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I was offered a job at the hospital.

A job was offered to me.

1. The Queen presented him with a medal. 2. Mr Smith teaches us English at the courses. 3. He told the children fairy-tales. 4. The doctor prescribed me a lot of medicine. 5. They will show us the Crown jewels. 6. We’ll send the invitation to Dick. 7. They left the children only a few sweets. 8. They have given him the chance. 9. My sister advised me to visit this exhibition. 10. The teacher explained the pupils a new grammar rule. 11. They paid me a lot of money to do the job. 12. The people have given the minister a hearty welcome.

Ex. 3. Use a passive infinitive to say what must (can, may, should, has to …) be done.

Model: We have to clean the pools every two days.

The pools have to be cleaned every two days.

1. We must write the answers on one side of the paper only. 2. They must (not take away) these books. 3. They can easily mend this door. 4. We have to feed pups four times a day. 5. We may keep an injured seal here for several months. 6. People must keep dogs on lead in the park. 7. You can obtain further information about the post by telephoning 2637645. 8. People should send their complaints to the head office. 9. They had to postpone the meeting because of illness. 10. We can change the speech if you don’t like it. 11. I have to return these books to the library. 12. Our neighbour ought to paint the garage.

Ex. 4. Rewrite each sentence with an active verb and mention who causes the action.

Model: The casino has been closed.

The authorities have closed the casino.

1. I was told the news this morning. 2. What question was set? 3. This question hasn’t been answered properly. 4. Football is played all over the world. 5. No mistakes have been made. 6. The flat was broken into last week. 7. English is spoken all over the world. 8. The new swimming-pool has been opened. 9. This purse was left in the classroom yesterday. 10. Traffic has been banned from the city centre. 11. A new government has been elected. 12. The match has been postponed.

Ex. 5 Answer the questions, using a passive form of the verbs in brackets, together with a suitable adverbial particle (off, on, in, out, up, down, etc).

Model: What generally happens to houses that are unfit to live in? (pull)

They are generally pulled down.

1. What must be done with a bad tooth? (pull) 2. What has to be done with dirty crockery and cutlery at the end of a meal? (wash) 3. What should happen if mistakes appear in a student’s work? (point) 4. What might happen if you crossed a busy road without looking? (knock) 5. What may happen to a man who has committed his first offence? (let) 6. What often happens if negotiations look like being unsuccessful? (break) 7. What happens to traffic in a traffic jam? (hold)

Ex. 6.Express in the passive the second of the following pairs of sentences.

Model: He seldom keeps a promise. No one can rely on him.

He can’t be relied on.

1. The child is very ill. Someone must send for the doctor. 2. This old car is in excellent condition. The owner has looked after it well. 3. The Prime Minister spoke very long. The people listened to him in complete silence. 4. She is going into hospital tomorrow. The doctors and nurses will take good care of her. 5. That little boy is very thin and always dirty. No one brings him up properly. 6. The new servant girl is always breaking things in the kitchen. Someone should speak to her about her carelessness. 7. Shakespeare was born about 400 years ago. People look upon himas the greatest of English poets. 8. The thieves broke into the bank at midnight and stole $20.000. No one called for the police until 8 o’clock the next morning.