UNIT 8

Natural disasters
 Grammar
 The passive
The passive: verbs with two objects
The passive with thinking verbs (think, believe, say, etc.)
 When do we use it?
1. When we want to focus in the action than in the doer

2. when we don’t know who does the action

3. When the doer is obvious or understood (implicit)

 Structure:
Subject + verb be + past participle
Yo el supremo + was + written by Augusto Roa Bastos

(Past simple)
 We always use the appropriate tense of the
verb be
Present simple: warnings are given
Past simple: warnings were given
Present perfect: warnings have been given
Present continuous: warnings are being given
Past continuous: warnings were being given
Future: warnings will be given
 Questions
Subject + verb be + past participle
Yo el supremo + was + written by Augusto Roa Bastos
(Past simple)

Was “Yo el supremo” written by Augusto Roa Bastos?

 The passive: when the verb has two
objects
Active: She gave me a gift (past simple)

Passive 1:

Passive 2:
 Buy

Brin
Pay
g
COMMON VERBS

Own Lend
 The passive with thinking verbs
(think, believe, say)

To talk about what people

in general say, think or
believe
 Structure
It + be+ Past participle (think, believe, expect, say)+ that

It is said that dolphins can communicate

 Instead of “It” we can use…
1. Things that happen in the present or which are generally true:

Subject+ Verb be+ past participle (say, think) +to + infinitive

Dolphins are said to be able to comunicate

 Instead of “It” we can use…
2. Past events

Subject+ Verb be+ past participle (say, think) +to + have+ past participle

The president was claimed to have known about the situation