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DEFINITION
First of all I'd like to make clear what we mean with
these two words: PASSIVE and VOICE. The former comes from
the latin verb Patior pateris pati passus sum, which means
"To suffer", '"To bear", "To undergo". And the latter,
VOICE, has derived from another latin verb: Voco, vocas,
vocare, vocavi, vocatum, and its meaning was "To call",
"To say", "To mention"; therefore, this topic deals with
the way in which we are addressing our message, it
comprises the way we are focusing it on the grounds of the
object affected by that action. We aren't talking about
who performs the action, but we'll assume the point of
view of the one -or the thing- on which the action will
influence.
GENERAL USE
The passive voice is widely used in English. Probably
quite 90% per cent of the passive sentences spoken or
written are of the type replacing the indefinite pronoun
or reflexives in other languages (French
"on", German
"man"
and
the
use
of
reflexive
verbs
in
Slavonic
languages). In Spanish we've got the impersonal "SE" in
"Se dice que, se piensa que" and "ES" in Valencian "Es diu
que, es pensa que...", which have no equivalent in
English. That's the raison d'tre why this voice is widely
used to cope with that problem.
We use the passive voice to focus on the person or thing
affected by an action. When we want to talk about the
person or thing that performs an action, we use the active
voice.
1. Mr Smith locks the gate at 6 o'clock every night.
The storm destroyed dozens of trees.
But when we want to focus on the person or thing that is
affected by an action, rather than the person or thing
that performs the action, we use the passive voice.
2. The gate is locked at 6 o'clock every night
Dozens of trees were destroyed
Only verbs that have an object can have a passive form.
With verbs that can have two objects, either object can be
the subject of the passive. Quirk calls them ditransitive
verbs.
TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE VERBS.
I) Intransitive verbs do not have an object.
II) transitive verbs have at least one object.
1
ROAST,
BOIL,
DEFROST,
MELT,
BECOME = Gradual
achievment.
COMPLEX STRUCTURES
* Structures with introductory IT:
Is it thought that the Minister will resign
* With THERE IS
There are thought to be fewer than 20 people still living
in the village.
There were said to be ghosts in the house, but I never
heard anything.
* FULL INFINITIVE
I was made to tell them everything
I was asked to help
She is thought to have left home
9. DIDACTIC APPROACH
A. LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS.
B. TABLE OF ACTIVE VERBS AND PASSIVE EQUIVALENTS.
C. CHART WITH PRACTICAL SAMPLES.
OBJECTIVES:
- Understanding the passive voice.
- Separation facts from opinions.
- Understand texts of different passive
organization.
- Understand texts from different media.
- Summerise ideas.
structures
and
EXERCISE 1
1. READ THE TEXT AND THEN DO THE REST OF THE EXERCISE.
A driver has been sent to jail for 90 days for driving
with excess alcohol.
Graham Smith, 29, of North Street, Barton, was stopped by
police officers near his home last November and was found
to have drunk almost twice the legal limit for drivers,
Didcot magistrates heard on Thursday.
Twelve months earlier Smith had been disqualified for
driving for three years for drink-driving.
He was disqualified for twelve months in 1986 for a
similar offence.
Mr Peter Jones, defending, said Smith had used the car to
visit a sick friend.
He said Smith was depressed after the visit, and went to a
pub and drank five or six pints before driving home.
He was caught by police during a routine speed check in
Wantage Road, Barton.
2. UNDERLINE THE PASSIVE VERBS IN THE TEXT.
3. QUESTION: WOULD IT BE EASY TO REWRITE THE TEXT WITH
ACTIVE VERBS (....sent a disqualified driver to jail;
police officer stopped Graham Smith)?
ANSWER: It would be difficult to rewrite the text
sensibly with active verbs.
4. THINK ABOUT THE
ARE BEST?
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EXERCISE 2
CHOOSE THE BEST
CONTINUOUS TEXT.
1.
SENTENCE
FROM
EACH
PAIR
TO
BUILD
UP
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EXERCISE 3
Cross-curricular topic: SELF-ESTEEM AND RESPECTING PEOPLE
Grammar Aspect: Infinitives and -ING forms. Make some
sentences beginning I (don't) like .... ing or I (don't)
want to... using verb forms from the box
ADMIRE
IGNORE
INVITE OUT
AT
LOVE
TALK ABOUT
CRITICISE
LAUGH AT
NEED
TALK TO
FORGET
LIKE
GIVE PRESENTS
LISTEN TO
LOOK
SHOUT AT
TAKE SERIOUSLY
UNDERVALUE
the
was
prepared
to
take
him
to
hospital
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EXERCISE 4
CONTEXT: Culinary richness in England.
A RECIPE:
COOKIES, DUMPLINGS, PLUMCAKE, PORRIGE, A BIRTHDAY CAKE,
APPLEPIE, PANCAKES, PLUM PUDDING, SPONGE CAKE, BREAD AND
BUTTER PUDDING, CHOCOLATE PUDDING, RICE PUDDING.
Read the text and making the appropriate changes into
passive, report the procedure of the recipe to a partner.
POTATO PANCAKE:
I NGREDIENTS:
One pound of boiled potatoes
Two tomatoes
Butter
Tablespoon flour
Seasoning
Parsley
One small finely chopped onion
P ROCEDURE:
Mash the potatoes in butter. Don't use any milk. Season.
Add the chopped onion, chopped potato, flour, and a
handful of chopped parsley. Mix well. Lightly oil a flat
baking dish and put in the potatoes. Shape into a fairly
thick circular cake. Brush lightly with melted butter and
bake in a hot oven until brown on the top.
FINAL OBJECTIVE: A PARTY
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
- "A PRACTICAL ENGLISH GRAMMAR"
Martinet. Oxford Univ. Press.
- "A UNIVERSITY GRAMMAR
Sidney Greenbaum. Longman.
OF
A.J.
ENGLISH"
Thomson
and
Randolph
A.V.
Quirk
&
Book
for
Foreign
ENGLISH
GRAMMAR"
Eastwood
&
Mackin.
Oxford
2".
Michael
14
Downnie
&
Stephanie
1. Etymological approach.
2. General Use. 1 2
3. Intransitive Verbs: Existence
3
Human Body
Human Noises
Light Smell Vibration
Position Movement
4. Transitive Verbs:
Physical O.
Senses 4
Feelings
Facts, ideas
People 5
Have
Omission Object 6
6. FORM
7. USE
Cooking 11
Position Movement 12
Vehicles 13
adverbials 14
- Simple 15
- Continuous 16
- Aux+Infinitive 17 Perf. 18
- Gerund 12 Pas.
- List
Comment
Double object
Prepositions 20..24
Inf./ Impersonal const. Institu./ Report. V.
Suppose
GET. Causative use.
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SAMPLES
1. Mr Smith locks the gate at 6 o'clock every night.
The storm destroyed dozens of trees.
2. The gate is locked at 6 o'clock every night
Dozens of trees were destroyed
3. An awful thing has happened.
4. Did you see the rainbow?
Don't blame me.
5. They were blamed for everything.
6. I don't own a car, I can't drive (a car).
You don't smoke, do you? (tobacco).
7. The hare runs at enormous speed
She runs a hotel
8. I once dreamed a very nice dream
9. When I opened the door, there was Tom Hanks
Suddenly the door opened
10. The driver stopped the car
A big car stopped.
11. I've boiled an egg
The porridge is boiling
12. An explosion shook the hotel
The whole room shook
13. He had crashed the car twice
Her car crashed into a tree
14. He sells books
This book is selling well.
15.A. They broke the window
A. People have seen wolves in that forest
16.A. They are repairing the bridge
17.A. You must shut these doors
A. You ought to open the windows
18.He may have been given the car
19.A. I remember my father taking me to the zoo
P. I remember being taken to the zoo by my father
20.A. Picasso painted this picture
A Who wrote it?
21.A. Smoke filled the romm
A. Paint covered the lock
22.He was killed with a knife
23.A. We must write to him
24.A. They threw away the old newspapers
25.It was said that he could speak their language
Nowadays it is believed that the size is unimportant
26.The factories were said to be much worse
They are believed to be very dangerous
27.People know that he was a police spy/It is known/He is.
28. She was told that there were no tickets
29.Our cars get cleaned ever week
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OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS
* If he is to be believed... = If we believe him...
----------------------------------------------------By rule of thumb
De modo emprico
By the skin of my teeth = POR LOS PELOS
To comply /kom'plai/ with obeder una norma, cumplir
I'd like to win my spurs
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