2 Put the following sentences into the passive voice. Sometimes several variants of Passive are possible.

1. Someone has already paid the electrician for his work.

………………………………………………………………………………..

2. They taught him French and gave him a dictionary.

………………………………………………………………………………..

3. When we first met, they had already offered me a job at the bank.

………………………………………………………………………………..

4. A man requested the stranger to leave the meeting.

…………………………………………………………………………………

5. A young woman asked the rest of us to be there at eight o’clock.

…………………………………………………………………………………

6. They had eaten all the dinner before they finished the conversation.

…………………………………………………………………………………

7. Who wrote it?

…………………………………………………………………………………

8. The author has written a special edition for children.

…………………………………………………………………………………

9. Did the idea interest you?

…………………………………………………………………………………

10. Why didn’t they mend the roof before it fell in?

…………………………………………………………………………………

11. The burglars had cut a huge hole in the steel door.

…………………………………………………………………………………

12. The organizers will exhibit the paintings till the end of the month.

…………………………………………………………………………………

13. When did they ring the church bells?

…………………………………………………………………………………

14. Does listening to music disturb you?

…………………………………………………………………………………

3 Put the following sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE.

1. Someone has already paid the electrician for his work.

………………………………………………………………………………..

2. They taught him French and gave him a dictionary.

………………………………………………………………………………..

3. When we first met, they had already offered me a job at the bank.

………………………………………………………………………………..

4. A man requested the stranger to leave the meeting.

…………………………………………………………………………………

5. A young woman asked the rest of us to be there at eight o’clock.

…………………………………………………………………………………

6. They had eaten all the dinner before they finished the conversation.

…………………………………………………………………………………

7. Who wrote it?

…………………………………………………………………………………

8. The author has written a special edition for children.

…………………………………………………………………………………

9. Did the idea interest you?

…………………………………………………………………………………

10. Why didn’t they mend the roof before it fell in?

…………………………………………………………………………………

11. The burglars had cut a huge hole in the steel door.

…………………………………………………………………………………

12. The organizers will exhibit the paintings till the end of the month.

…………………………………………………………………………………

13. When did they ring the church bells?

…………………………………………………………………………………

14. Does listening to music disturb you?

…………………………………………………………………………………

4 Read the following sentences and write another one with the same meaning.

1. It is believed that the wanted man is living in New York.

…………………………………………………………………………………

2. It is said that many people are homeless after the floods.

…………………………………………………………………………………

3. It is expected that the government will lose this election.

…………………………………………………………………………………

4. It is known that the Prime Minister is in favour of the new law.

…………………………………………………………………………………

5. It is believed that the thieves got in through the kitchen window.

…………………………………………………………………………………

6. It is thought that the prisoner escaped by climbing over the wall.

…………………………………………………………………………………

7. It is claimed that he drove through the town at 90 miles an hour.

…………………………………………………………………………………

8. It is reported that two people were seriously injured in the accident.

…………………………………………………………………………………

9. It is said that three men were arrested after the explosion.

…………………………………………………………………………………

10. It is believed that Maria will not win the prize.

…………………………………………………………………………………

11. It is considered that the 2008 Olimpic Games will be held in Turkey.

………………………………………………………………………………….

12. It is said that our teacher is 55 years old.

………………………………………………………………………………….

13. It is thought that Tom didn’t steal their rings.

………………………………………………………………………………….

14. It is claimed that this examination will be the most difficult one.

………………………………………………………………………………….

15. It is believed that John will marry Ann at the end of this month.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

16. It is expected that people will live in Mars in 2050.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

5 Change these sentences into PASSIVE FORM.

1. People believe that the strike will end soon.

………………………………………………………………………………….

2. People believe that the thieves got through the kitchen window.

………………………………………………………………………………….

3. People say that the company is loosing a lot of money.

………………………………………………………………………………….

4. When is he going to pay the taxes?

………………………………………………………………………………….

5. Who has designed these buildings?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

6. How much do they spend on these activities?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

7. They broke a lot of plates while they were dancing?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

8. Who invented the electric bulb?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

9. People believe that they are secret agents.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

10. People think that he takes harmful drugs.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

11. Did they give you a great reception?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

12. Nobody sends her a card at Christmas.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

13. Did anyone call an ambulance after the accident?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

14. Will you pay the fine?

…………………………………………………………………………………..

6 Write the correct tense or voice.

Hospitals are places where people …………………………. (examine) and ……………………………… (bring) back to good health. I’m lucky because I ……………………………………(never / take) to hospital when she …………………………… (hit) by a car last month. Luckily no bones ………………………….. (break) but she …………………………

(examine) carefully and x-rays ………………………………… (take). She …………………….. (keep) there for a night and she ………………………………….. (give) permission to leave the next day.

Ambulance services are also important. Patients …………………………… (must / take) to hospital as quickly as possible. A lot of people ………………………………… (kill) in road accidents and a lot more …………………………………. (injure) but if more ambulances………………………………. (put) into service, more lives ………………………………..

(can / save).

7 Rewrite the following passage changing the suitable sentences into PASSIVE VOICE.

Jane Johnson has been worried all last week. Last Monday, she received a letter from the police. In the letter they asked her to call the police station. Jane wondered why the police wanted her, and nothing worried her any more. There, they told her that they had found her bike. They picked it up in a small village a week ago. Somebody stole it 10 years ago, when she was a girl of fifteen. Now, they are sending it to her.

8 Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition and than rewrite the sentence in PASSIVE.

1. People always complaint …………………… the electricity bill.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

2. The candidate made a good impression …………the Managing Director.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

3. Sarah doesn’t look …………… your child well. He always gets into trouble.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

4. Someone has already sent ..................... Mr Jones.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Robbers broke ..................... the shop and stole all the money.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

6. The police gave no comments ..................... this case.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

7. They insist ..................... my participation in the contest.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

8. He can’t put up ..................... his noisy neighbours.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

9 Write sentences in the way shown.

1. Jill didn't repair the roof herself. She _had it repaired._

2. I didn't cut my hair myself. I ______________________________________________

3. They didn't paint the house themselves. They ________________________________

4. Sue didn't make the curtains herself. _______________________________________

10 Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use the structure 'have something done'.

1. We _are having the house painted_ (the house/paint) at the moment.

2. I lost my key. I'll have to ………………………………….. (another key/make).

3. When was the last time you ………………………………….. (your hair/cut)?

4. You look different ………………………………….. (you/your hair/cut)?

5. ………………………………….. (you/a newspaper/deliver) to your house or do you go to the shop to buy one?

6. A: What are those workmen doing in your garden?

B: Oh, we ………………………………….. (a swimming pool/build).

7. A: Can I see the photographs you took when you were on holiday?

B: I'm afraid I ………………………………….. (not/the film/develop) yet.

8. This coat is dirty. I must ………………………………….. (it/clean).

9. If you want to wear earrings, why don't you ………………………………….. (your ears/pierce)?

11 Make up sentences using 'have something done'.

1. He/repair/roof/yesterday

__________________________________________________________________

2. I’d like to/pierce/my ears/when I’m 16

__________________________________________________________________

3. I usually/cut/my hair/in the hairdressing saloon

__________________________________________________________________

4. Jack/service/his car/never

__________________________________________________________________

5. They will/install/windows/tomorrow

__________________________________________________________________

6. The hotel needs to/fix/the elevator

__________________________________________________________________

7. Lord Vincent/decorate/his castle/now/for a party

__________________________________________________________________

8. She/steal/her purse/on holiday

__________________________________________________________________

9. When/you/paint/your house?

__________________________________________________________________

10. I’m going to/test/my eyes/next week

__________________________________________________________________

Unit 8. Modals: can, could and (be) able to, may, might

MODAL VERBS are a small group of verbs that are used with other verbs to change their meaning in the sentence in various ways.

MODAL VERBS are used with other verbs (in front of a verb) to express the speaker’s opinion at the time of speaking. They express the speaker’s attitude towards an event, a situation or the person they are speaking to.

We use MODAL VERBS, not for situations / things that have definitely happened, BUT to talk about things we expect, which are possible, which we think are necessary, which we are not sure about, etc…

Differences from other English verbs:

• They have no infinitive form or participles.

They do not need auxiliary DO = questions and negatives are made without do, does, did:

Question - Can we go now?

Negative - I can’t ride a bike.

• They have no - s in the 3rd person singular:

Mary can swim very well and Mary should learn it before her trip to Brazil.

• They do not normally stand alone. They are nearly always used in front of a verb. The main verb is always an Infinitive without to:

Jane might arrive before dinner, but I doubt it.

• A few modals are followed by to:

Perhaps you ought to see a doctor.

Can

He can swim. He can’t swim.

1. Can is used to express the ability to do something.

I can swim very well.

Can he speak English fluently? - No, he can't.

We cannot sing at all!

2. It expresses the possibility to do something.

We can go to the seaside at last. Our holidays start next week.

3. We use it to say that something is probable.

It can be John. He has blond hair and he is wearing glasses.

4. It expresses the permission to do something.

Why not? You can marry her. She is a nice girl.

We use can + infinitive (can do/can see etc.):

We can see the lake from our bedroom window.

Can you speak any foreign languages?

I can come and see you tomorrow if you like.

The negative is can't (= cannot):

I'm afraid I can't come to the party on Friday.

(Be) able to ... is possible instead of can, but can is more usual:

Are you able to speak any foreign languages?

But can has only two forms, can (present) and could (past). So sometimes it is necessary to use (be) able to...

Compare:

I can't sleep.

BUT: I haven't been able to sleep recently. (can has no present perfect)

Tom can come tomorrow.

BUT: Tom might be able to come tomorrow. (can has no infinitive)

Could and was able to...

Sometimes could is the past of can. We use could especially with:

see hear smell taste feel remember understand

When we went into the house, we could smell burning.

She spoke in a very low voice, but I could understand what she said.

We also use could to say that somebody had the general ability or permission to do something:

My grandfather could speak five languages.

We were completely free. We could do what we wanted. (= we were allowed to do ...)

We use could for general ability. But if we are talking about what happened in a particular situation, we use was/were able to... or managed to... (not could):

The fire spread through the building quickly but everybody was able to escape.

or ... everybody managed to escape. (but not 'could escape').

Compare:

Jack was an excellent tennis player. He could beat anybody. (he had the general ability to beat anybody)

BUT:

Jack and Alf had a game of tennis yesterday. Alf played very well but in the end Jack managed to beat him. or ... was able to beat him. (= he managed to beat him in this particular game)

The negative couldn't (could not) is possible in all situations:

My grandfather couldn't (could not) is possible in all situations

We tried hard but we couldn't persuade them to come with us.

Alf played well but he couldn't beat Jack.

Could is also used in the future (especially to make a suggestion):

Can is also possible in these sentences ('We can go for a walk,' etc.). Could is less sure than can. You must use could (not 'can') when you don't really mean what you say:

I'm so angry with him. I could kill him! (not 'I can kill him').

We also use could to say that something is possible now or in the future:

The phone is ringing. It could be Tim.

I don't know when they'll be here. They could arrive at any time.

Can is not possible in these examples (not 'It can be Tim').

Sometimes could means 'would be able to...':

We could go away if we had enough money. (= we would be able to go away)

I don't know how you work so hard. I couldn't do it.

May and might

1. May is used for permissions.

You may borrow my car. I won't need it.

May I smoke here? – No, you can't, I'm sorry.

2. May is used to express probability or prediction.

They may call tomorrow. I hope so.

The main difference between may and can is in style. May is more formal than can. Can is typical of spoken English.

3. The opposite of may is must not or may not.

May I smoke here?

- You mustn't smoke here. (strong prohibition)

- You may not smoke here. (more polite, very formal)

- You can't smoke here. (informal spoken English)

Study this example situation:

You are looking for Bob. Nobody is sure where he is but you get some suggestions.

You: Where's Bob?

He may be in his office. (= perhaps he is in the house)

He might be playing in the yard. (= perhaps he is playing in the yard)

Ask Ann. She might know. (= perhaps she knows)

We use may or might to say that something is a possibility. Usually you can use may or might you can say:

It may be true. or It might be true. (= perhaps it is true)

She mightn’t know. or She may not know.

Sometimes could has a similar meaning to may and might:

The phone's ringing. It could be Tim. (= it may/might be Tim).

You could have left your bag in the shop. (= you may/might have left it...).

But couldn't (negative) is different from may not and might not.

Compare:

She was too far away, so she couldn't have seen you. (= it is not possible that she saw you).

A: I wonder why she didn't say hello.

B: She might not have seen you. (= perhaps she didn't see you; perhaps she did).

We use may and might to talk about possible actions or happenings in the future:

I haven't decided yet where to spend my holidays. I may go to Ireland. (= perhaps I will go to Ireland)

Take an umbrella with you when you go out. It might rain later. (= perhaps it will rain)

Usually it doesn't matter whether you use may or might. So you can say:

I may go to Ireland. or I might go to Ireland.

But we use only might (not may) when the situation is not real:

If I knew them better, I might invite them to dinner. (The situation here is not real because I don't know them very well, so I'm not going to invite them. 'May' is not possible in this example.)

Let’s Practice