SELF-ACCESS MATERIALS (ENGLISH LANGUAGE)

SELF-ACCESS MATERIALS
LLENGUA B I (Anglès)

CONTENTS:

 Verbs with passive alternations

 Locative alternations

PASSIVE ALTERNATIONS
 ONLY ONE PASSIVE FORM. The Od of the active sentence becomes the Subject of the
passive clause):
(i) Most monotransitive verbs (S V Od):
Someone ate two oranges > Two oranges were eaten.
This includes most prepositional verbs (S V Op):
Many students are looking for jobs > Jobs are being looked for by many students
(ii) The verbs that alternate between S V Oi Od and S V Od for-Op:
I’ll build a house for him > A house will be built for him
However, some of these verbs also allow the Oi to become the Subject of a passive sentence:
I'll save you a place in the front row > You'll be saved a front place in the
front row
(iii) The verbs that only allow the pattern S V Od to-Op:
I explained the procedure to him > The procedure was explained to him
(iv) The verbs that only allow the pattern S V Od for-Op:
I obtained some money for her > Some money was obtained for her
(v) Most complex transitive verbs (S V Od Oc):
They appointed Helen Chair of the Commission > Helen was appointed Chair of the
Commission

 TWO PASSIVE FORMS. The verbs that alternate the patterns S V Oi Od / S V Od to-Op
allow two passive forms:
a) FIRST PASSIVE (S V Oi Od)
She gave her sister the car > Her sister was given the car
b) SECOND PASSIVE (S V Od to-Op)
She gave the car to her sister > The car was given to her sister.
 NO PASSIVE FORM.
(i) Some monotransitive verbs with a stative meaning (they refer to states, not actions) are not
passivized: cost, contain, fit, have, lack, resemble, suit...
He lacks confidence > *Confidence is lacked by him
(ii) Some of the verbs that follow only the pattern S V Oi Od do not allow passivization either of
the Oi or the Od:
I wish her luck > *She was wished luck / *Luck was wished him

For those verbs that allow the use of two passive forms, the choice between one or the other may depend
on what has been said before (Old information), or on what needs to be put last in the sentence (the
information that we want to highlight: End-focus). The a) structure above (FIRST PASSIVE) is probably
the more common of the two.

Activity 01. VERBS WITH ONE OBJECT. Write the corresponding passive for each of the
following sentences. If no passive sentence is possible, write NOT POSSIBLE.
1. This building lacks a fire alarm
2. These jeans don't fit me
3. They have captured a lion with a shotgun
4. We arrived at the station.
5. We arrived at a conclusion.
6. They went into the tunnel.
7. They went into the problem.
8. We'll have to deal with this matter immediately.
9. Many of our colleagues are talking of other possibilities.
10. They found him guilty.

Activity 02. VERBS WITH TWO OBJECTS. Write the corresponding passives for the following
sentences. If two passives are possible, write them both. If no passive form is possible, write NOT
POSSIBLE

1. They gave an unknown artist the award / They gave the award to an unknown artist.
2. She wished me success.
3. Someone will cook you an omelette / I'll cook an omelette for you.
4. The doctor declared the soldier dead.
5. They suggested a new date to us.
6. Someone poured me a cup of tea / She poured a cup of tea for me.
7. Someone fetched my sister the scissors / Someone fetched the scissors for my sister
8. My wife explained the situation to her.
9. Someone sold John the printer / Someone sold the printer to John
10. They reported the incident to the police.

LOCATIVE ALTERNATIONS
A) Alternating verbs
Some verbs in English alternate between two complementation patters with a difference in meaning:
VERB + A PLACE + WITH SOMETHING
VERB + SOMETHING + LOCATIVE PREPOSITION + A PLACE

I loaded my gun with bullets (with variant)

I loaded bullets into my gun (locative preposition variant)

This is a list of verbs that allow the two possibilities. Most of these alternating verbs have to do with
covering surfaces and putting things into/on containers.
brush, cram, crowd, dab, heap, jam, load, pack, pile, rub, scatter, sew, shower, smear, smudge, sow,
splash, spray, spread, sprinkle, stuff, etc.

- Notice the contrast in meaning between the two variants:

Jack sprayed the wall with paint. (with variant)
> Paraphrase: The paint covered the whole wall. [The location is completely affected by the
action expressed by the verb. ]
> Spanish translation: "Jack roció toda la pared de pintura (con un pulverizador/una pistola)" /
"Jack pintó la pared (con un pulverizador/una pistola)"
BUT: Jack sprayed paint on the wall. (locative preposition variant)
> Paraphrase: Jack put paint on the wall with a spray. [There is no implication that the whole
wall was totally covered by paint. Jack may or may not have filled the whole wall with paint.]
> Spanish translation: "Jack roció pintura sobre la pared (con un pulverizador/una pistola)"

They stuffed his body with morphine. (with variant)

> Paraphrase: They filled his body with morphine.
> Spanish translation: "Lo atiborraron de morfina"/ "Le llenaron el cuerpo de morfina".
BUT: They stuffed morphine into his body. (locative preposition variant)
> Paraphrase: They injected morphine into his body.
> Spanish translation: "Le metieron morfina en el cuerpo".

B) Non-alternating. Only the with variant is possible:

VERB + A PLACE + WITH SOMETHING
choke, cover, decorate, dirty, endow, enrich, fill, flood, frame, litter, pollute, replenish, repopulate,
riddle, season, soak, soil, stain, surround, etc.

John covered the baby with a blanket

*John covered the blanket over the baby

C) Non-alternating. Only the locative preposition variant is possible:

VERB + SOMETHING + LOCATIVE PREPOSITION + PLACE
- arrange, drop, install, lay, lean, lift, lower, mount, place, position, put, raise, rest, set, sit, suspend,
etc.
- band, dip, dump, funnel, hammer, push, ram, scoop, spoon, sweep, tuck, wipe, etc.
- pour, spill
- coil, roll, spin, etc

I poured water into the bowl

*I poured the bowl with water

I dropped a coin on the floor

*I dropped the floor with a coin

Activity 03 Try to find an alternative construction for each of the following sentences with either a
with prepositional phrase or a locative prepositional phrase. If an alternation is possible, try to
explain the difference in meaning and/or find a paraphrase in Spanish.
Example:
Jessica loaded the van with boxes
Answer:
a) Jessica loaded the van with boxes (with variant)
> Paraphrase: Jessica filled the truck with boxes.
> Spanish translation: "Jessica cargó/llenó la camioneta de/con cajas"
b) Jessica loaded boxes into the van. (locative preposition variant)
> Jessica put boxes into the truck (she might or might not have filled it up)
> Spanish translation: "Jessica metió/cargó cajas en la camioneta"

1. She sprayed perfume on my face.

2. We'll surround the president with bodyguards.
3. She pushed me into the swimming-pool.
4. I've loaded this word processor into my computer's memory
5. I've installed Word 2000 on my computer.
6. We packed the children into the car.
7. Gina filled the glass with lemonade
8. I stuffed my pockets with sand.

UPF. Material didàctic d'ús intern. auto.