Passive (2) (be/been/being done) Study the following active and passive forms: 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. • The 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. 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. 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. 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 when I arrived. passive: was/were being (done) The room was being cleaned when I arrived. • There was somebody walking behind us. We were being followed. Passive (1) and (3) > in,m*.-»i**i EXERCISES What do these words mean? Use it can... or it can't... . Use a dictionary if necessary. If something is 1 washable, ...&can.be washed,.. 4 unusable,.............................................................. 2 unbreakable, it................................................... 5 invisible,............................................................... 3 edible, it............................................................... 6 portable,............................................................... Complete these sentences with one of the following verbs (in the correct form): carry cause de make repair send spend wake up Sometimes you need have ('might have', 'could have' etc.). 1 The situation is serious. Something must ...begone... before it's too late. 2 I haven't received the letter. It might ...have been sent.. to the wrong address. 3 A decision will not............................................................................until the next meeting. 4 I told the hotel receptionist that I wanted to...................................at 6.30 the next morning. 5 Do you think that less money should....................................................................on armaments? 6 This road is in very bad condition. It should...........................................................a long time ago. 7 The injured man couldn't walk and had to............................................................................. 8 It's not certain how the fire started but it might............................................................................by an electrical fault. Rewrite these sentences. Instead of using 'somebody' or 'they', write a passive sentence. 1 Somebody has cleaned the room. ..Xheroom.has been cleaned... 2 They have postponed the concert. The........................................................................................................ 3 Somebody is using the computer at the moment. The computer........................................................ 4 I didn't realise that somebody was recording our conversation. I didn't realise that............................................................................................................................................. 5 When we got to the stadium we found that they had cancelled the game. When we got to the stadium, we found that............................................................................................. 6 They are building a new ring road round the city. 7 They have built a new hospital near the airport. Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive. (This exercise also includes the past simple - see Unit 41C.) 1 There's somebody behind us. (I think / we / follow) ..lMnkweyebemgfg\\pwed.^_ 2 This room looks different, (you /paint?) ...Hayeypu.pajntedřt?... 3 My car has disappeared, (it / steal!) It.................................................................................................. 4 My umbrella has disappeared, (somebody / take) Somebody....................................................... 5 Tom gets a higher salary now. (he /promote)................................................................................... 6 Ann can't use her office at the moment, (it / redecorate) ............................................................... 7 The photocopier broke down yesterday, but now it's OK. (it / work / again; it / repair) 8 The police have found the people they were looking for. (two people / arrest / last night) 9 A tree was lying across the road, (it / blow down / in the storm) 10 The man next door disappeared six months ago. (nobody / see / since then) HI was mugged on my way home a few nights ago. (you / ever / mug?)