PASSIVE OF REPORTING VERBS

♦ Sometimes when you are reporting what people say or believe, you don ́t know, or you

don ́t want to say, who exactly the `people ́ are. So you use an impersonal construction:

People believe that thousands of birds died.

The same idea can be expressed by using the passive in two different ways:

a) subject + passive of reporting verb + `to ́ infinitive

Hundreds of thousands of birds are believed to have died.

b) It + passive of reporting verb + that + clause

It is believed that hundreds of thousands of birds died.

○ Some other reporting verbs that can be used in this way are:

calculate, claim, consider, discover, estimate, expect, feel, hope, know, prove, report,

say, show, think, understand, etc.

○ With present reference, the passive is followed by the present infinitive:

People think that Johnson is in Cardiff.

Johnson is thought to be in Cardiff.

○ With past reference, the passive is followed by the past infinitive:

People believe that Johnson left Cardiff last month.

Johnson is believed to have left Cardiff last month.

○ Present and past continuous infinitives are also used:

They think that the forger is living in Florence.

The forger is thought to be living in Florence.

People know that the suspect has been dealing with drugs.

The suspect is known to have been dealing with drugs.

○ Passive infinitives can also appear:

People believe that the portrait was painted by Vermeer.

The portrait is believed to have been painted by Vermeer.

They think that the staff are given a bonus whenever they have to work overtime.

The staff are thought to be given a bonus whenever they have to work overtime.

○ The reporting verb can also be past:

People considered the government had spent too much.

The government was considered to have paid too much.

♦ Rewrite each sentence so that the meaning stays the same.

1 People think that neither side wanted war.

Neither side is ...................................................................................................

2 People say that fewer than 1,000 blue whales survive in the southern hemisphere.

Fewer ................................................................................................................

3 Everyone knows that eating fruit is good for you.

Eating fruit ........................................................................................................

4 People consider that one in three bathing beaches is unfit for swimming.

One in three bathing beaches ............................................................................

5 At least 130,000 dolphins are reported to be caught in the nets of tuna fishers every year.

It is ....................................................................................................................

6 It is estimated that in the past 15 years about 10 million dolphins have been killed.

About 10 million dolphins ...............................................................................

7 In ancient Greece people thought dolphins were men who had abandoned life on land.

In ancient Greece it ..........................................................................................

8 In ancient Rome it was believed that dolphins carried souls to heaven.

In ancient Rome dolphins ................................................................................

9 People say that the company invested fifty million pounds last week.

The company ....................................................................................................

10 People say Mr Clark was difficult to work with when he was younger.

Mr Clark ...........................................................................................................

11 Someone has calculated that the water of the River Rhine contains over 2,000 chemicals.

It .......................................................................................................................

12 Everyone thought the painting had been destroyed in the fire.

The painting ......................................................................................................

13 It is believed that the Chinese invented gunpowder.

The Chinese ......................................................................................................

14 About 1 million papers are thought to have been sold.

People ...............................................................................................................

15 It is thought that the two injured men were repairing high-tension cable.
The two .............................................................................................................

16 We hope that the government has prepared a plan.

The government ................................................................................................

17 People say that Mr Bond was having business difficulties when he was charged with fraud.

Mr Bond ............................................................................................................

18 It is thought that this treasure dates from the 19th century.

This treasure ......................................................................................................

19 People believe that a professional thief stole the painting.

It ........................................................................................................................

The Passive: Mixed Tenses

Change these sentences from active to passive:

1. People speak Portuguese in Brazil.

_______________________________________________________________

2. The Government is planning a new road near my house.

_______________________________________________________________

3. My grandfather built this house in 1943.

_______________________________________________________________

4. Picasso was painting Guernica at that time.

_______________________________________________________________

5. The cleaner has cleaned the office.

_______________________________________________________________

6. He had written three books before 1867.

_______________________________________________________________

7. John will tell you later.

_______________________________________________________________

8. By this time tomorrow we will have signed the deal.

_______________________________________________________________

9. Somebody should do the work.

_______________________________________________________________
10. The traffic might have delayed Jimmy.

_______________________________________________________________

11. Everybody loves Mr Brown.

_______________________________________________________________

12. They are building a new stadium near the station.

_______________________________________________________________

13. The wolf ate the princess.

_______________________________________________________________

14. At six o’clock someone was telling a story.

_______________________________________________________________

15. Somebody has drunk all the milk!

_______________________________________________________________

16. I had cleaned all the windows before the storm.

_______________________________________________________________

17. A workman will repair the computer tomorrow.

_______________________________________________________________

18. By next year the students will have studied the passive.

_______________________________________________________________

19. James might cook dinner.

_______________________________________________________________

20. Somebody must have taken my wallet.

CAUSATIVE VERBS: HAVE/GET SOMETHING DONE

Have something done and Get something done are both used to refer to actions which are
done for

the subject rather than by the subject. Causative verbs are used instead of passive verbs to
show that

the subject causes the action to be done.

1. Have something done

I don ́t know how to repair cars, so I ́m having mine repaired at the garage round the corner.
2. Get something done

I really must get my eyes tested. I ́m sure I need glasses.

Get your hair cut!

NOTE: The differences between have and get something done are that have is slightly more

formal than get, and that get is more frequent than have in the imperative form.

NON-CAUSATIVE USES OF HAVE AND GET

Have and get are also used to refer to events which happened to someone, but were outside
their

control.

After being late for work every day for two weeks, Billy had his pay reduced.

I stood so close to the fire that I got my legs burnt.

EXERCISE 1
Rewrite these sentences using have or get.
1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. A decorator has repainted our house.

_______________________________________________________________________

4. A friend of mine, who ́s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.

_______________________________________________________________________

5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner ́s.

_______________________________________________________________________

6. The town hall has just been rebuilt for the council.

_______________________________________________________________________
REVISING EXERCISES
1) Complete the email with the correct tense:

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your email. I’m glad you ___________ (enjoy) your university course. I
_____________

(get) an email from Sam last week. He’s at university in Cambridge. He ____________ (love)
the

city, but he isn’t sure about his course. I ____________ (go) to see him next week, so I’ll talk to
him

about it.

I’m a bit fed up. Someone ___________ (steal) my bike last night. It’s so annoying! If I
___________

(have) lots of money, I _____________ (buy) a new one straight away, but I can’t afford to do
that.

According to the police, they said there _____________ (be) a lot of thefts recently. At least
I’ve got

my holiday in Spain to look forward to. Our flight ____________ (leave) early on Saturday
morning,

so by the afternoon I ______________ (lie) on the beach. I can’t wait!! And maybe the police

____________ (find) my bike by the time I get back!!

____________you ____________ (hear) the news about Laura? She ___________(meet) a by

while she ______________ (stay) with her aunt, and they’ve decided to get married!!!

What a surprise!!

Lucy.

2) CONDITIONALS:

1) Charlie didn’t leave early, and so he missed the bus. (Type 3)

If Charlie ____________________________________________________________________.

2) I like travelling, but I haven’t got any money. (Type 2)

If I _______________________________________________________________________.

3) Don’t get close to the swimming-pool, you can fall in. (Type 1)

If you _____________________________________________________________________.

4) Mike didn’t make a shopping list, and he forgot to buy some coffee. (Type 3)

If Mike ___________________________________________________________________.
5) I’m tired, I can’t walk. (Type 2)

If I _____________________________________________________________________.

3) RELATIVE CLAUSES: Join the sentences using relative pronouns:

1) Where is the pencil? I left it on the desk.

2) A boy visited the police station. His bike was stolen.

3) Alexander Fleming was British. He discovered penicillin.

4) We spoke to a woman. She gave us directions.

5) The Eiffel Tower was finished in 1889. It is made of iron.

6) That is the place. I met John there.

4) PASSIVES: Change these sentences into the passive voice:

1) A burglar stole my laptop.

2) They have elected a new president.

3) They will finish our new house at the end of the month.

4) Millions of people watch this programme.

5) Sam’s father was writing this book.

6) Did they eat all the food at the party??

7) They are redecorating our school during the summer holidays.

8) Peter gave Karen a present. (2 forms)

5) CAUSATIVE PASSIVE: TO HAVE + OBJECT + PAST PARTICIPLE.

1) Someone painted my house last year.

I _________________________________________________________________.

2) Someone is servicing my car tomorrow.

I _________________________________________________________________.

3) They have decorated his room recently.

He ________________________________________________________________.

4) Someone broke into her house yesterday.

She ________________________________________________________________.

6) REPORTED SPEECH: Change the sentences into reported speech.

1) “I have lost the map,” Jack told me.

Jack told me ____________________________________________________.

2) “I won’t be here tomorrow,” she told me.

She told me _____________________________________________________.

3) “Are you a student? He asked me.

He asked me ____________________________________________________.

4) “What did you do yesterday?” They asked her.

They asked her ____________________________________________________.

5) “Don’t touch that!” he told me.

He told me ________________________________________________________.

6) “Let’s have some pizza!” she suggested.

She suggested _____________________________________________________.

7) MODAL VERBS: Choose the correct one.

1) Look at those clouds. I think it can / might / must rain.

2) This is impossible!! It can’t be / mustn’t be / may not be the answer.

3) I’ve no idea where Jane is. She could be / must be anywhere!!

4) There is someone at the door. It could be / mustn’t be the postman.

5) I can’t find my passport. – You must have left/ should have left it on the plane.

6) I failed my exams. – You must have worked / should have worked harder.

8) MODAL VERBS: Rewrite the sentences using modal verbs or modal perfects:

1) It’s possible that I’ll be late. (may)

I _______________________________________________________________.

2) It is forbidden to leave your bike here. (can’t)

You _____________________________________________________________.

3) Maybe Joanna missed the last bus. (may)

Joanna _____________________________________________________________.

4) I’m sure that Diana didn’t take your books. (can’t)

Diana _______________________________________________________________.

5) It was wrong of you to be rude to the policeman!! (shouldn’t)

You ________________________________________________________________.

9) Gerund (-ing) or TO + INFINITIVE:

1) Greg often seems _________________ (be) worried.

2) I hate _____________(tell) this, but we’ve lost all our money.

3) Do you want ____________(go) for a walk this afternoon?

4) I enjoyed ___________ (listen) to this lesson.

5) I can’t stand ______________ (wake) up early.

6) It’s very difficult _____________ (learn) Chinese.

7) We love _______________(go) to the beach in the summer.

8) I’m getting used to _____________ (live) in a big city, but it’s too stressful.

9) Avoid _____________ (eat) fast food if you want to get fit.

10) Remember _____________ (post) these letters when you go shopping.

11) ______________ (live) in the country is healthier.

12) Before ___________ (leave), tidy your room, please!!

10) Repasa el vocabulario de cada lección y los Phrasal Verbs con los ejercicios del

Student’s y del Workbook que se han hecho en clase.

Reading:

NO NEED TO PANIC, BUT...

Yellowstone National Park in the United States is an area of spectacular natural beauty,

visited by over three million tourists every year. Most of these visitors don’t realise that

Yellowstone is the home of the most destructive natural force in the world – a super-volcano

waiting to erupt.

If the Yellowstone super-volcano erupted, the heat would kill everything within a radius

of 1,000 kilometres. The entire United States would then be covered in a powder made of tiny

particles of rock. This powder would block light from the sun for many years, causing the

Earth to get colder. This would destroy much of the world’s plant life, and people would not

have enough to eat. The human race could come close to extinction.

How likely is all this to happen? Well, experts say that there have already been three

super-eruptions at Yellowstone and that they occur about every 600,000 years. It has been

640,000 years since the last one – so there’s a chance it could happen soon.

What exactly is a super-volcano? It forms when liquid rock comes up from the inside of

the Earth and gradually grows into a huge, hot, underground sea. When the pressure becomes

too great, this entire area erupts in a huge explosion thousands of times more powerful than a
normal volcano. Today geologists use special satellite technology to find places on Earth

where a super-volcano is likely to explode. So when the next eruption happens, it probably

won’t be a complete surprise.

And by the way, don’t count on being safe just because you don’t live in North America.

There are super-volcanoes all over the world and eruptions occur about once every 50,000

years. Unfortunately, the question is not whether another eruption will happen in the future –

the question is when.

1) Decide whether the sentences are True (T) or False (F). Find evidence in the text to

support your answer. (2)

1. The effects of a super-volcano are felt for years after it erupts. ( )

2. It will be impossible to predict the next super-volcano. ( )

2) Answer these questions on the text using your own words. (2)

1) Why do experts think that there may soon be another super-eruption at Yellowstone?

2) In what way is a super-volcano different from a normal volcano?

3) Find words or expressions in the text that mean the same as: (1)

1. very small (paragraph II):

2. probable (paragraph III):

3. slowly (paragraph IV):

4. rely on (paragraph V):