55 6A Grammar
2 GRAMMAR passive (all tenses)
a Read the Highclere Castle text again. Underline an example of the
- present passive,
- the past passive,
- the present perfect passive,
- the past perfect passive,
- and a passive infinitive.
How do you form the passive?
What part of the passive changes when you want to change the tense?
b p.142 Grammar Bank 6A. Learn more about the passive and practice it.
- Introduction to Passive Voice: The lesson focuses on passive constructions and passive verbs, which can be difficult for some learners.
- Vocabulary: "Extra": An extra is a person employed to play a very small, non-speaking part in a film, often as part of a crowd. The instructor was once an extra.
- Vocabulary: "Miming/Mime": To mime is to act without sound. Mimes are professionals who do this. The word 'mime' is tricky to pronounce, differing from 'mine' (possession).
- Grammar Focus: The main focus of the lesson is on passive tenses.
- Active vs. Passive Examples: The instructor contrasts active and passive sentences from the text, demonstrating how to convert between them (e.g., "But you aren't used" (Passive) vs. "But they don't use you" (Active)).
- Reason for Using Passive Voice: Passive voice is often used when the "actor" (the subject of the active verb, like "they") is unknown, unimportant, or obvious, and the speaker wants to emphasize the object or the action itself.
- Passive Voice Indicators: Passive constructions generally include a form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, been, being) and the past participle. They can sometimes be accompanied by "by [actor]" (e.g., "by the queen").
- Emphasis in Sentences: Using the passive voice allows emphasis to be placed on the object of the action (e.g., "Gladiator was directed by Ridley Scott" emphasizes the film).
- Passive for Processes: Passive voice is also common when discussing processes (e.g., "Water is heated to 100°").
- Homework/Practice: Students are encouraged to practice converting passive forms to active forms and vice-versa. A specific exercise involves converting active sentences to passive.
- Pronunciation Focus (Past Participles): The lesson covers the pronunciation of past participles ending in -ed, noting the three main sounds (T, D, and 'id'). The 'D' sound is particularly difficult for speakers of Latin languages, and extra practice is advised.
- Cinema Vocabulary:
- Scene: One part of a film (can be 30 seconds to seven minutes). Many scenes make up a film.
- On set: Where you record a film; another way of saying "at work" (e.g., "We're on set. I can't talk right now.").
- Shoot a film: To film or record it (e.g., "The film was shot in Eastern Europe").
- Epic film: One of the best, must-watch films.
- Genre: A French word used to describe different types of film (Action, Animation, Comedy, Drama, etc.).
- Subtitles: Text displayed on a screen to translate or transcribe dialogue.
- Listening Activity: The lesson references a listening activity based on the epic war film Schindler's List (World War II).