Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 12 Invitation to English 4 Solutions Grammar The Passive Textbook Activity Questions and Answers.
CHSE Odisha 12th Class English Grammar The Passive
Section -1
We can use English sentences either in active or passive voice. But we have a wrong notion that all the active sentences can be passivized and vice versa. While it is possible to express most ideas both in the active or the passive voice, some constructions are natural only in the active and a few others only in the passive.
The passive voice is normally used for one of the following reasons.
1 . The active subject (or the doer/agent of the action) is unknown or cannot be easily identified.
His father was killed in World War- II.
(The killer or his father is unknown/or difficult to identify)
2. The active subject or agent is evident from the context.
Mr Amitabh Bachchan was elected Member of Parliament.
(The active subject/agent (i.e. the people of a particular constituency) is well known from the context.
3. There may be a special reason for (fact, delicacy of sentiment or fixing responsibility) not mentioning the active agent.
The matter has been referred to an expert committee.
4. Where greater interest is taken in the subject of the passive.
His mother was run over by a truck.
5. In scientific discoveries, inventions, observations, public notices etc. we use passive sentences. Now mark how we can transform an active sentence into a passive construction. We normally take the help of the following steps to make a sentence from active to passive voice.
(i) Make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive.
(ii) Change the active verb into the passive equivalent by using be-verb + past participle form of the main verb.
(iii) Decide whether the subject of the active sentence is to be included or deleted in the passive sentence. If included, it should be put after the preposition ‘by’.
This ‘by-phase’ is used (i) when the agent is an important person (ii) when the agent is an indefinite person or thing, (iii) when the agent is an inanimate (non-living object or thing and is regarded as something unusual or unexpected).
In present-day English, ‘by-phrase’ is normally avoided/omitted in passive sentences.
We use a ‘by-phrase’ when the speaker/writer wants to give emphasis on the active subject/agent.
Activity -1
Change the sentences below into their passive forms.
1. The Head Master punished the student.
2. Foolish men build large houses.
3. The umpire declared the batsman out.
4. Did Vibhishan betray Ravana?
5. Van Gogh did not paint this picture.
Answers
1. The student was punished by the Head Master.
2. Large houses are built by foolish men.
3. The batsman was declared out by the umpire.
4. Was Ravana betrayed by Vibhisan?
5. This picture was not painted by Van Gogh.
Activity- 2
Change the voice of the sentences below.
1. The dates for polling have been announced by the Election Commission.
2. Oriyas living in America have sent fifty crores for relief work.
3. The party has chosen a new president.
4. The plane was hijacked by five terrorists.
5. Can this cheque be cashed by my brother?
Answers
1. The Election Commission has announced the date for polling.
2. Fifty crores has been sent by Oriyas living in America for relief work.
3. A new president has been chosen (by the party).
4. Five terrorists hijacked the plane.
5. Can my brother cash this cheque?
Section -2
When do we use the passive?
The rules
The rules for changing the active voice into the passive voice are reliable, up to a point. However, it is wrong to think that every active sentence can be changed into the passive form. The passive voice is used in special situations, in which it would not be appropriate to use the active voice. It is important to know what these situations are.
What the “subject” of the sentence does?
We said above that the first rule for changing an active sentence into its passive form is to make the object of the active sentence the subject of the passive sentence. But why do we do this?
Every sentence must have a subject, which comes at or near the beginning of the sentence, before the verb. The subjects in the following sentences are printed in bold letters. Each sentence also contains an object, which is printed in italics.
1. The boys fed the lions in the zoo.
2. The kind old gentleman gave the blind beggar ten rupees
3. Bhima killed Dushashana in a fight.
4. The cyclone destroyed two thousand villages.
The subject, in each of these sentences, has two function.
(a) It introduces the topic that the speaker is going to talk about.
(when we hear the opening words of sentence 1, “The boys…” we know that the speaker is going to tell us something about the boys. The rest of the sentence tells us what the speaker has to say on this topic.)
(b) The subject also refers to the person or the thing that performs the action indicated by the verb. In other words, the subject is the “doer” of the action, or the agent that performs the action.
What about the object?
The object refers to the person or thing on which some action is performed by the agent (subject). Notice what happens when we change an active sentence into a passive sentence.
Example
The policeman arrested the thief, (active)
The thief was arrested by the policeman. (passive)
In the active sentence, the subject (policeman) represents the agent who performs the action, as well as the topic. Here, the speaker seems to be interested mainly in the policeman and what the policeman did.
But in the passive sentence, the agent (policeman) is no longer the subject or the topic. Instead, thiefbtcom&s the topic. The speaker seems to be more interested now in the thief and what happened to him than in the policeman, who is pushed into the background. So, when we turn an active sentence into its passive form, the effect is to turn the “spotlight” away from the agent. The passive is used when we are more interested in the action that is performed than in the agent that performs the action. This can happen in the following situations.
(a) when the speaker does not know the identity of the agent or is not sure of it, e.g.:
My bicycle has been stolen.
(b) when it is not necessary to mention the agent, because it is obvious who the agent is, e.g.:
The earth was created many millions of years ago.
The accused was tried in court and sentenced to prison.
(c) when the speaker does not want to mention the agent, for some reason, e.g.:
I have been cheated.
(d) when the speaker does not wish to offer a personal opinion, but wants to sound formal and objective, e.g.:
It is believed that no life exists on the planet Mars.
The agent is not mentioned in the majority of passive sentences. However, the agent must be mentioned (together with the preposition by) in the following contexts :
(a) when the agent is an important person- an inventor, an artist, a writer, a famous personality etc., e.g.:
1. ‘Chandrabhaga’ was written by Radhanath Ray.
2. The bridge will be opened by the Chief Minister.
3. The ratio was invented by Marconi.
(b) when the agent is someone or something that is unexpected, e.g. :
1. All the work in this factory is done by robots.
2. The man was killed by a tiger.
Section – 3
The uses of the passive.
Passive sentences are more commonly used in writing than in speech. The use of the passive is particularly common in scientific and technical writing, e.g. reports on experiments, descriptions of scientific processes, etc. Passives are also frequently used in official documents, where rules and regulations are laid down.
Here are some examples.
1. Payment can be made at any bank.
2. The liquid is heated to boiling point.
3. All lights are switched off at 11 p.m.
4. Sensitive data should not be fed into this computer.
5 . Sugar is exported to Japan.
Activity – 3
Use the verbs (given in brackets) in the correct form.
(a) Originally, this novel (write) __________ in Hindi, but it (translate) _________ into Oriya in 1985.
(b) Cheese (make)- from milk.
(c) There was an accident this afternoon. Somebody called an ambulance but as nobody (injure) _________ the ambulance (not require) ________.
(d) The office is in a mess. The telephone (never answer)__________, no proper records (keep) __________ and worst of all, no reports(write)__________.
(e) A three-year-old girl who hid in a sack while her mother was picking potatoes (run over) _________ by a tractor at a farm in Karnataka.
(f) A tree is lying across the road. It (blow down)____________ in the storm.
(g) The letter (post) _________ a week ago and it arrived yesterday.
(h) Two people (report) ___________ injured in a bomb explosion at a factory in Calcutta early this morning.
(i) A new museum (build) _________ in the city. Work started last year and the museum (expect) ___________ to open next year.
Answers
(a) Originally, this novel was written in Hindi, but it was translated into Oriya in 1985.
(b) Cheese is made from milk.
(c) There was an accident this afternoon. Somebody called an ambulance but as nobody was injured, the ambulance was not required.
(d) The office is in a mess. The telephone is never answered, no proper records are kept and worst of all, no reports are written.
(e) A three-year-old girl who hid in a sack while her mother was picking potatoes was run over by a tractor at a farm in Karnataka.
(f) A tree is lying across the road, it is blown down in the storm.
(g) The letter was posted a week ago and it arrived yesterday.
(h) Two people are reported injured in a bomb explosion at a factory in Calcutta early this morning.
(i) A new museum is being built in the city. Work started last year and the museum is expected to open next year.
Activity- 4
Rewrite the following newspaper report using passive forms of the verbs.
Thieves held the manager of the Taj Hotel at gun point last night during a daring raid in which they took nearly Rs. 500,000 from the hotel safe. They also broke into several of the bedrooms and removed articles of value.
The thieves made their escape through the kitchen, where they damaged several pieces of equipment. They injured the chef when he tried to stop them and left him lying unconscious on the floor. Police arrested the thieves early this morning.
Answers
1. The manger of the Taj Hotel was held at gun point last night.
2. Nearly Rs. 5,00,000 was taken from the hotel safe (by them).
3. Several of the bedrooms were also broken into (by them).
4. Articles of value were also removed.
5. Several pieces of equipment were damaged by them.
6. The chef was injured by them when he tried to stop them.
7. He was left unconscious on the floor.
8. The thieves were arrested (by the police) early this morning.
Activity- 5
The following is a part of a newspaper report. Use the verbs supplied in the blank spaces, in their appropriate forms.
(a) In Bhubaneswar yesterday a shopkeeper (force) ________ to hand over Rs. 10,000 after (threaten) ________ by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which (steal) _________ earlier in the day. Later, the car (find) ________ in a garage where it (abandon)- by the thief. A man who (suspect) _________ of (involve) __________ in the robbery (arrested) _________ and (question) _________ by the police.
(b) The state library (damage) __________ in a fire last Sunday. The fire, which (discover) _________ at about 11 p.m., spread very quickly. Nobody (injure) __________ but two people had to (rescue) __________ from a room upstairs. A number of valuable books (bum)__________. It (not know) __________ how the fire started.
Answers
(a) In Bhubaneswar yesterday a shopkeeper was forced to hand over Rs. 10,000 after being threatened by a man with a knife. The man escaped in a car which was stolen earlier in the day. Later, the car was found in a garage where it was abandoned by the thief. A man who was suspected of being involved in the robbery was arrested and questioned by the police.
(b) The state library was damaged in a fire last Sunday. The fire, which was discovered at about 11 p.m., spread very quickly. Nobody was injured but two people had to be rescued from a room upstairs. A number of valuable books were burnt. It was not known how the fire started.
Activity- 6
Mrs. Mohanty went out for a while. When she came back, she soon realised that someone had been in the room while she was away. Given below a list of the things that had been disturbed. Write sentences to describe the room, using the following hints.
bookcase/move door/open wall clock/remove
food on the table/eat candle/light record player/smash
window/close flower vase/break television/switch off
Answers
1. The bookcase had been moved.
2. The food on the table had been eaten.
3. The window had been closed.
4. The flower vase had been broken.
5. The door had been open.
6. The candle had been lighted.
7. Television had been switched off.
8. The wall clock had been removed.
9. The record player had been smashed.
Activity- 7
Do you know how to prepare a cup of tea, using a tea bag? If you don’t, you can follow the ‘recipe’ (pronounced re-si-pi) below.
A recipe is a set of instructions which you follow when you are preparing some food. Usually, recipes are given in the form of “commands”, using sentences in the active form. The following recipe for making tea is an example.
1 . Use one tea bag to make each cup of tea.
2. Place the required number of tea bags in a kettle.
3. Add boiling water.
4. Stir the water, but make sure that the tea bags do not open up.
5. Allow the tea to stand for four minutes.
6. Pour the tea into cups.
7. Add sugar and milk to taste
The instructions in the recipe can be re-written, using sentences in the passive form. What you get now is a description of a process. Write the recipe given above, using sentences in the passive form. The first sentence has been done for you.
How tea is made, using tea-bags
Answers
1. One tea-bag is used for making each cup of tea.
2. The required number of tea bags are placed in a kettle.
3. Boiling water is added.
4. The water is stirred, but make sure that the tea bags do not be opened up
5. The tea is allowed to stand for four minutes.
6. The tea is poured into cups.
7. Sugar and milk is added to taste.
Activity-8
When you become a member of a library, you are supposed to obey certain library rules. Rules are generally stated in sentences using the passive form.
Here is a list of “Dos” and “Don’ts” for users of public library. Can you turn them into library ruels, using the passive?
Dos
1. You should maintain strict silence inside the library.
2. You must bring your membership card with you when you visit the library.
3. You must leave your bags, books, note-books, etc. at the checking counter, outside the library.
4. You should ask the librarian to help you in case you are unable to find a book
Answers
1. Strict silence must be maintained inside the library.
2. Your membership card must be brought (required) when you visit the library.
3. Your bags, books, note-books, etc. must be left/kept outside the library, at the checking counter.
4. The librarian may/should be asked to help you in case you are unable to find a book.
Don’ts
1. You mustn’t write anything inside a book which you borrow from the library.
2. You shouldn’t damage the book in any way.
3. You mustn’t keep the book longer than the due date.
4. You shouldn’t lend the book to anyone who is not a member of the library.
Answers
1. Anything inside a book mustn’t be written which you borrow from the library.
2. The book shouldn’t be damaged in any way.
3. The book mustn’t be kept longer than the due date.
4. The book shouldn’t be lent to anyone who is not a member of the library
Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers
1. We ____________ by a loud noise during the night.
(A) woke up
(B) are woken up
(C) were woken up
(D) were waking up
Answer:
(C) were woken up
2. There’s somebody walking behind us. I think ___________.
(A) we are following
(B) we are being followed
(C) we are followed
(D) we are being following
Answer:
(B) we are being followed
3. ‘Where ?’ ‘In London.’
(A) were you born
(B) are you born
(C) have you been born
(D) did you born
Answer:
(A) were you born
4. The train __________ arrive at 11.30 but it was an hour late.
(A) supposed to
(B) is supposed to
(C) was supposed to
(D) none of these
Answer:
(C) was supposed to
5. Where________ ? Which hairdresser did you go to?
(A) did you cut your hair
(B) have you cut your hair
(C) did you have cut your hair
(D) did you have your hair cut
Answer:
(D) did you have your hair cut
6. I don’t like ______________by others.
(A) be laughed
(B) being laughed
(C) to be laughed
(D) to have been laughed
Answer:
(B) being laughed
7. They __________ to go there.
(A) are made
(B) are making
(C) have made
(D) should make
Answer:
(A) are made
8. Accidents ___________ by negligence.
(A) are made
(B) must be made
(C) made
(D) none of these
Answer:
(A) are made
9. I ________to all.
(A) am knowing
(B) am known
(C) have known
(D) none of these
Answer:
(B) am known
10. Where ___________ your kites?
(A) you are flying
(B) are you flying
(C) you have to fly
(D)none of these
Answer:
(B) are you flying