Page 2: Advanced Passive Constructions and Question Formation

This page delves deeper into passive voice constructions, including more complex modal structures and special verb forms.

Vocabulary: Speculative modals - modal verbs used to express speculation or deduction about past events.

Speculative modals in passive voice:

• "This money must have been stolen by him."

The page also covers passive constructions with "have to" and "need to":

• "This room has to be repainted."
• "These flowers have to be planted soon."
• "My dog needs to be washed."

Highlight: The passive voice can be used with obligation verbs like "have to" and "need to" to emphasize the necessity of an action rather than who needs to perform it.

Question formation in passive voice is explained:

• Questions are formed through inversion, placing the first element of the verb before the subject.
• Example: "Were the pyramids built by Egyptians?"

Example: Active: "Did Egyptians build the pyramids?" Passive: "Were the pyramids built by Egyptians?"

Special verbs like "give," "lend," "show," and "send" allow for two passive constructions:

1. Focusing on the recipient: "I was given a bunch of flowers."
2. Focusing on the object: "A bunch of flowers was given to me."

Definition: Double object verbs are verbs that can take both a direct and an indirect object, allowing for two different passive constructions.

Page 3: Have Something Done Construction

The final page introduces the "have something done" construction, which is used to describe actions performed by others on our behalf.

Definition: The "have something done" construction is used when we arrange for someone else to do something for us.

Formation: Subject + have + object + past participle

Examples in different tenses:

• Present Continuous: "I am having my nails done."
• Future: "You will have the cake made by my sister."
• Past Simple: "You had the invitations printed yesterday."
• Present Perfect: "We have had the flowers delivered."
• Past Continuous: "I was having my hair styled when there was a power cut."
• Past Perfect: "We had had the ballroom decorated by a specialist before the ceremony started."

Highlight: This construction is versatile and can be used in various tenses to describe arranged services or actions.

The page also notes that this construction can be used to express unfortunate events or accidents:

• "I had my house burgled last night."
• "You will have your phone stolen." / "You could have your phone stolen."
• "I've had my two front teeth knocked out."

Example: "I had my car repaired" means that I arranged for someone else to repair my car, not that I repaired it myself.

This construction emphasizes the result of the action and the fact that it was arranged by the subject, rather than performed by them directly.

Page 1: Formation and Examples of Passive Voice

The passive voice in English is formed by combining the appropriate form of the verb "to be" with the past participle (V3) of the main verb. This construction shifts the focus from the doer of the action to the action itself or its recipient.

Definition: Passive voice is a grammatical construction where the subject of a sentence receives the action of the verb, rather than performing it.

Examples of passive voice in different tenses:

1. Present Simple: "The car is washed by her every week."
2. Present Continuous: "The bike is being repaired by him now."
3. Past Simple: "This movie was talked about."
4. Past Continuous: "Her essay was being rewritten."
5. Present Perfect: "A new bike has been ordered online by my brother."
6. Past Perfect: "All computers had been switched off by them before leaving the office."

Example: Active: "She washes the car every week." Passive: "The car is washed by her every week."

The page also introduces passive constructions with modal verbs:

• "Your room should be tidied."
• "This bag can be carried by him."

Highlight: Modal verbs in passive voice maintain their meaning but shift the focus to the action or its recipient rather than the doer.