ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Department of English Language and Literature

Communicative English Language Skills II (FLEn1011)

Individual Assignment

NAME: ADDISU AKALU

ID NUMBER: BAFW/01/0034/15

Submitted to: Simachew A.

Submission date: Nov 30,2023
Chapter One: Passive Voice
1.1 Active and Passive Structures
Active Passive

We took our children to the circus. The children were taken to the circus.

1.2 Uses of the Passive Voice

Although active voice is generally preferred in academic writing, passive voice is acceptable
under certain conditions.
Use passive voice
1. to emphasize the receiver of the action instead of the doer.
2. to keep the focus on the same subject through several sentences or paragraphs
3. when we do not know who performed the action:
4. when we do not wish to mention the doer of the action:
5. when we want to sound objective or avoid using the subject “I”
1.3 What are some rules of the passive Voice ?
The passive voice is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (be, am, is, are, was, were, being,
been) followed by the past participle of the main verb.

 He loves me. I am loved.

The passive voice is determined by the verbs used in a sentence. The formula for passive verb phrases is:
form of “be” verb + past participle.

1.4 What are verbs taking two objects ?

Allow,ask,bring,deny,excuse,feed,forgive,give,pass,,permit,promise,refuse,read,sell,send,serve,show,teach
,tell,throw,wish,write take two objects in passive.

Examples: Active Voice: Her aunt sent her a card for her graduation.

Passive Voice: She was sent a card by her aunt for her graduation.

1.5 Patterns of the passive Voice with different tenses

1.6 Transitive and intransitive verbs for constructing passive sentences
A transitive verb is a verb that is used with a direct object. A direct object in a sentence is a noun or
pronoun that is receiving the action of the verb, meaning that it is having an action performed on it.

For example, the sentence Monkeys eat bananas uses the transitive verb eat and the direct object bananas.
The direct object bananas tells us what the monkeys ate.

Transitive
 We always eat breakfast early in the morning.

Intransitive
 We always eat early in the morning.

1.7 What are transitive verbs that are not used in passive sentences ?
 Certain state verbs are not used in the passive even if they are transitive. Examples of such verbs are:
belong, have (own) , lack, resemble, suit etc.

 Syntactically transitive verbs that don't permit a passive are typically either stative verbs (have
(own), lack, deserve, suit, fit, weigh, cost, etc), symmetric verbs (marry, meet) or both (resemble,
equal)

1.8 Show the steps how active question sentences can be changed in to passive ?
Example: The cat chased the rabbit.

Step 1: Identify the subject of the sentence: cat

Step 2: Identify the action or the verb of the sentence: chased

Step 3: Identify the object in the sentence: rabbit

Step 4: Rewrite the sentence starting with the object, add a conjugated form of "to be" to the verb, and
end with the subject in a prepositional phrase.
Chapter Two: Future tense
The future tense is the verb form you use to talk about things that haven't happened yet. Use the simple
future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future.

2.1 Form of simple future

 The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb]

Subject + Helping verb (will) + Base form of the verb + the rest of the sentence

2.2 When we use it in speech and Writing ?

In general, we use the simple future tense for several different reasons. Here are some of the
common reasons this tense is used.

1. Often, we use the simple future tense to make predictions or guesses about the future.

2. We can also use the simple future tense to ask questions about the future.

3. We can also use the simple future tense to express factual statements about the future.

4. We use the simple future tense to consider future possibilities or conditions.

5. Finally, we can use the simple future tense to make commands.

2.3 The structure of simple future passive

To make a passive voice sentence in Simple Future tense, we write the auxiliary verb “will ” followed by
the past participle of the main verb. The sentence structure is subject + will + be + past participle verb
+ [by + agent (optional)]

2.4 Will /Shall be able to"used to talk about future ability

The modal "will/shall be able to" is used to talk about future ability or possibility. It indicates that
something is likely to happen in the future. For example:

- I will be able to speak Spanish fluently after taking this course.

- She shall be able to finish her project by the end of the week.

2.5 Modals to express unplanned And planned actions

The modal "will" can be used to talk about unplanned action. On the other hand, the be verb "going to"
can help us to express planned action.

Unplanned activity:

 She will call you later tonight.

Planned activity:

 I am going to meet my friends for lunch tomorrow.

 Chapter Three: Modal Verbs
In English, there are nine commonly recognized modal verbs. These include:

1. Can - Can express ability, permission, or possibility.

2. Could - Can express past ability or politeness.

3. May - Can express possibility or permission.

4. Might - Can express past possibility or uncertainty.

5. Must - Can express obligation or strong certainty.

6. Shall - Can express future action or suggestion.

7. Should - Can express advice, recommendation, or obligation.

8. Will - Can express future action or willingness.

9. Would - Can express past habits, polite requests, or hypothetical situations.

These modal verbs can express the given meanings:

3.1 Obligation: Must, should, have to

3.2 Possibility: Can, could, may, might

3.3 Low probability: Might, may

3.4 Rational probability: Should, ought to

3.5 Certainty: Must, will, shall

3.6 Polite request: Could, would, may, might

3.7 Permission: Can, may, could

3.8 Advice: Should, ought to

3.9 Capacity: Can, could

3.10 Suggestion: Shall, should, could, would

Chapter Four : Direct and indirect speech

4.1 Changes in Reported Speech
When changing direct speech (quoted speech) to reported speech (indirect speech), various changes
occur:

4.1.1 Tense Change

 Present tense becomes past tense in reported speech.

 Past tense remains the same in reported speech.

 Future tense becomes conditional or past tense in reported speech.

Example: Direct speech: He said, "I am tired."

Reported speech: He said that he was tired.

4.1.2 Pronoun Changes

- Pronouns may change according to the speaker and the listener in reported speech.

Example: Direct speech: She said, "I love you."

Reported speech: She said that she loved him.

4.1.3 Adverb and Demonstrative Adjective Changes

- Adverbs of time and place may change according to the new context.

- Demonstrative adjectives may also change according to the new context.

Example: Direct speech: They said, "We will go there tomorrow."

Reported speech: They said that they would go there the next day.

4.2 Infinitive in Indirect Speech

In indirect speech, infinitive constructions are used to report what someone said or to express purpose or
intention.

Example: Direct speech: He said, "I want to go."

Reported speech: He said that he wanted to go.

4.3 Gerund in Indirect Speech

Gerunds can be used in reported speech to express actions or habits.

Example: Direct speech: She said, "I enjoy swimming."

Reported speech: She said that she enjoyed swimming.

4.4 Reporting Questions

When reporting questions, changes like tense, word order, and question words may occur.

Example: Direct speech: He asked, "Do you like coffee?"

Reported speech: He asked if I liked coffee.

4.5 Changes in Commands, Requests, Advice, Exclamations, and Wishes

- Commands and requests are changed into affirmative or negative sentences in reported speech.

- Advice can be reported using a verb like "advise" or "suggest."

- Exclamations are changed into statements in reported speech.

- Wishes can be reported using verbs like "hope" or "wish."

Examples: Direct speech: He said, "Sit down!"

Reported speech: He told me to sit down.

Chapter Five
5.1 Relative Pronoun in Defining Relative Clause
A relative pronoun is used to introduce a defining relative clause, which provides essential information
about the noun it modifies. The relative pronouns commonly used in defining relative clauses are "who,"
"whom," "whose," "which," and "that."

Example: The book that is on the table belongs to me.

("that" introduces the defining relative clause "that is on the table.")

5.2 Relative Pronoun in Non-Defining Relative Clause

The relative pronouns commonly used in non-defining relative clauses are "who," "whom," "whose,"
"which," and "that."

Example: John, who is my brother, is a doctor.

("who" introduces the non-defining relative clause "who is my brother.")

5.3 Difference Between Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Defining Relative Clause:

- Provides essential information.

- Cannot be omitted without changing the meaning.

- No commas are used to set off the clause.

Example: The car that is parked outside is mine.

(The information in the relative clause "that is parked outside" is necessary to identify the specific
car.)

Non-Defining Relative Clause:

- Provides additional, non-essential information.

- Can be omitted without changing the basic meaning.

- Commas are used to set off the clause.

Example: My brother, who is a doctor, lives in London.

(The information in the relative clause "who is a doctor" is additional, but the sentence still conveys the
main message without that clause.)
5.4 Reduced Relative Clause
A reduced relative clause is a shortened form of a relative clause that omits the relative pronoun and the
verb "be" (or other appropriate verbs) when they are not necessary for understanding the sentence.

Example: The man standing over there is my boss.

("standing" is a reduced relative clause, omitting the relative pronoun "who" and the verb "is")

5.5 Nouns Used in Non-Defining Relative Clause

In non-defining relative clauses, we use nouns that refer to people, such as names or titles.

Example: Sarah, who is my best friend, is coming over.

("Sarah" is the noun used in the non-defining relative clause "who is my best friend.")

5.6 Omission of Relative Clauses

Relative clauses can be omitted when their information is clear and redundant, especially in informal
speech or writing.

Example: The book (that/which) I bought yesterday is amazing.

(The relative clause "that/which I bought yesterday" can be omitted without changing the meaning.)

5.7 Common Prepositions with Relative Clauses

The prepositions that commonly accompany relative clauses include:

 With: The girl with whom I went to the party is my sister.

 In: The house in which they used to live is now for sale.

 On: The table on which I put my book is made of wood.

 For: The gift for which she thanked me was very thoughtful.

 To: The person to whom he was talking is his boss.

References
1.Dr. Murray and Anna C.Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, University of New York
2. Worldwide Book Series Book 1 and 2 ,2019

3.https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GZTSzPPW6LM/Wgpg5SENTENCES.jpg

4. Microsoft Word - Active and Passive Voice.doc (cuny.edu)

5. Ethiopian Grade Ten English Text book ,2020.