Grammar Safari -- passive


Date: .
Base Camp: G-8 FLB
Partners: ________________
Game to be Hunted: Passives

Schedule of Points to be Awarded: (IF correctly identified, or DEDUCTED if incorrectly identified!)

PASSIVE with:
EXAMPLE
1 point:
am
 I AM inconvenienced by the current bus situation.
is
 A $9 million transportation center IS expected to become a reality by 1998.
are
 Streets, sewers, parking, and landscapint ARE needed as part of the construction ..
2 points:
was
A manager denied that the policy WAS directed at children of color.
were
 Shoppers who WERE interviewed recently said they would not be caught dead ...
be
 Ground will BE broken this fall.
3 points:
being
 The construction is BEING paid for with about $3million in federal funds ...
(negative)
 Additional taxes will NOT be placed on Champaign residents ...
4 points:
been
 The policy has BEEN drawn up in reaction to the large number of young people ..
by
 The bulding is owned BY a private party.
5 points:
been being
 This issue has BEEN BEING discussed for years. It's time for action!

INSTRUCTIONS:

With your partner, find, copy, and identify as many of the passive verb phrases above as you can by the end of this class. (Refer to the instructions you have been given for hunting "common" game, using the FIND function). Remember to open a word-processing program, and then click here when you are ready to begin your Safari.

  • COPY ENTIRE SENTENCES, and include the sources of the sentences.
  • BOLD each entire PASSIVE VERB PHRASE and __UNDERLINE__ its SUBJECT
  • RESTATE the idea as an active sentence (you may have to add a subject)
  • INDICATE the points you have earned (see examples)
Examples: 

1. is = 1 point ; by = 4 points; be = 2 ; TOTAL = 7 points

    Volk said __the bulding now used by Amtrak__ is owned by a private party and will be re-leased to someone else once Amtrak assumes business in the new center. (Daily Illini, Feb. 2, 1996)

    active: A private party owns the building. They will re-lease the building to someone else ...

2. is = 1 point; being = 3 points; TOTAL = 4 points

    __The construction of the center__ is BEING paid for with about $3million in federal funds, $3 million in state funds, $2 million by MTD and $1 million by the city of Champaign, Volk said. (Daily Illini, Feb. 2, 1996)

    active: The MTD is paying for the construction with about $3 million in federal funds ...

3. been = 4 points

    "__This policy __has BEEN drawn up in reaction to and in large part because of the large number of young people of color who congregate in the mall in the evening." (New York Times, September 4, 1996)

    active: The mall has drawn up this policy in reaction to the large number of young people ...

TOTAL: 15 points

HAPPY HUNTING!

Ann Salzmann
Intensive English Institute
University of Illinois