LANGUAGE REFERENCE
138
7
GRAMMAR
G1
THE PASSIVE: PRESENT SIMPLE AND
CONTINUOUS, FUTURE SIMPLE AND
-ING
FORMS
Form the present simple passive with
am
/
is
/
are
+ past
participle.
The castle
is protected
by high walls.
Form the present continuous passive with
am
/
is
/
are
being
+ past participle.
We’
re
being watched
.
!
Form the future simple passive with
will be
+ past
participle.
The new bridge
will be opened
next year.
!
The form of
be
agrees with the subject of the
passive verb.
A bag
was
stolen.
Ten bags
were
stolen.
!
Form the passive of -
ing
forms with
being
+ past
participle, for example after prepositions.
The children
insisted on being
taken
to the zoo.
I don’t like
being watched
.
Intransitive verbs (verbs which don’t have an object)
cannot be made passive.
The train was arrived on time.
O
We often use the passive when:
• the agent is obvious from the context.
The man
was arrested
yesterday. (obviously by the
police)
I’
m
going to be
given
a promotion. (obviously by
my boss)
• the agent is unknown or isn’t important.
My watch
has been stolen
.
The house
has been demolished
.
G2
THE PASSIVE: PAST SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS,
PRESENT PERFECT, INFINITIVES
Form the past simple passive with
was
/
were
+ past
participle.
The building
was demolished
in 2005.
Form the past continuous passive with
was
/
were
being
+ past participle.
The rooms
were being decorated
so we couldn’t go in.
Form the present perfect passive with
has
/
have been
+ past participle.
The factory
has been designed
by a Spanish architect.
Form the past perfect passive with
had been
+ past
participle.
The flight
had been cancelled
because of fog.
Form the passive of infinitives with
to be
+ past
participle.
The builders are scheduled
to complete
the work
within two years. (The work is scheduled
to be
completed
within two years.)
I wanted somebody
to help
me. (I wanted
to be helped
.)
G3
USE OF THE PASSIVE
In English we prefer to start a new sentence with a
familiar subject (something that has already been
mentioned). The passive can help us do this.
The house
is in Illinois.
It
was designed by Frank
Lloyd Wright.
P
The house
is in Illinois. Frank Lloyd Wright designed
it
.
O
We usually prefer to put short subjects at the
beginning of a sentence and longer expressions at
the end. The passive helps us do this.
The new bridge was designed by an engineer who
had previously worked on a bridge in Spain.
P
An engineer who had previously worked on a bridge
in Spain designed the new bridge.
O
KEY LANGUAGE
KL
TALKING ABOUT REQUIREMENTS
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
We really must have …
… it’s vital we have …
It’s absolutely essential to offer …
It’s a priority …
We’ve got to offer them …
We certainly need …
DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS
It’d be very popular with …
We should offer them (something) …
POSSIBLE REQUIREMENTS
It might be a good idea to have …
We could also consider …
Another possibility would be to …
VOCABULARY
V1
DESCRIBING BUILDINGS
ancient, classical, contemporary, cramped, derelict,
dilapidated, elegant, graceful, imposing, impressive,
ingeneous, innovative, magnificent, miniscule,
numerous, ornate, remarkable, run-down, stylish,
temporary, traditional, vast, ugly
amphitheatre (n), configuration (n), dome (n),
exterior (n), eyesore (n), interior (n), landmark (n)
V2
VERBS USED WITH BUILDINGS
commission, construct, damage, demolish, design,
maintain, rebuild, restore, renovate, survive
V3
IDIOMS
build bridges, burn one’s bridges, cross a/that bridge
when we come to it, water under the bridge
V4
PREFIXES
IN-, MIS-, OVER-, RE-, UN-
indisputable, insensitive, insignificant, insoluble,
misplaced, misunderstand, overcome, overcrowded,
redefine, revitalise, uncrowded, unimportant, unusual
