Verbs and tenses

Passive Verb-forms
Rule 1

You use passive verb-forms to emphasize what happens rather than who makes it
happen.

In this sentence, the fact that the person receives good treatment is more important
than who treats him well. In fact, you do not know who treats him well.

I'm treated pretty well.

Rule 2

You use passive verb-forms when you want to put the emphasis on a particular person
or thing.

In this sentence, you want to focus attention on I, not Tony.

I was met at the airport by Tony.

In this sentence, you want to focus attention on The flowers.

The flowers were picked by a friend of mine.

Active or Passive Verb-forms

If you want to emphasize who makes something happen rather than what happens, you
use an active verb-form rather than a passive verb-form.

My work colleagues treat me pretty well.

Tony met me at the airport.

Present Continuous Passive

You use the present continuous passive to emphasize what is happening now or is a
temporary or ongoing situation rather than who is making it happen.

I'm being treated pretty well.

Form:
Subject + am/are/is + being + past participle.

Past Continuous Passive

You use the past continuous passive to emphasize what was happening rather than
who was making it happen.

We were being driven to the hotel.

Form:

Subject + was/were + being + past participle.

Present Simple Passive/Past Simple Passive

You use the present simple/past simple passive for a fact.

I'm always treated pretty well.

Last week she was treated in the hospital.

Sorry this means you failed the test.

But you can retake the test anytime in order to finish this lesson.

Oops! You got it wrong.

You said: was being transferred

The correct answer is is being transferred. The present continuous passive verb-form
is correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on the "production of the new luxury
MBW sports car." The key words are "This will take two months," so this is referring to a
temporary, ongoing activity that is happening now.

Oops! You got it wrong.

You said: were paying

The correct answer is are paid. The present simple passive verb-form is correct
because the emphasis of the sentence is on the "wages" that employees get. The key
words are "Average wages in Sao Paolo are," so this is referring to a permanent fact,
not a temporary ongoing activity.

Oops! You got it wrong.

You said: are being lost

The correct answer is are losing. The present continuous active verb-form is correct
because the emphasis of the sentence is on the "employees." The key words are "2,000
employees…their jobs…because of the move," so this is referring to a temporary,
ongoing activity that is happening now.

Great! You got it right.

You said: are being offered

The correct answer is are being offered. The present continuous passive verb-form is
correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on "500." This refers to the number of
people and who is offering the jobs is not mentioned. The offer is happening now, so
you use the present continuous passive-verb form.

Oops! You got it wrong.

You said: are struggled

The correct answer is struggled. The past simple active verb-form is correct because
the emphasis of the sentence is on "management." The key words are "Over the last 12
months," so this is referring to a past situation, not a present situation.

Great! You got it right.

You said: were being lost

The correct answer is were being lost. The past continuous passive verb-form is
correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on "orders" and not on who lost these
orders. The key words are "Over the last 12 months," so this is referring to a past
situation, not a present situation.

Great! You got it right.

You said: were being produced

The correct answer is were being produced. The past continuous passive verb-form is
correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on the "cars," and not who was
producing the cars. The key words are "In the last six-month period," so this is referring
to a past situation, not a present situation.

Great! You got it right.

You said: are predicting

The correct answer is are predicting. The present continuous active verb-form is
correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on the "Managers" — they are making
predictions. The key words are "the new factory," so this is referring to a present
situation, not a past situation.

Great! You got it right.

You said: is being cleared

The correct answer is is being cleared. The present continuous passive verb-form is
correct because the emphasis of the sentence is on the changes that are happening
now to the "site" where the factory was. The key words are "The factory closed its gates
two weeks ago, but already," so this is referring to a present situation.

Oops! You got it wrong.

You said: was being made

The correct answer is was made. The past simple passive verb-form is correct because
the emphasis of the sentence is on "The prestigious XZ model," and not the people who
made it. The key words are "the 1960s," and the writer is referring to a fact in the past.

Back

Oops! You got it wrong.

Customers in a global business world prefer a homogeneous company to handle their

needs.

You said: True

The correct answer is False. The article says, "…a diverse workforce will more closely
resemble the organization's client base. Customers will be more attracted to a company
that understands their issues."

Oops! You got it wrong.

One problem with a homogenous workforce is that employees tend to think more like
each other.

You said: False

The correct answer is True. The article says, "A heterogeneous workforce will be more
likely to bring multiple perspectives to problem-solving, whereas a homogenous
workforce may be more limited."
Great! You got it right.

Increasing diversity can help companies respond well to change.

You said: True

The correct answer is True. The article says, "Companies with experience in managing
diversity tend to be more flexible and adaptable to changing environments."

Great! You got it right.

As a company becomes more diverse, there may be bad feelings.

You said: True

The correct answer is True. The article says, "Current employees may react to the new
diversity with jokes or negative remarks."

Oops! You got it wrong.

Hiring token minority employees is enough to create diversity.

You said: True

The correct answer is False. The article says, "Companies may believe they are
satisfying the goal of greater diversity by hiring a few token members of a particular
group. When an organization practices tokenism, it is unlikely to realize the benefits of
diversity."

Great! You got it right.

If there are only a few minority employees, they tend to be ignored.

You said: False

The correct answer is False. The article says, "Tokenism also puts a lot of pressure on
the few representatives of a group." This suggests that people pay attention to what the
token workers are doing.

You scored: 67%

Sorry this means you failed the test.

But you can retake the test anytime in order to finish this lesson.
Great! You got it right.

What is the writer's problem?

You said: He is one of only a few minority employees.

The correct answer is He is one of only a few minority employees. The letter says,
"As a member of a minority group, I am one of a few token minority employees."

Oops! You got it wrong.

Why does Tom Token feel like he is telling a lie?

You said: He has to tell lies in meetings with customers.

The correct answer is The clients he meets might think the company is very
diverse. The letter says, "I am in a high visibility position, and when the company meets
with minority clients, I am always included." This makes him unhappy because he feels
like he is telling a lie.

Great! You got it right.

What is one problem Tom Token has had?

You said: Coworkers have made negative comments.

The correct answer is Coworkers have made negative comments. The letter says,
"…some of them have made jokes or comments about my background."

Great! You got it right.

Who does the Career Doctor suggest he talk to first?

You said: His supervisor or the Human Resources department

The correct answer is His supervisor or the Human Resources department. The
letter says, "If you communicate well with your supervisor, you could talk to him or her.
Another good resource is the human resources department."

Oops! You got it wrong.

According to the Career Doctor, what is an incentive for the company to do a better job
in managing diversity?

You said: To create a heterogeneous workforce

The correct answer is To maintain good relationships with customers. The letter
says, "The company probably wants to build and/or maintain relationships with minority
customers. This provides a powerful incentive to get this right."

Great! You got it right.

What is the Career Doctor's final piece of advice?

You said: He suggests first giving the employer a chance to fix the situation.

The correct answer is He suggests first giving the employer a chance to fix the
situation. The Career Doctor's earlier advice is to communicate with a supervisor or
Human Resources and take training courses. His final piece of advice is to give the
"employers the opportunity to correct their mistakes," before considering leaving.