SAINT BENOIT FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL

2014-2015 Winter Semester

Subject:

English

Year/ Term:

10/ 1

Topic:

Passive Voice

Time Allocation:

8 minutes

Assignment:

Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. Were you born in hospital?
2. Have you ever been bitten by a snake or stung by a centipede or jellyfish?
3. Have you ever been chased by a dog?
4. Are you going to be picked up after the class?
5. Would you like to be given a piece of clothing for your birthday?
6. Have you ever been disturbed by noisy neighbours?
7. Do you hope you will be invited to a party this weekend?
8. Have you ever been ripped off when travelling abroad?
9. Were you named after someone famous?
10. Is your suit being cleaned, your car being repaired or your house being decorated at the moment?

SAINT BENOIT FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL

2014-2015 Winter Semester
Subject:

English

Year/ Term:

10/ 1

Topic:

Passive Voice

Time Allocation:

10 minutes

Assignment:

1. Complete the text with expressions from the box.

had been given
had been told
had never been taught
was promised
was sent
was shown

was given (2)

was offered
wasn't being paid

I'll never forget my first day at that office, all those years ago. I (1) __________________ to arrive at
8.30 but when I got there the whole place seemed to be empty. I didn't know what to do because I (2)
__________________ no information about the building or where I was going to work, so I just
waited around until some of the secretaries began to turn up. Finally, I (3) __________________ a
dirty office on the fifth floor, where I (4) __________________ a desk in a corner. Nothing
happened for an hour; then I (5) __________________ some letters to type on a computer by one of
the senior secretaries. This wasn't very successful because I (6) __________________ how to use a
computer. [In the letter I (7) __________________ when I (8) __________________ the job, I (9)
__________________ computer training but they'd obviously forgotten about this.] By lunchtime
things hadn't got any better, and I decided that I (10) __________________ enough to put up with
this nonsense, so I walked out and didn't go back.
2. Use appropriate forms of the verbs given to complete this text. In each case, decide whether
an active or passive form is needed.
Slowly but surely the coastline of Britain (1) is being worn away (wear away) by an advancing
sea. The country which once 'ruled the waves' now (2) __________________(rule) by them, with
huge forces threating to destroy vast areas of human and wildlife habitat. Already some of Britain's
last wild, natural areas (3) __________________ (disappear), and experts (4) __________________
(fear) that this is just the beginning. It (5) __________________ (estimate) that there will be 38-55
cm rise in average sea levels by the year 2100. According to the Department of the Environment,
during the next 50 years at least 10.000 hectares of farmland (6) __________________ (turn into)
mud flats and salt marshes by the increases in sea levels. Rather than trying to prevent the erosion,
the present government (7) __________________ (use) a method of 'managed retreat' by
creating new defences further inland and allowing low-lying coastal farm land (8)
__________________ (abandon) to the sea. However, many of the country's major cities could also
(9)__________________ (affect). London, Bristol and Cardiff all (10) __________________
(expect) severe flooding as our sea defences (11) __________________ (destroy) by the rising
tides.