Homework, May 29th

Exercise 10, p. 103-104

    

       I was born in Vietnam in 1960.  I (had) lived (1) there until 1975 when the 

government fell (2) and the communists took (3) over.  I will never forget that

moment.  I was studying (4) in high school at that time.  I was taking (5) a 

math test when the director of our school came (6) into the class to announce that 

the government had fallen (7).  Everyone in my class  became (8) silent.  The

teacher stopped (9) our test and told (10)us to go home.  By the time I got (11)

home from school, my father had already made (12) arrangements to 

leave the country.  Our lives were (13) in great danger because my father had 

worked/had been working (14) for the U.S. military for ten years.  We left (15)

in a hurry.  We had (16) no time to say good-bye to our friends or pack our 

belongings. We took (17) with us only the most necessary things.  We left (18) 

behind many things that had taken (19) my family years to acquire.


       After we (had)left (20) Vietnam, we went (21) to Thailand, where we stayed 

(22) for three years.  While we were waiting (23) for permission to come to 

Canada, we studied/were studying (24) English.  We wanted (25) to be prepared

for our life in Canada. 


       I'll never forget December 5, 1978, one of the happiest days of my life. It was 

three o'clock, and I was helping (26) my brother practise his English lesson when 

my father ran (27) into our quarters with a letter in his hand.  The Canadian 

government had given (28) us permission to go to Canada.  We were (29) so 

excited when my father told/was telling (30) us the news. 


       When we arrived (31) at Mirabel airport in Montreal on February 6, 1979, 

our sponsor was waiting (32) for us.  He was holding (33) a sign that said, 

"Welcome to Canada, Mr. Ly Tran and family."  We were (34) so happy and 

excited.  My mother started (35) to cry.


       Now we have been (36) in Canada for about 15 years.  At first, it was (37)

difficult for me to learn English.  My little brother and sisters learned (38) it quickly, 

but it took (39) me much longer.  I attended (40) classes at a CEGEP from 1979 to

1983.  I think I learned/have learned (41) to speak English pretty well.  But my

mother didn't learn English at the time because she had (42) to stay home to take 

care of the little ones.


       When the little ones entered (43) high school, my mother started (44) to 

study English. About two years ago, she enrolled (45) at Vanier College. She has 

learned (46) a lot of English lately.  All of us help/have been helping/have

 helped (47) her.  My younger brother and sisters have forgotten (48) how 

to speak Vietnamese already, but I haven't (forgotten)/ won't (forget) (49).


       We have had (50) a hard life since we came to Canada, but we made (51) the

 right decision to leave when we did. 

Wednesday, May 22nd

Past Perfect & Past Perfect Continuous Tenses

Exercise 1 (p. 93-94)

1.  When I got up, the sun had already risen.

2. I was going to make a pot of coffee, but my husband had already made a pot before he left.

3. I had made several phone calls by the time I left the house.

4. I had to take the subway to work because my wife had taken the car.

5. When I got to work, my boss hadn't arrived yet.

6. By the time, I went out to lunch, I had spoken to ten clients.

7. I took an aspirin before I went home because I had had a headache all day.

8. My children had already gone to bed by the time I got home from work.

9. I fell asleep right away because I had had a very day at work.


Exercise 2 (p. 95)

1. When they came into the room (1), their son left (2).

2. When they came into the room (2), their son had just left (1).

3. When I got home from school (1), I did my homework (2).

4. When I got home from school (2), I had already done my homework (1).

5. When she got to my house (2), she had eaten dinner (1).

6. When she got to my house (1), she ate dinner (2).

7. The teacher gave a test (2) when Linda arrived (1).

8. The teacher had already given a test (1) when Linda arrived (2).


Exercise 5 (p. 96)

1. I had been waiting for two years when I got a chance to leave my country.

2. I had been living in the same house all my life when I left my city.

3. I felt very sad when I left my job because I had been working with the same people for 10 years.

4. I had been studying to be a nurse for six months when a war broke out in my country.

5. When I left my country, the war had been going on for three years.

6. My family had been waiting in a refugee camp for three months before we got permission to come to Canada.

7. By the time I got to Canada, I had been travelling for four days.

'When' with the Simple Past or the Past Perfect

The tense in the main clause (independent clause) tells you whether when means 'before' or 'after'.


1. When she met Prince Charming, Cinderella was happy.  [when = after]


2. When she met Prince Charming, Cinderella had been dreaming of 
    changing her life.  [when = before]

Past Perfect & Past Perfect Continuous Tenses

The past perfect is used to show a clear time relationship between two past actions occurring in the same sentence.  It shows which action happened first.

It is formed with the auxiliary verb 'have' in the simple past tense and the past participle.

The past perfect continuous is similarly used to show a clear time relationship between two past actions, one of which occurred for a period time before the second action occurred. 

It is formed with the auxiliary verb 'have' in the simple past tense, the past participle of 'be', and the -ing form of the main verb.

More Practice with the Passive Voice

If you would like some more practice with the passive voice, here are some online exercises that you can try.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive

Homework, Wednesday, May 15th

Part 4

1. A video cassette recorder is called a "VCR."  P

2. The patient does not need a prescription.  A

3. English is not spoken in Cuba.  P

4. My ring has been found.  P

5. They are eating the pizza.  A

6. The teacher will take the children to the zoo.  A

7. People with cancer take this drug.  A

8. This drug can't be sold without a prescription.  P

9. He has taken her to the doctor.  A

10. Medication has to be used carefully.  P

11. You should tell your doctor about the problem.  A

12. The directions should be read.  P


Part 5


1. A lot of corrections were made on my last composition.  P

2. The composition was/is/will be collected at the end of the day.  P

3. The teacher returned the homework.  A

4. The students wrote/write their answers in the book.  A

5. Your name should be written at the top of the page.  P

6. The students are not permitted to use their textbooks during the exam.  P

7. The teacher watches/ is watching/ was watching/ watched the students during the test.  A

8. The test is/will be returned the next day.  P

9. The students should study before a test.  A


Part 6


1. There are many working mothers in Canada.

2. Most women have demanded careers.

3. Few women wait until their children are grown before starting a career.

4. Growing children need someone to take care of them.

5. All children need loving parents.

6. Many parents are bored with housework.

7. Housework is sometimes boring.

8. Where is your day care centre located?

9. When did you get divorced?

10. It's not easy to get accustomed to a new life.

Homework, Monday, May 13th

Lesson 2 Review

Part 1

1. The composition wasn't written by Jim.

2. The criminal was taken to the police station.

3. A dictionary was left on the floor of the classroom.

4. Where did the accident happened?

5. I wasn't told about the party. C

6. I had a tiring day at work yesterday.

7. I'm worried about my children.  C

8. It is  well-known fact that women live longer than men.

9. Married people live longer than single people. C

10. Everyone should have insurance.  Is your car insured?

11. I'm very tired. I can't do this exercise now.

12. I come from a warm country.  I'm not used to cold weather.

13. Last week we saw a very boring movie. C

14. She has an interesting job. C

15. I was surprised to find out that you are married.

Part 2

1. My dictionary has been taken.

2. The windows are being washed now.

3. A new drug was being tested.

4. We must be driven to the hospital soon.

5. The letter wasn't written carefully.

6. She has to be told.

7. New drugs will not be sold if they aren't approved by the government.

Part 3

1. He rented the video.

2. The teacher should make corrections.

3. The child has done the homework.

4. Parents have to teach their children.

5. She was reading a story.

6. We can use our dictionaries during the test.

7. The teacher is showing a movie.

Present and Past Participial Adjectives

Present and past participles can be used as adjectives. Sometimes, they even look like passive voice forms but don't be fooled. They are adjectives.






Present participles describe the person 'doing' the action.

The soccer player is boring the other guy.










Past participles describe the person 'receiving' the action.

The student is bored.

Remember that participles, like: I'm lost; The bus is gone; are adjectives not passive forms.  

Homework, Wednesday, May 8th

Exercise 6:

1. Research is being done to find a cure for diseases.

2. Studies are being conducted.

3. Reports are being written.

4. Animals are being used in experiments.

5. We are being informed of medical advances.


Exercise 7:

1. The textbook is being used for this exercise.

2. The passive voice is being practised.

3. The sentences are being changed from active to passive.

4. The mistakes are being corrected.

5. The teacher is being asked a question.


Exercise 8:

1. The students listen to the teacher. (A)

2. The students are being instructed by the teacher to use the passive voice. (P)

3. The students are filling in the blanks with passive or active verbs. (A)

4. A passive verb is being used in some of these sentences. (P)

5. We are using the textbook for this exercise. (A)

6. The teacher is correcting the students' mistakes. (A)

7.  The answers are being discussed. (P)

8. The students are practising the passive and the active voice. (A)

9. Modal verbs are not being studied at this time. (P)


Exercise 10:

1. Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare.

2. The Magic Flute was composed by Mozart.

3. The St. Lawrence River was explored by Jacques Cartier.

4. Canada's official Maple Leaf flag was adopted in 1965 by Parliament.

5. The Mona Lisa was painted by Da Vinci.

Answer Key for Test #1

Here are the answers to Test #1:

http://www.slideshare.net/KimHenrie/test-1-pg-1-20751195  (Page 1)

http://www.slideshare.net/KimHenrie/test-1-pg-2-20751196  (Page 2)

http://www.slideshare.net/KimHenrie/test-1-pg-3-20751192  (Page 3)

How to Form the Passive Voice

The Passive Voice is formed with the auxiliary verb 'to be' (in the appropriate verb tense) + the past participle of the main verb in the active sentence.  The object from the active sentence becomes the subject and the subject from the active sentence adds 'by' and becomes the agent.

               (subject) Students (verb) learn (object) English.

               (subject) English (verb) is learned *(agent) by students.

*Remember that the agent is frequently omitted:

                (subject) English (verb) is learned.

What is the Passive Voice for and How Often Can I Use It?

Active and Passive Voice

Sentences are often in the active voice, meaning that the subject of the sentence is 'doing' the action.  In a passive sentence, the subject and object switch roles.  The object becomes the subject and the subject becomes the receiver of the action or 'agent'.  In passive sentences, the action is more important than the person performing the action, and the agent is often omitted from a passive sentence.

Both the active and passive voice can occur in all tenses and with modals and infinitive constructions.  Compare the active and passive forms in the various tenses: