........................................................
3 Amy's colleagues gave her a present when she retired.
Amy ...................................... ......................._ . .....................................
4 Nobody told me about the meeting.
I wasn't .................................................................................................................................
5 How much wilL they pay you for your work?
How much will you ..........................
6 I think they should have offered Tom the job.
I think Tom .......... ...................... ......................................
7 Has anybody shown you what to do?
Have you ............................ ............

Complete the sentences using being + the following verbs (in the correct form):

give invite keep knock down stick treat

1 Steve hates being kept waiting.

2 We went to the party without .........................................
3 I like giving presents and I also like them.
4 It's a busy road and I don't like crossing it. I'm afraid of ....................
5 I'm an adult. I don't like like a child.
6 You can't do anything about in a traffic jam.

When were they born? Choose five of these people and write a sentence for each.
(Two of them were born in the same year.)
Ludwig van Beethoven Mahatma Gandhi Elvis Presley 1452 1869 1935
-Walt Disney Michael Jackson William Shakespeare 1564 1901 1958
Galileo Martin Luther King Leonardo da Vinci 1770 1929

1 W a lt Disney was born in 1901. ................................

2 .............................................................................................................................
3 .....................................................................................................................................
4 ...............................................................................................................................................
5 .............................................
6 ..................................................
7 And you? I ................................................. ............................................................... ............

Complete the sentences using get/got + the following verbs (in the correct form):

ask damage hurt pay steal sting stop use

1 There was a fight at the party, but nobody got Hurt .

2 Alex by a bee while he was sitting in the garden.
3 These tennis courts don't ........................ very often. Not many people want to play.
4 I used to have a bicycle, but it ....... a few months ago.
5 Rachel works hard but doesn't very much.
6 Last night I by the police as I was driving home. One of the lights
on my car wasn't working.
7 Please pack these things very carefully. ! don't want them t o .........................................
8 People often want to know what my job is. I that question a lot.

-♦ Additional exercises 22-24 (pages 314-15) 89

Unit It is said th at... He is said to ...
4 5 x He is supposed to ...
Study this example situation:

George is very old. Nobody knows exactly how old he is, but:

It is said that he is 108 years old.

or He is said to be 108 years old.

Both these sentences mean: 'People say that he is 108 years old.'

You can use these structures with a number of other verbs, especially:

alleged believed considered expected known reported thought understood

Compare the two structures:

O Cathy loves running.

It is said that she runs ten miles a day. or She is said to run ten miles a day.
The police are looking for a missing boy.
It is believed that the boy is wearing or The boy is believed to be wearing
a white sweater and blue jeans. a white sweater and blue jeans.
The strike started three weeks ago.
It is expected that the strike will end or The strike is expected to end soon.
soon.
A friend of mine has been arrested.
It is alleged that he hit a policeman. or He is alleged to have hit a policeman.
The two houses belong to the same family.
It is said that there is a secret tunnel or There is said to be a secret tunnel
between them. between them.

These structures are often used in news reports. For example, in a report about an accident:
It is reported that two people were or Two people are reported to have
injured in the explosion. been injured in the explosion.

(Be)supposed to

Sometimes (it is) supposed to ... = (it is) said to ...:

□ I want to see that film. It's supposed to be good. (= it is said to be good)
O Fireworks are supposed to have been invented in China, ts it true?

But sometimes supposed to has a different meaning. We use supposed to to say what is intended,
arranged or expected. Often this is different from the real situation:
The plan is supposed to be a secret, but everybody seems to know about it.
(= the plan is intended to be a secret)
G What are you doing at work? You're supposed to be on holiday.
(= you arranged to be on holiday)
O Our guests were supposed to come at 7.30, but they were late.
Jane was supposed to phone me last night, but she didn't.
I'd better hurry. I'm supposed to be meeting Chris in ten minutes.

You're not supposed to do something = it is not allowed or advisable:

You're not supposed to park your car here. It's private parking only.
O Jeff is much better after his illness, but he's still not supposed to do any heavy work.
Exercises
Write these sentences in another way, beginning as shown. Use the underlined word each time.
1 It is expected that the strike will end soon. The strike i&. expected to end soon.
2 It is expected that the weather will be good tomorrow.
The weather is ......................................................................................................
3 It is believed that the thieves got in through a window in the roof.
The thieves
4 It is reported that many people are homeless after the floods.
Many people .....................................................................................................................
5 It is thought that the prisoner escaped by climbing over a wall.
The prisoner.................................................... .. . ...........................
6 It is alleged that the man was driving at 110 miles an hour.
The m an ................... ........ .................................................................................................
7 It is reported that the building has been badly damaged by the fire.
The building
8 a It is said that the company is losing a lot of money.
The company...................................................................................................................
b It is believed that the company lost a lot of money last year.
The company
c It is expected that the company will make a loss this year.
The company........................................................................................... ......................

There are a lot of rumours about Alan. Here are some of the things people say about him:

^ ^Alan speaks ten languages.^ ^ (Vie knows a tot of famous people.^

y — -js --------------------------w
3
(Vie is very rich.") ^ (Vie has twelve children.^ He was an actor when
0 ^ * he was younger.

Nobody is sure whether these things are true. Write sentences about Alan using supposed to.
1 Alan Is supposed to speak ten languages, ..............................
2 He
3 ,............................................
4 .........................................................................................................................................
5 .......................................................................

Complete the sentences using supposed to be + the following:

on a diet a flower my friend a joke a secret working

1 How is it that everybody seems to know about the plan? It ^ supposed to be a secret.
2 You shouldn't criticise me all the time. Y o u ...........................
3 I shouldn't be eating this cake really. I ...................................................... .............................
4 I'm sorry for what I said. I was trying to be funny. It .
5 What's this drawing? Is it a tree? Or maybe it .... ...
6 You shouldn't be reading the paper now. You ....................

Write sentences with supposed to + the following verbs:

block depart park phone start

Use the negative (not supposed to) where necessary.

1 You Ve not supposed to park here. It's private parking only.
2 We work at 8.15, but we rarely do anything before 8.30.
3 Oh, I Helen last night, but I completely forgot.
4 This door is a fire exit. You ......................................... it.
5 My flight at 11.30, but it was an hour late.

-¥ Additional exercises 22-24 (pages 314-15}

Unit
46 Have something done
Study this example situation:

The roof of Lisa's house was damaged in a storm.

So she called a builder, and yesterday a man
came and repaired it.

Lisa had the roof repaired yesterday.

This means: Lisa arranged for somebody else to

repair the roof. She didn't repair it herself.

LISA

We use have something done to say that we arrange for somebody else to do something for us.
Compare:
Lisa repaired the roof. (= she repaired it herself)
Lisa had the roof repaired. (= she arranged for somebody else to repair it)

'Did you make those curtains yourself?' 'Yes, I enjoy making things.'
‘Did you have those curtains made?' ‘No, I made them myself.'

Be careful with word order. The past participle (repaired/cut etc.) is after the object:

have object past participle

Lisa had the roof repaired yesterday.

Where did you have your hair cut?
Your hair looks nice. Have you had it cut?
Our neighbour has just had a garage built.
We are having the house painted this week.
How often do you have your car serviced?
1think you should have that coat cleaned,
1don't like having my picture taken.

Get something done

You can also say ‘get something done' instead of ‘have something done':
When are you going to get the roof repaired? (= have the roof repaired)
I think you should get your hair cut really short.

Sometimes have something done has a different meaning. For example:

Paul and Karen had their bags stolen while they were travelling.

This does not mean that they arranged for somebody to steal their bags. ‘They had their bags stolen'
means only: ‘Their bags were stolen'.

With this meaning, we use have something done to say that something happens to somebody or
their belongings. Often what happens is not nice:
Gary had his nose broken in a fight. (= his nose was broken)
Have you ever had your bike stoLen?
Exercises
Tick (/ ) the correct sentence, (a) or (b), for each picture.

SARAH BILL JOHN SU E

(a) Sarah is cutting (a) Bill is cutting his (a) John is cleaning (a) Sue is taking a
her hair. hair. his shoes. picture.
(b) Sarah is having (b) Bill is having his (b) John is having his (b) Sue is having her
her hair cut. hair cut. shoes cleaned. picture taken.

Put the words in the correct order.

1 had / a few weeks ago / the house / we / painted
We had. the house painted a. -few weeks ago.
2 serviced / her car / Sarah / once a year / has
Sarah
3 twelve pounds / have / cleaned / it / my suit / cost / to

4 my eyes / I / two years ago / had / tested / the last time / was

5 had / in the kitchen / fitted / some new cupboards / we've

6 as soon as possible / need / translated / we / to get / this document

Write sentences in the way shown.

1 Lisa didn't repair the roof herself. She had. it repaired.
2 I didn't cut my hair myself. I .... ....
3 We didn't clean the carpets ourselves. We ..........................................
4 John didn't build that wall himself..........
5 I didn't deliver the flowers myself. .. . . ....

Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use the structure have something done.
1 We're having the house painted, (we / the house / paint) this week.
2 I lost my key. I'll have to (another key / make).
3 When was the last time (you/your hair / cut)?
4 ........ ..................... (you / a newspaper / deliver) to
your house every day, or do you go out and buy one?
5 a : What's happening in your garden?
b: Oh, (we/agarage/bui
6 a: ..................................... (you / the washing machine / fix)?
b: Not yet. There's someone coming to look at it next week.
7 If you want to wear earrings, why don't you
(you / your ears / pierce)?

Now use ‘have something done' with its second meaning (see Section D).
8 Gaiy was in a fight last night. He had his nose broken (he / his nose / break).
9 Did I tell you about Jane? ... ........... ...........................................................
(she / her credit cards / steal).
10 Security was very strict at the airport. ...
(we all / our bags / search).