Unit

42 Passive 1 (is done / was done)

A Study this example:

This house was built in 1981.

‘This house was built’ is passive.
Compare active and passive:
Somebody built this house in 1981. (active)
subject object

This house was built in 1981. (passive)

subject

When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does:

My grandfather was a builder. He built this house in 1981.
It’s a big company. It employs two hundred people.
When we use a passive verb, we say what happens to the subject:
‘How old is this house?’ ‘It was built in 1981.’
Two hundred people are employed by the company.

B When we use the passive, who or what causes the action is often unknown or unimportant:
A lot of money was stolen in the robbery. (somebody stole it, but we don’t know who)
Is this room cleaned every day? (does somebody clean it? – it’s not important who)
If we want to say who does or what causes the action, we use by:
This house was built by my grandfather.
Two hundred people are employed by the company.

C The passive is be (is/was etc.) + past participle (done/cleaned/seen etc.):

(be) done (be) cleaned (be) damaged (be) built (be) seen etc.
The past participle often ends in -ed (cleaned/damaged etc.), but many important verbs are
irregular (built/done/stolen etc.). See Appendix 1.
Compare active and passive, present simple and past simple:

Present simple
Somebody cleans this room every day.
active: clean(s) / see(s) etc.

passive: am/is/are + cleaned/seen etc. This room is cleaned every day.

Many accidents are caused by careless driving.

I’m not invited to parties very often.
How is this word pronounced?

Past simple
Somebody cleaned this room yesterday.
active: cleaned/saw etc.

passive: was/were + cleaned/seen etc. This room was cleaned yesterday.

We were woken up by a loud noise during the night.

‘Did you go to the party?’ ‘No, I wasn’t invited.’
How much money was stolen in the robbery?

84 Passive 2–3 ➜ Units 43–44 by ➜ Unit 128

 Unit
Exercises 42
42.1 Complete the sentences. Use these verbs in the correct form, present or past:
cause damage find hold injure invite
make overtake own send show surround

1 Many accidents are caused by careless driving.

2 Cheese from milk.
3 The roof of the building in a storm a few days ago.
4 A cinema is a place where films .
5 You to the party. Why didn’t you go?
6 This plant is very rare. It in very few places.
7 Although we were driving fast, we by a lot of other cars.
8 In the US, elections for president every four years.
9 There was an accident last night, but fortunately nobody .
10 You can’t see the house from the road. It by trees.
11 I never received the letter. It to the wrong address.
12 The company I work for by a much larger company.
42.2 Write questions using the passive. Some are present and some are past.
1 Ask about glass. (how / make?) How is glass made?
2 Ask about television. (when / invent?) When
3 Ask about mountains. (how / form?)
4 Ask about DNA. (when / discover?)
5 Ask about silver. (what / use for?)
42.3 Put the verb into the correct form, present or past, active or passive.
1 a Two hundred people are employed (employ) by the company.
b The company employs (employ) 200 people.
2 a Water (cover) most of the earth’s surface.
b How much of the earth’s surface (cover) by water?
3 a While I was on holiday, my camera (steal) from my hotel room.
b While I was on holiday, my camera (disappear) from my hotel room.
4 a Robert’s parents (die) when he was very young.
b Robert and his sister (bring up) by their grandparents.
5 a The boat hit a rock and (sink) quickly.
b Fortunately everybody (rescue).
6 a Bill (fire) from his job. He wasn’t very good at it.
b Sue (resign) from her job because she didn’t enjoy it any more.
7 a It can be noisy living here, but it (not / bother) me.
b It can be noisy living here, but I (not / bother) by it.
8 a Maria had an accident. She (knock) off her bike.
b Maria had an accident. She (fall) off her bike.
9 a I haven’t seen these flowers before. What (they / call)?
b I haven’t seen these flowers before. What (you / call) them?
42.4 Instead of using somebody, they, people etc., write a passive sentence.
1 Somebody cleans the room every day. The room is cleaned every day .
2 They cancelled all flights because of fog. All .
3 Somebody accused me of stealing money. money.
4 How do you use this word? How used?
5 The price includes all taxes. All in the price.
6 People warned us not to go out alone. We .
7 We don’t use this office any more. This .
8 They invited five hundred people to the Five hundred
wedding. .
85
Unit
43 Passive 2 (be done / been done / being done)
A Infinitive
active: (to) do/clean/see etc. Somebody will clean this room later.

passive: (to) be + done/cleaned/seen etc. This 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.

B Perfect infinitive
active: (to) have + done/cleaned/seen etc. Somebody should have cleaned the room .

passive: (to) 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 had locked the car, 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 etc. The room looks nice. Somebody has cleaned it .

passive: have/has been + done etc. The room looks nice. It has been cleaned.
Have you heard? The trip has been cancelled.
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 etc. The room looked nice. Somebody had cleaned it .

passive: had been + done etc. The room looked nice. It had been cleaned.
The vegetables didn’t taste good. They had been cooked 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.
A new bridge is being built across the river. It will be finished next year.

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. I think we were being followed.

86 Passive 1, 3 ➜ Units 42, 44

 Unit
Exercises 43
43.1 Complete these sentences. Use the following verbs in the passive:
arrest carry cause delay do forget keep knock know make repair send

Sometimes you need have (might have, would have etc.).

1 The situation is serious. Something must be done before it’s too late.
2 I haven’t received the letter yet. It might have been sent to the wrong address.
3 A decision will not until the next meeting.
4 These documents are important. They should always in a safe place.
5 This road is in bad condition. It should a long time ago.
6 The injured man couldn’t walk and had to .
7 If you hadn’t shouted at the policeman, you wouldn’t .
8 I’m not sure what time I’ll arrive tomorrow. I may .
9 It’s not certain how the fire started. It might by an electrical fault.
10 A new school is being built. The old one is going to down.
11 The election is next Sunday. The full results will on Tuesday.
12 Last week they weren’t speaking to one another. Now they’re happy again. The problem seems to
.

43.2 Make sentences from the words in brackets. Sometimes the verb is active, sometimes passive.
1 There’s somebody behind us. (We / follow) We’re being followed.
2 This door is a different colour, isn’t it? (you / paint?) Have you painted it?
3 My bike has disappeared. (It / steal!) It
4 My umbrella has disappeared. (Somebody / take) Somebody
5 A neighbour of mine disappeared six months ago.
(He / not / see / since then) He
6 I wonder how Jessica is these days.
(I / not / see / for ages) I
7 A friend of mine was stung by a bee recently.
(you / ever / sting / bee?) you
8 The bridge was damaged recently.
(It / repair / at the moment) It
9 Tom’s car was stolen recently.
(It / not / find / yet)
10 I went into the room and saw that the table and chairs were not in the same place.
(The furniture / move) The

43.3 Instead of using ‘somebody’, ‘they’ etc., write a passive sentence.

1 Somebody has cleaned the room. The room has been cleaned .
2 They are building a new road around the city.
A around the city.
3 They have built two new hotels near the airport.
Two near the airport.
4 When I last visited, they were building some new houses here.
When I last visited, some .
5 The meeting is now on 15 April. They have changed the date.
The date of .
6 I didn’t know that somebody was recording our conversation.
I didn’t know that our .
7 Is anyone doing anything about the problem?
anything the problem?
8 The windows were very dirty. Nobody had cleaned them for ages.
The windows were very dirty. They .

➜ Additional exercises 22–24 (pages 314–15) 87

Unit
44 Passive 3
A I was offered … / we were given … etc.
Some verbs can have two objects. For example, give:
My grandfather gave me this watch.

⎩
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎨
⎪
⎪
⎪
⎧
⎩
⎨
⎧
object 1 object 2

It is possible to make two passive sentences:

I was given this watch (by my grandfather). or
This watch was given to me (by my grandfather).
Other verbs which can have two objects are:
ask offer pay show tell
When we use these verbs in the passive, most often we begin with the person:
I’ve been offered the job, but I don’t think I want it. (= somebody has offered me the job)
You will be given plenty of time to decide. (= we will give you plenty of time)
I didn’t see the original document, but I was shown a copy. (= somebody showed me a copy)
Tim has an easy job – he’s paid a lot of money to do very little. (= somebody pays him a lot)

B I don’t like being …

The passive of doing/seeing etc. is being done / being seen etc. Compare:
active: I don’t like people telling me what to do.
passive: I don’t like being told what to do.
I remember being taken to the zoo when I was a child.
(= I remember somebody taking me to the zoo)
Steve hates being kept waiting. (= he hates people keeping him waiting)
We climbed over the wall without being seen. (= without anybody seeing us)

C I was born …
We say ‘I was born …’ (not I am born):
I was born in Chicago. ⎧
⎨ past
Where were you born? (not Where are you born?) ⎩
but
How many babies are born every day? present

D get
You can use get for the passive:
There was a fight, but nobody got hurt. (= nobody was hurt)
I don’t get invited to many parties. (= I’m not invited)
I’m surprised Liz didn’t get offered the job. (= Liz wasn’t offered the job)
We use get only when things happen. For example, you cannot use get in these sentences:
Jessica is liked by everybody. (not gets liked – this is not a ‘happening’)
Peter was a mystery man. Very little was known about him. (not got known)
We use get mainly in informal spoken English. You can use be in all situations.
We also use get in the following expressions (which are not passive in meaning):
get married, get divorced get dressed (= put on your clothes)
get lost (= not know where you are) get changed (= change your clothes)

88 Passive 1–2 ➜ Units 42–43

 Unit
Exercises 44
44.1 Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb.
1 I tried to contact Tom.
I called his office but I was told (tell) that he was in a meeting.
2 Amy retired from her job recently.
She (give) a present by her colleagues.
3 I didn’t know there was a meeting yesterday.
I (not / tell) about it.
4 Sarah’s salary is very low.
I don’t understand why she (pay) so little.
5 You will need to use this machine.
Have you (show) how it works?
6 I had an interview for a job recently. It wasn’t easy.
I (ask) some questions that were very hard for me to answer.
7 They didn’t tell us much about the project.
We (not / give) enough information.
8 I was surprised to get the job I applied for.
I didn’t expect (offer) it.

44.2 Complete the sentences using being + the following verbs (in the correct form):
bite give invite keep knock down stick treat

1 Steve hates being kept waiting.

2 We went to the wedding without .
3 I like giving presents and I also like them.
4 It’s a busy road and I don’t like crossing it. I’m afraid of .
5 How do you avoid by mosquitoes?
6 I’m an adult. I don’t like like a child.
7 You can’t do anything about in a traffic jam.

44.3 Complete the sentences using get or got + the following verbs (in the correct form):
ask break hurt pay steal sting stop use

1 There was a fight, but nobody got hurt .

2 Alex by a bee while he was sitting in the garden.
3 These tennis courts don’t very often. Not many people want to play here.
4 I used to have a bike, but it a few months ago.
5 Rachel works hard, but she doesn’t very much.
6 Please pack these things very carefully. I don’t want anything to .
7 People often want to know what my job is. I that question a lot.
8 Last night I by the police as I was driving home. One of the lights
on my car wasn’t working.

44.4 Complete the sentences.

1 I’ve been offered the job, but I don’t think I’ll accept it.
2 I don’t get invited to many parties.
3 Which year you born in?
4 I haven’t been any information yet.
5 I didn’t know the way, so I got .
6 He doesn’t like interrupted when he’s speaking.
7 How did the window broken? What happened?
8 She’s a voluntary worker. She get paid.
9 I born in a small town in the north of the country.
10 We had to do what we did. We given any choice.

➜ Additional exercises 22–24 (pages 314–15) 89

Unit it is said that … he is said to …
45 he is supposed to …
A Study this example situation:

George is very old. Nobody knows exactly how old he is, but:
GEORGE
It is said that he is 108 years old.

or He is said to be 108 years old.

Both these sentences mean: ‘People say that he is 108 years old.’

You can use these structures with a number of other verbs, especially:
alleged believed considered expected known reported thought understood

Cathy loves running.

It is said that she runs 10 miles a day. or She is said to run 10 miles a day.
The police are looking for a missing boy.
It is believed that the boy is wearing or The boy is believed to be wearing
a white sweater and blue jeans. a white sweater and blue jeans.
The strike started three weeks ago.
It is expected that it will end soon. or The strike is expected to end soon.
A friend of mine has been arrested.
It is alleged that he stole a car. or He is alleged to have stolen a car.
The two houses belong to the same family.
It is said that there is a secret tunnel or There is said to be a secret tunnel
between them. between them.
These structures are often used in news reports. For example, in a report about an accident:
It is reported that two people were or Two people are reported to have
injured in the explosion. been injured in the explosion.

B supposed to …
You can use supposed to … in the same way as said to … :
I want to see that film. It’s supposed to be good. (= people say it’s good)
There are many stories about Joe. He’s supposed to have robbed a bank many years ago.
Fireworks are supposed to have been invented in China. Is it true?
Sometimes supposed to … has a different meaning. We use supposed to to say what is intended,
arranged or expected. Often this is different from the real situation:
The plan is supposed to be a secret, but everybody seems to know about it.
(= the plan is intended to be a secret)
What are you doing at work? You’re supposed to be on holiday.
(= you arranged to be on holiday)
Our guests were supposed to come at 7.30, but they were late.
Jane was supposed to phone me last night, but she didn’t.
I’d better hurry. I’m supposed to be meeting Chris in ten minutes.
You’re not supposed to do something = it is not allowed or advised:
You’re not supposed to park your car here. It’s private parking only.
Joe is much better after his illness, but he’s not supposed to exercise too hard.

90
 Unit
Exercises 45
45.1 Write these sentences in another way, beginning as shown. Use the underlined word each time.
1 It is expected that the strike will end soon.
The strike is expected to end soon.
2 It is reported that many people are homeless after the floods.
Many people
3 It is thought that the thieves got in through a window in the roof.
The thieves
4 It is alleged that the driver of the car was driving at 110 miles an hour.
The driver
5 It is reported that the building has been badly damaged by the fire.
The building
6 It is said that the company is losing a lot of money.
The company
7 It is believed that the company lost a lot of money last year.
The company
8 It is expected that the company will make a loss this year.
The company

45.2 Complete the sentences. Use the words in brackets and any other necessary words.
1 A: What’s the City Hotel like? Can you recommend it?
B: I’ve never stayed there, but it’s supposed to be (it / supposed) very good.
2 A: How much are these paintings worth?
B: I’m not sure, but (they / supposed) very valuable.
3 A: This looks an interesting building.
B: Yes, (it / supposed) a prison a long time ago.
4 A: Is it true that your neighbours were lucky in the lottery?
B: Yes, (they / supposed / win) a lot of money.
5 A: Is it possible to climb to the top of the tower?
B: Yes, (the view / supposed) very nice.
6 A: I heard that Laura has gone away.
B: Yes, (she / supposed / living) in London now.

45.3 Write sentences using supposed to be + the following:

on a diet a flower my friend a joke open every day a secret working

1 How is it that everybody knows about the plan? It’s supposed to be a secret.
2 You shouldn’t criticise me all the time. You
3 I shouldn’t be eating this cake really. I
4 I’m sorry for what I said. I was trying to be funny. It
5 What’s this drawing? Is it a tree? Or maybe it
6 You shouldn’t be playing a game now.
7 That’s strange. The museum seems to be closed.

45.4 Write sentences with supposed to … or not supposed to … . Choose from the following verbs:
depart lift park phone put start

1 You ’re not supposed to park your car here. It’s private parking only.
2 We work at 8.15, but we rarely do anything before 8.30.
3 I Helen last night, but I completely forgot.
4 This door is a fire exit. We anything in front of it.
5 My flight at 10.15, but it didn’t leave until 11.30.
6 Jonathan has a problem with his back. He anything heavy.

➜ Additional exercises 22–24 (pages 314–15) 91

Unit
46 have something done
A Study this example situation:

The roof of Lisa’s house was damaged.

So she called a builder, and yesterday he came
and repaired it.
Lisa had the roof repaired yesterday.
This means: Lisa arranged for somebody else to
repair the roof. She didn’t repair it herself.

LISA

If you have something done, you arrange for somebody to do it for you.
Compare:
Lisa repaired the roof. (= she repaired it herself)
Lisa had the roof repaired. (= she arranged for somebody else to repair it)
A: Did you make those curtains yourself?
B: Yes, I like making things.
A: Did you have those curtains made?
B: No, I made them myself.

B Study the word order:

have object past participle
Lisa had the roof repaired.
Where did you have your hair cut?
We are having the house painted.
I think you should have that coat cleaned.
I don’t like having my picture taken.
We say:
How often do you have your car serviced? (not have serviced your car)
Our neighbour is having a garage built. (not having built a garage)
Your hair looks nice. Did you have it cut?

C get something done

You can say ‘get something done’ instead of ‘have something done’:
When are you going to get the roof repaired? (= have the roof repaired)
I think you should get your hair cut really short.

D We also use have something done with a different meaning. For example:
Paul and Karen had their bags stolen while they were travelling.
This does not mean that they arranged for somebody to steal their bags. ‘They had their bags stolen’
means only: ‘Their bags were stolen’.
With this meaning, we use have something done to say that something happens to somebody or their
belongings:
Gary had his nose broken in a fight. (= his nose was broken)
Have you ever had your bike stolen?

92
 Unit
Exercises 46
46.1 Tick (✓) the correct sentence, (a) or (b), for each picture.
1 2 3 4

SARAH DAN KATE SUE

(a) Sarah is cutting (a) Dan is cutting (a) Kate is painting (a) Sue is taking
her hair. his hair. the gate. a picture.
(b) Sarah is having (b) Dan is having his (b) Kate is having the (b) Sue is having her
her hair cut. hair cut. gate painted. picture taken.

46.2 Put the words in the correct order.

1 (painted / had / a few weeks ago / the house)
We had the house painted a few weeks ago.
2 (serviced / car / once a year / her / has)
Sarah
3 (had / your / recently / tested / eyes / you?)
Have
4 (like / cut / my / having / don’t / hair)
I
5 (fifteen pounds / have / cleaned / my suit / cost / to)
It
6 (as soon as possible / need / translated / to get / this document)
You

46.3 Write sentences in the way shown.

1 Lisa didn’t repair the roof herself. She had it repaired.
2 I didn’t cut my hair myself. I
3 We didn’t clean the carpets ourselves. We
4 Ben didn’t build that wall himself. He
5 I didn’t deliver the flowers myself. I
6 Sarah didn’t repair her shoes herself. She

46.4 Which goes with which?

1 My hair is getting long. a I need to get it fixed. 1 d

2 I really like this picture. b I’ll have to get a new one made. 2
3 The washing machine is broken. c I need to get my teeth checked. 3
4 I want to wear earrings. d I should get it cut. 4
5 Can you recommend a dentist? e I’m going to get my ears pierced. 5
6 I’ve lost my key. f I’m going to get it framed. 6

46.5 Use the words in brackets to complete the sentences.

1 Did I tell you about Paul and Karen?
(They / their bags / steal) They had their bags stolen.
2 Security at the airport was strict.
(We / our bags / search)
3 I’ve had some good news!
(I / my salary / increase) I
4 Joe can’t get a visa.
(He / his application / refuse)

93