Find the verbs in the Passive Voice

The History of Cinema

An American Thomas Edison made the first machine with moving pictures in 1891. It was called a kinetoscope. Then in 1895 a machine that projected pictures on to a screen was built by two French brothers, August and Louis Lumiere. They called their machine a cinematographe. The pictures from this machine were shown one after the other very quickly.

The Lumiere brothers gave the world’s first film show in 1896, and in America the world’s first cinema was built in Pittsburgh in 1905.

In the beginning films were made to show news, but by 1902 filmmakers began to write stories for film and use actors. These films were very popular in America, and Hollywood became important in the film-making industry. The first “talkie” (film and sound) was shown in America in 1927. It was called “The Jazz Singer”.

Change the following sentences from active into passive.

1. Many people attend the lecture.

2. Someone has eaten the cake.

3. He will leave the ticket on the table.

4. They were discussing the report the whole evening.

5. People speak English in many countries.

6. She has finished reading the book.

7. Everyone can see the film soon.

8. The gardener has planted some apple-trees.

9. His parents have bought him a new bicycle.

10. They will advertise the product on TV.

Change the following sentences from active into passive.

1. An actor killed President Abraham Lincoln.

2. Alexander Bell invented the telephone in 1876.

3. The Chinese invented paper.

4. They invented photography in the 1840s.

5. The French government gave the Statue of Liberty to the American people.

6. Shah Jahan built The Taj Mahal for his wife who died in 1631.

7. They make Volkswagen cars in Germany.

8. Columbus discovered America.

9. Fleming discovered penicillin.

10. They talked much about that problem.

Put the verbs into Past Simple and Future Simple.

1. Our students are given a lot of homework to do every day.

2. What kind of books are discussed in class?

3. Mr. Ivanov is often asked to translate articles from English into Russian.

4. How many houses are built in our city a year?

5. Why aren’t these exercises done?

Make these sentences interrogative and negative.

1. Houses are built very quickly now.

2. This work will be finished tomorrow.

3. The delegation was met at the station.

4. The article has been translated into Russian.

5. The work can be done tomorrow morning.

6. The doctor has been sent for.

7. The question has been discussed.

8. Мr. Petrov is wanted on the ‘phone.

9. The rules will be revised at the next lesson.

10. The book was written in 1966.

Write these sentences in interrogative and negative forms.

Example: He was sent to New York. – Was he sent to New York? He was not sent to New York.

1. The first prize was won by John.

2. Our exercises are corrected each night by the teacher.

3. The mail is delivered at ten o’clock.

4. The construction of the bridge will be finished this year.

5. The contract will be signed tomorrow.

6. His report was listened to with great interest.

7. The film is much spoken about.

8. All the letters are looked through by the secretary.

9. All these books were published by this publishing house.

Self-study practice

Find the verbs in the Passive Voice.

The History of Cricket

The game cricket developed hundreds of years ago from somebody hitting an object with a piece of wood. In the sixteenth century it was banned because it was thought that all games were no good for people. Fortunately, cricket survived in many villages. In the eighteenth century cricket became more and more popular and rules were needed. The first rules were made in 1744.

Clubs were created in Kent, Hampshire and other counties. New rules were written in 1774 and the Lord’s Cricket Ground was opened in 1787. Cricket became popular in the old British Empire and in 1859 a team was sent abroad for the first time. At first, matches were only played between England, Australia and South Africa. Then the group was joined between 1928 and 1947 by The West Indies, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. It was joined in 1982 by Sri Lanka.

Translate into Russian.

1. So it was in your house that the books were hidden?

2. If the thing is to be done at all, it must be well done.

3. He saw that he was being given his opportunity.

4. This work will have been done by that time.

5. He is very foolish and is often laughed at.

Наши рекомендации