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Passive voice

     in different tenses

Presentation


Culture has been influenced by technology. Technology has changed the way that we live.

As a result, the technology that powered the industrial revolution formed the industrial society.

The culture of commuters, vacationers, and the suburbs was created, resulting from the mass production of automobiles.

The culture of Hollywood, MTV, always-on news, and reality show has been created by television.

The culture of listeners and jazz and big bands were created by the radio.

The Internet is creating a culture that is changing so fast.


Objective

By the end of this topic, you will:
Use the passive voice through different tenses to reflect and compare various cultural events.

Welcome!

In this topic, you are going to review the passive voice in many tenses, according to their grammatical structure.

For you to review each, please access the following information by giving a click on each title.

  • General information


    Renardo la vulpo. (2005).
    Oktobrofesto enirejo.

    In English, there are two voices:

    The active and the passive.

    When we use the active voice we say what the subject does:

    Germans celebrate Oktoberfest all over the world

    When we use the passive, the important thing is the object, and it becomes the subject of the sentence.

    In the following sentence Oktoberfest is the object of the sentence.


    active voice:
    Germans celebrate Oktoferfest all over the world


    passive voice:
    Oktoferfest is celebrated all over the world

  • Uses


    Luxstorm. (2008). Piggy Bank / Saving / money / Young woman.
    Retrieved on March 12th 2017 from https://goo.gl/ugScwc

    Use the passive voice:

    When we don't know who perform the action or when it is not important to say who performed it.


    My wallet was stolen last night
    (We don’t know who stole it)



    Cocoparisienne. (2014). Esclaera mecánica / escalera / Segmentos de metal. [photography].
    Retrieved on March 12th 2017 https://goo.gl/WKT53N

    When we want to avoid mentioning the agent or doer.


    The new center was finished last month
    (It is not important to mention the people who build it)

    When we want to focus on the receiver or the result of an action instead of the agent or doer.

  • Passive or active voice


    Waldominguez. (2017). Sistine / Chapel / Vatican / Michelangelo / Museum / Rome.
    Retrieved on March 12th 2017 from https://goo.gl/i80MVh

    The form of the active voice is:

    • Subject (doer) + Verb + Object (receiver)
    • Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel


    In the passive voice the subject of the active voice (doer) and the active voice direct object (receiver) interchange their relative position in the clause.

    Therefore, the order becomes:

    • Object + verb to be + past participle + (by)

    When you also want to mention the person or people that did the action use by.

    • The Sistine Chapel was painted by Michael Angelo.
  • Forms


    Reference: Batista, A.M. (2017). Passive Voice [video]. Retrieved on April 2017 from https://goo.gl/hn0T90

Reading

Activity 1

Great inventions in the 21st century

Look at the following pictures:

Which one has been more influential for you? Try to reflect on your answers. They could be useful throughout the activities...




Activity 2

Great inventions in the 21st century

 



Decide if the following statements are true or false by choosing the appropriate option. You can know your score at the end of the exercise.

Speaking

Activity 3

Is Technology Good?

Some people believe that technology is making their life easier while others think that it is making people lazy.

Do you think technology is for better or for worse?

Share your arguments by answering the question so you can practice each passive voice structure we studied.

You are going to be graded on:

You will have to speak for ninety seconds expressing your point of view, so please check out the rubrics before so you can meet the criteria.

Once you have reviewed the rubrics, click the Next icon and begin your recording. You can edit your microphone level.

Remember to use the verb tenses we have studied so far. In case you need some kick-starters, here are some suggestions:


HELPFUL PHRASES

  • In my opinion...
  • To my mind...
  • As far as I am concerned...
  • From my point of view...
  • My view/opinion/belief/impression is that...
  • I would say that...
  • It seems to me that...
  • I have the feeling that...
  • I have no doubt that...
  • I hold the opinion that...

Please, before you record your speech, make sure it has the characteristics contained in the checklist:



Geralt. (2013).
Tree / Structure / Networks / Internet / Network / Social.
Retrieved on March 13th 2017 from https://goo.gl/eNH1nb


Click on the next link so you can record yourself.


RECORD


Writing

Activity 4

My most influential piece of technology

As you have read, some gadgets and web pages have changed the way we communicate.

Research about one gadget or app you think it has been the most influential piece of technology over the last 50 years.

You are going to write a three-paragraph essay about your gadget using the structures we reviewed.

Write about when and how it was founded, the impact it has had in our society and any essential information you can think of.

Example:

Coffee machine.
I believe that one of the best inventions in the last 50 years are coffee machines. They can be as simple or as complex as one may need it. A coffee cup is brewed in seconds or minutes. Who would ever know that a traditional cup of coffee for centuries made in a pot, would become multi-billionaire business? Coffee machines do the trick, whether you want a latte, a cappuccino or even a Turkish coffee any coffee can be made easily in those devices.

Remember to use the passive voice! Check the rubrics!

Use the checklist to evaluate yourself. Be honest and tick your degree of achievement in each case. In the end, check your score with the level of success you got.

Listening

Activity 5

The Gameshow

You will hear a conversation between a show game host and two contestants. They are going to be asked some questions about technology.

Listen and look at the pictures so you can tick the gadget or apps that are mentioned.

The different tenses you hear will help with your listening comprehension. So try to pay as much attention as you can.


To hear audio, click here:

Click on the button to choose the image as an answer.



Activity 6

The best choice

Choose the most appropriate option for the following statements. At the end of the exercise, you can know your score.

Self-assessment


Exercise 1. Interesting Facts

Exercise 2. The Kilt

Exercise 3. Beer Stein!

Exercise 4. Let´s practice a bit more

References

Basic references

• Coe, N., Harrison, M., & Paterson, K. (2006). Oxford Practice Grammar. Oxford , New York : Oxford University Press.
• Eastwood, J. (2002). Oxford Guide to English Grammar . Oxford , New York: Oxford University Press.
• John, E. (2002). Oxford Guide to English Grammar. Oxford, Inglaterra: Oxford University Press.
• Learn English / British Council (2016). Passive. Retrieved on February 2016 from https://goo.gl/257ESQ
• Thomson, A. A. (1980). A Practical English Grammar. (Oxford, Ed.) Oford.



Complementary references

• Murphy, R. (2005). English Grammar in Use. A self-reference and practice book for Intermediate students of English. (3rd. ed.). Cambridge , UK: Cambridge University Press.
• ONLINE ENGLISH GRAMMAR QUIZ topic: THE PASSIVE VOICE 2 (Mixed tenses) | level: Intermediate. (2017). Retrieved on February 2017 from https://goo.gl/TdMKWL
• Seonaid. (2016). Perfect English Grammar. Retrieved February 22, 2017 https://goo.gl/I6HWsD