The passive

I can identify and use different forms of the passive.

1 Choose the correct options (a-c) to complete the text.

(Chọn các phương án đúng (a-c) để hoàn thành đoạn văn.)

Most of us take antibiotics for granted. They ¹ ____ to treat many illnesses caused by bacteria, and until now,  patients ² ____ them successfully to prevent infection following minor surgery and routine operations. Now, though, the public ³ ____ that some bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and unless action ⁴ ____ soon, we could be 'back to the dark ages' when people ⁵ ____ by common illnesses on a regular basis. Experts explain that in a large group of bacteria, there may be some which ⁶ ____ by antibiotics; when these bacteria survive and reproduce, they increase the number of resistant bacteria to dangerous levels. Now scientists are raising concerns about a possible outbreak of a resistant infection. They predict that two in every five people who are affected by a resistant infection will be killed.

1 a were used

b are used

c had been use

2 a have been given

b are being given

c will be given

3 a were being warned

b are warned

c are being warned

4 a will be taken

b is taken

c has been taken

5 a were killed

b had been killed

c have been killed

6 a are destroyed

b aren't destroyed

c weren't destroyed

Rewrite the following sentences using passive voice.

Rewrite the following sentences using passive voice.

Choose the best answer.

It ______ that learning English is easy.

Choose the best answer.

_______ that the temple was built on the current site of Thien Tru in the 15^th century.

Choose the best answer.

It is hoped that any defensive measures _______ to protect and preserve our man-made wonders. 

Choose the best answer.

_______ the best time to visit the complex of Hue Monuments is in April.

Choose the best answer.

It is ________ that many people are homeless after the floods.

Choose the best answer.

________ that many of our man-made wonders have been damaged.

Choose the best answer.

_______ that two people had been injured in the accident.

Choose the best answer.

______ that Ha Long Bay was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Choose the best answer.

It _______ that 70 tons of dead fish washed ashore along more than 200 kilometres of Vietnam’s central coastline in early April.

Choose the best answer.

It _____ by the company yesterday that the new shopping complex would be open after 2 weeks.

Choose the best answer.

Some film stars _______ difficult to work with.

Choose the best answer.

He was said _____ this building.

Choose the best answer.

It ______ that some foreigners had collected rubbish in Cat Ba Beach.

Choose the best answer.

I hate_______ personal questions by nearly acquainted friends.

Choose the best answer.

These students _______so much that they feel very tired and bored.

Choose the best answer.

The waiter brings me this dish.

Cách 1: This dish ________ by the waiter.

Cách 2: I _________ by the waiter.

Choose the best answer.

Our friends send these postcards to us.

Cách 1: These postcards _____ by our friends.

Cách 2: We _______by our friends.

Choose the best answer.

You didn’t show me the special cameras.

Cách 1: This special camera_________ .

Cách 2: I _______this special camera.

Choose the best answer.

I ________ by my nephew last week.

Choose the best answer.

People believe that 13 is an unlucky number.

=> 13 _______ an unlucky number.

Choose the best answer.

He wants _________ by his students.

Choose the best answer to fill in the blank.

Has he spelt this word wrongly?

=> _____ this word _____ wrongly?

6 Listen to five dialogues. Choose a verb from exercise 5 and write down what is happening in each dialogue. Use the passive. 

(Nghe năm đoạn hội thoại. Chọn một động từ từ bài tập 5 và viết ra điều gì đang xảy ra trong mỗi đoạn hội thoại. Sử dụng thể bị động.)

In dialogue 1, a man is being teased. 

(Trong đoạn hội thoại 1, một người đàn ông đang bị trêu chọc.)

7 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Use verbs from exercise 5 to ask and answer questions about things that have happened to you. 

(Làm việc theo cặp. Sử dụng các động từ ở bài tập 5 để hỏi và trả lời các câu hỏi về những sự việc đã xảy ra với bạn.)

A: When was the last time you were told off at home? 

(Lần cuối cùng bạn bị mắng ở nhà là khi nào?)

B: When was the last time that you were praised at school? 

(Lần cuối cùng bạn được khen ngợi ở trường là khi nào?)

3 Find passive examples of tenses (a-g) in the text.

(Tìm ví dụ bị động về các thì (a-g) trong văn bản.)

a present simple

b present perfect

c past continuous

d will future

e present continuous

f past simple

g past perfect

4 Read the Learn this! box. Complete the rules.

(Đọc phần Learn this! Hoàn thành các quy tắc.)

LEARN THIS! The passive

1 We form the passive with the verb ¹ ____ and the ² ____ of the main verb. The object of an active verb can become the ³ ____ of a passive verb.

They haven't found a cure for colds yet. (a cure = object)

→ A cure for colds hasn't been found yet. (a cure = subject)

2 If we need to mention the agent, we use ⁴ ____

Enormous public baths were built by the Romans.

3 We use the passive:

a when we do not know (or do not want or need to say) who does something.

b for more formal language, e.g. for processes.

First, the coffee beans are dried. Then they are roasted

c when we want to focus on the person to whom the action is done, not the person doing the action.

4 We use the ⁵ ____ and past continuous forms of the passive, but we do not use other continuous forms.

Hygiene is being improved.✔

→ Hygiene has been being improved. X

→ They have been improving hygiene.✓

LEARN THIS! The passive

1 We form the passive with the verb ¹ to be and the ² past participle  of the main verb. The object of an active verb can become the ³ subject of a passive verb.

They haven't found a cure for colds yet. (a cure = object)

→ A cure for colds hasn't been found yet. (a cure = subject)

2 If we need to mention the agent, we use ⁴ by

Enormous public baths were built by the Romans.

3 We use the passive:

a when we do not know (or do not want or need to say) who does something.

b for more formal language, e.g. for processes.

First, the coffee beans are dried. Then they are roasted

c when we want to focus on the person to whom the action is done, not the person doing the action.

4 We use the ⁵ simple and past continuous forms of the passive, but we do not use other continuous forms.

Hygiene is being improved.✔

→ Hygiene has been being improved. X

→ They have been improving hygiene.✓

Tạm dịch

LEARN THIS! Bị động

1 Chúng ta tạo thành thể bị động với động từ to be và phân từ quá khứ của động từ chính. Tân ngữ của động từ chủ động có thể trở thành chủ ngữ của động từ bị động.

Họ vẫn chưa tìm ra cách chữa cảm lạnh. (một phương pháp chữa trị = tân ngữ)

→ Thuốc chữa cảm lạnh vẫn chưa được tìm ra. (một cách chữa trị = chủ ngữ)

2 Nếu cần đề cập đến tác nhân, chúng ta dùng by

Những nhà tắm công cộng khổng lồ được xây dựng bởi người La Mã.

3 Chúng ta sử dụng thể bị động:

a khi chúng ta không biết (hoặc không muốn hoặc không cần nói) ai làm việc gì đó.

b cho ngôn ngữ trang trọng hơn, ví dụ: cho các quá trình.

Đầu tiên, hạt cà phê được sấy khô. Sau đó chúng được nướng

c khi chúng ta muốn tập trung vào người thực hiện hành động chứ không phải người thực hiện hành động đó.

4 Chúng ta sử dụng dạng đơn và quá khứ tiếp diễn của thể bị động, nhưng chúng ta không sử dụng các dạng tiếp diễn khác.

Vệ sinh ngày càng được cải thiện. ✔

→ Vệ sinh đã được cải thiện. X

→ Họ đã cải thiện vấn đề vệ sinh. ✓

5 Rewrite the sentences (1-5) in the passive. Match them with rules (2-4) in the Learn this! box. The sentences may match with more than one rule.

(Viết lại câu (1-5) ở thể bị động. Hãy ghép chúng với các quy tắc (2-4) trong phần Learn this! Các câu có thể phù hợp với nhiều hơn một quy tắc.)

1 A doctor has examined me and told me to rest at home.

2 It was in the 19th century that they invented anaesthetics.

3 Scientists are making more advances in medicine every year.

4 They'll stitch the wound now and remove the stitches next week.

5 Kazimierz Funk, a Polish scientist, discovered the fact that vitamins could cure many diseases.