TOEFL Preparation

Course
Active / Passive forms of verbs

The English School-Thailand

Active / Passive voices

A sentence can be either in the active or passive voice.

Active voice = Subject performs the action

Passive voice = Subject receives the action

Basic form of passive

Verb to be + V3

Active / Passive voices Passive voice in Present/Past Simple

Is Am Are Was Were

V3

Active / Passive voices

Active : Hurricanes destroy a great deal of property each year. (Hurricanes perform an action = destroy) Passive : A great deal of property is destroyed by hurricanes. (Property receives action)

Active : The tornado swept thirty houses.

(The tornado performed the action = swept) Passive : Thirty houses were destroyed by the tornado.

(Thirty houses received the action)

Active / Passive voices Passive voice in Present/Past Continuous

Is Am Are Was Were

being

V3

Active / Passive voices

Active : The committee is considering several new proposals. (The Committee is performing an action = consider) Passive : Several new proposals are being considered by the committee. (Several new proposals are receiving action) Active : The committee was considering several new proposals. (The Committee was performing an action = consider) Passive : Several new proposals were being considered by the committee. (Several new proposals were receiving action)

Active / Passive voices Passive voice in Present/Past Perfect

Have Has Had

been

V3

Active / Passive voices

Active : The company has ordered some new equipment. (The Company has performed an action = order) Passive : Some new equipment has been ordered by the company. (Some new equipment have received the action) Active : The company had ordered some new equipment. (The Company had performed an action = order) Passive : Some new equipment had been ordered by the company. (Some new equipment had received the action)

Active / Passive voices Passive voice with modals

Will/Would Can/Could May/Might Must/have to Shall/Should Ought to Had better

be

V3

Active / Passive voices

Active : The manager should sign these contracts today.

(The manager should perform an action = sign)

Passive : These contracts should be signed by the manager today.

(These contracts should receive the action)

Active / Passive voices Passive voice with modals + perfective

Will/Would Can/Could May/Might Must/have to Shall/Should Ought to Had better

have

been

V3

Active / Passive voices

Active : Somebody should have called the President this morning.

(Somebody should have performed an action = call)

Passive : The President should have been called this morning.

(The President should have received the action)

Exercise
1. Some body calls the president every day.
2. John is calling the other members. 3. Martha was delivering the documents to the department.

4. The other members have repealed the amendment.

5. The delegates had received the information before the recess. 6. The teacher should buy the supplies for this class.

7. Somebody will call Mr. Watson tonight.

8. The fire has caused considerable damage.

TOEFL Question Samples

>>______discussed by the board of directors when it was proposed again by the supervisors. (A) The problem had already

(B) The problem is already

(C) The problem had already been (D) The problem has already

>>Electrical impulses may also picked up by the optic nerve.

TOEFL Question Samples

Much of the carnage of elephants, giraffes, and big cats_____uncaring hunter.

(A) must commit by

(B) must be committed (C) must have committed (D) must have been committed by

Particular issues that concern teenagers were covering in the

half-hour program.

TOEFL Question Samples

The X-ray treatment______up to the time that he was dismissed from the hospital.

(A) gave daily

(B) were given daily (C) basically have given (D) daily had been given

He was not able to define the process by which the body had protected by the immunologic system.