Формы пассивного залога (be/been/being done)
Мы часто используем пассив, когда предпочитаем не упоминать, кто или что совершает действие (например, это неизвестно, очевидно или мы не хотим говорить). Продолжаем разговор про формы пассивного залога в английском языке.
Если действие важнее того, кто его выполняет, то мы можем начать предложение с самой важной или самой логичной информации; Кроме того пассивный залог часто используется в более официальных или научных текстах.
Study the following active and passive forms:
A. Infinitive
| active: | (to) do/clean/see etc. |
Somebody will clean the room later. |
| passive: |
(to) be done/cleaned/seen etc. | The room will be cleaned later. |
- ёThe situation is serious. Something must be done before it’s too late.
- A mystery is something that can’t be explained.
- The music was very loud and could be heard from a long way away.
- A new supermarket is going to be built next year.
- Please go away. I want to be left alone.
B. Perfect infinitive
| active: | have done/cleaned/seen etc. | Somebody should have cleaned the room |
| passive: |
have been done/cleaned/seen etc. |
The room should have been cleaned. |
- I haven’t received the letter yet. It might have been sent to the wrong address.
- If you hadn’t left the car unlocked, it wouldn’t have been stolen.
- There were some problems at first but they seem to have been solved.
C. Present perfect
| active: | have/has (done) | The room looks nice. Somebody has cleaned it. |
| passive: |
have/has been (done) |
The room looks nice. It has been cleaned. |
- Have you heard the news? The President has been shot!
- 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) | The room looked nice. Somebody had cleaned it. |
| passive: |
had been (done) |
The room looked nice. It had been cleaned. |
- The vegetables didn’t taste very good. They had been cooked for too long.
- The car was three years old but hadn’t been used very much.
D. 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, madam?’ ‘No, thank you. I’m being served.’
Past continuous
| active: | was/were (do)ing |
Somebody was cleaning the room at the moment. |
| passive: |
was/were being (done) | The room was being cleaned at the moment. |
- There was somebody walking behind us. We were being followed.
EXERCISES
1 What do these words mean? Use it can… or it can’t… . Use a dictionary if necessary.
If something is
- washable, ...it can be washed...
- unusable,…it…………………………………………………..
- unbreakable, .it…………………………………………..
- invisible,………………………………………………………
- edible, ………………………………………………………
- portable,………………………………………………………
2 Complete these sentences with one of the following verbs (in the correct form):
carry cause do make repair send spend wake up
Sometimes you need have (‘might have’, ‘could have’ etc.}.
- The situation is serious. Something must …be done before it’s too late.
- I haven’t received the letter. It might ….have been sent... to the wrong address.
- A decision will not…………………………………………………………………. until the next meeting.
- I told the hotel receptionist that I wanted to …………………………….. at 6.30 the next morning.
- Do you think that less money should ………………………………………………………….. on armaments?
- This road is in very bad condition. It should ………………………………………………….. a long time ago.
- The injured man couldn’t walk and had to …………………………………………………………………..
- It’s not certain how the fire started but it might…………………………………………….. by an electrical fault.
3 Rewrite these sentences. Instead of using ‘somebody’ or ‘they’, write a passive sentence.
- Somebody has cleaned the room. …The room has been cleaned,.
- They have postponed the concert. The …………………………………………………………………………………..
- Somebody is using the computer at the moment. The computer ………………………………………………..
- I didn’t realise that somebody was recording our conversation. I didn’t realise that……………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- 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……………………………………………………………..
- They have built a new hospital near the airport…………………………………………………………………..
4 Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive.
(This exercise also includes the past simple)
- There’s somebody behind us. (I think / we / follow) …I think we’re being followed…
- This room looks different, (you / paint?) ….Have you painted it?…
- My car has disappeared, (it / steal!) It………………………………………………………………………………………
- My umbrella has disappeared, (somebody / take) Somebody ………………………………………………..
- Tom gets a higher salary now. (he / promote) …………………………………………………………………………
- Ann can’t use her office at the moment, (it / redecorate) ……………………………………………………….
- The photocopier broke down yesterday, but now it’s OK. (it / work / again; it / repair)……………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- The police have found the people they were looking for. (two people / arrest / last night) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- A tree was lying across the road. (it / blow down / in the storm) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- The man next door disappeared six months ago. (nobody / see / since then) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- I was mugged on my way home a few nights ago. (you / ever / mug?) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
