UNIT 2 EMPHASIZING OBJECTS

 “Language Information 3 ”  

L.E.L.I. Yazmin Vanessa BarreraIdea original

E.T.E. Karim Juárez CortesDiseño

We use the passive voice when we want to show that the action of the verb is more important than the person or thing doing or causing the action.

Examples:

The first mercury thermometer was invented in 1714.

Oliver Twist was written by Charles Dickens

Passive voice is used in English to focus the attention on the action.

Example:The telephone was invented in 1876.

Note that we are not mentioning who invented the telephone but the action itself.

+ Form of verb “to be”+ verb in past participle.

Example: A letter was written.

A slice of cheese was eaten. Some televisions were stolen last

night.

A form of verb be is used in passive statements. It’s singular or plural to agree with the subject, and it also tells the tense of the passive construction.

TURNING FROM ACTIVE INTO PASSIVE Check this table to make clear the

differences between active voice and passive voice. Active Voice

To rewrite active voice sentences take into account these:1. The object of the active sentence

becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

2. The subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped).Active SUBJECT VERB DIRECT

OBJECT Millions of people use the Internet everyday.

Passive AGENT The Internet is used by millions of people every day.

Passive with by + agent

The agent of the a verb is the person, people or thing which performs the action. If it is necessary to mention it, use the preposition by.

For example: The paper was invented by the Chinese.The first mercury thermometer was invented in 1714 by Gabriel Fahrenheit. The compact disk was invented in 1965 by James Russell.

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice

Simple present Mario feeds the dog three times a week.

The dog is fed three times a week.

Simple past Mario fed the dog yesterday.

The dog was fed yesterday.

Present perfect Mario has fed the dog. The dog has been fed.

Future simple “will” Mario will feed the dog.

The dog will be fed.

Modal Mario should feed the dog.

The dog should be fed.

Describing what something is used for

Describing what something looks like

It’s something you use to … It’s a machine you use to … It’s an object you use to... It’s a type of ( paper ) you use

to … It’s a type of (device) you use

to… It’s a thing for … It’s stuff for …

It’s a type of … They are made of … It looks like … They have …

When we describe objects, we usually use the following expressions:

Look at the next examples and analyze the grammar rule. After that check the previous ones.  After “… use to… ” we use the verb in infinitive.

It is something we use at home to open bottles of wine. It is an object we use to clean the floor.

After “… use for …” we use the verb in gerund form.

It is a type of device that we use for sharpening a pencil’s writing point. It is a tool that we use for opening bottles of wine.

Lingo4U ( 2001 – 2010) “Passive Voice” Consultada el día 9 de junio del 2010.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive

Patricia K. Werner (2007) Mosaic 1 Grammar McGraw-Hill

Sue Kay & Vaughan Jone (2000) Inside Out Intermediate Macmillan

Sue Kay & Vaughan Jone (2000) Inside Out Upper Intermediate Macmillan

Virginia Evans, Jenny Dooley, Enterprise Student’s book Grammar 2, Express Publishing, 2000. USA

Chris Redston and Gillie Cunningham, face2 face Intermediate Student’s book. Cambridge University Press. 2006. United

Kingdom

Jack C. Richards with Jonathan Hull and Susan Proctor. New interchange 2 ( 1997) Cambridge University Press. United Kingdom

IMAGES TAKEN FROM:

Thermometer: http://themoderatevoice.com/20426/more-newspaper-corporate-illness-mcclatchy-will-cut-workforce-10-percent/

Oliver twist book : http://www.teachersbookdepository.com/title.aspx?bookid=964989

Televisions :http://www.freevectors.net/details/vector+televisions

Paper: http://iis.berkeley.edu/students

Compact disk: http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/tpl/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?coll=hdwr&db=bks&fname=/SGI_EndUser/PChall_XL_OG/

apb.html

Telephone: http://www.peterme.com/archives/000275.html

Compact disk: http://www.krunker.com/2007/08/28/the-compact-disk-is-25-years-old/

Television: http://digo-lo-que-pienso.blogspot.com/2007/12/la-televisin.html