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Grammar Focus: Active and Passive VoiceLook at the sentence below:

Charlotte drinks coffee.

You have learnt in the previous section that the ‘subject-verb-object’ structure is the most basic and the most commonly-used sentence structure. This sentence structure is also referred to as the ‘active voice’.

Now, we reverse the structure into an ‘object-verb-subject’ one:

Coffee is drunk by Charlotte.

Take note of the change in the form of the verb. The simple present tense in the active sentence takes the present tense form of ‘be’ + the past participle.

So what is the passive voice? It is an ‘object-verb-subject’ sentence structure. The preposition ‘by’ comes between the verb and the subject to show the relationship between the verb and the subject.

Notes on using the Passive Voice

The passive voice is generally used for more formal situations. In informal writing or narratives, the active voice is preferred over the passive voice.

Formation of the Passive Voice

We shall now learn how to form the passive voice and the rules for converting the active voice to the passive voice.

Basically, the various forms of ‘be’ verbs are used with the past participle form of the main verb to create passive voice.

In short, the structure of the passive voice sentence is:Object + (Auxillary/modal verb) + ‘be’ + past participle + ‘by’ + Subject

The form of the ‘be’ verb changes according to the tense of the sentence. Only the ‘be’ verb reflects the tense; the main verb does not.

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TensesAuxillary/modal verb + Forms of

‘be’

Examples

Active Passive

Simple Present is, are, am Juliette writes the letters. The letters are written by Juliette.

Simple Past was, were Juliette wrote the letters. The letters were written by Juliette.

Simple Future will + be Juliette will write the letters.

The letters will be written by Juliette.

Present Continuous is/ are + being Juliette is writing the

letters.The letters are being written by Juliette.

Past Continuous was/ were + being Juliette was writing the

letters.The letters were being written by Juliette.

Future Continuous − Juliette will be writing the

letters. −

Present Perfect has/ have + been Juliette has written the letters.

The letters have been written by Juliette.

Past Perfect had + been Juliette had written the letters.

The letters had been written by Juliette.

Future Perfect will have + been Juliette will have written the letters

The letters will have been written by Juliette.

Present Perfect Continuous − Juliette has been writing

the letters. −

Past Perfect Continuous − Juliette had been writing

the letters. −

Future Perfect Continuous will have + been Juliette will have been

writing the letters. −

Note: The Passive Voice in sentences is easily confused with the perfect tense, where the

past participle is also used.

(i) The girl was taken hostage during the rampage. (passive voice, past tense)(ii) I have just taken my temperature. It is 36.6°C. (present perfect tense)

The passive voice is formed by ‘be’ + past participle, whereas for present perfect tense, ‘have’ + past participle is used.

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Practice 4C: Our Favourite PastimesElizabeth has become the writer for her school’s newsletter, The Times, and she has been asked to write an article about the hobbies of the students in her school. Below are some responses that she has collected. Can you guess what some of the students’ favourite hobbies are? Remember that hobbies are gerunds and they end in ‘-ing’!

1. “I like _ _ _ _ing because it is a time I can be totally alone by myself, sitting by the sea, feeling the salty breeze. At the end of the day, I always have something to bring home to my pet cat!”

2. “I enjoy _ _ _ _ing because I like to move along to the rhythm of the music. It helps me to relax and it gives me a better posture. I am more graceful in my movements now.”

3. “_ _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ _ing is what I like. These small squares of paper are like many tiny windows to the world!”

4. “I have always liked being in the water. Nothing beats _ _ _ _ _ing and _ _ _ing for me!”

5. “I enjoy _ _ _ _ ing. I want to be a chef when I grow up!”

6. “_ _ _ _ing tones up my legs. It also takes me on long journeys on two wheels.”

7. “_ _ _ _ _ing allows me to express myself with images and colours. I have an eye for beauty.”

8. “I don’t like to talk much but I like to fill up pages and pages with words. _ _ _ _ing allows me to create a world where my own characters come alive.”

9. “Call me a couch potato if you like! I can spend hours slumped on a sofa, _ _ _ _ _ing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , with a nice cool drink and chips.”

10. “_ _ _ - _ _ _ _ing is a real cool hobby! I mean it literally too! I need to put on winter clothes for it and when I am doing it, I pretend that I am in a cold, faraway country like Finland or Sweden.”

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8383

“The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher & poet

Imagine this: there are two teams of football players all feeling charged up and ready to play a match. Just then, someone comes and takes the goal posts away. What would happen to the game? It would be over before it has even started!

To aim is to set goals for ourselves. Goals give us a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going to take you? Obviously not! Yet, there are so many people who go through life aimlessly and without having any goals.

The wise Cheshire cat was giving Alice a very important piece of advice indeed. If you do not know what you want to achieve in life, how can you expect to accomplish anything?

Step 2: AIM

Have you heard the story “Alice in Wonderland” by British writer and mathematician Carroll Lewis? Let me read you a short extract:

One day, Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” she asked.

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the cat.

“I don’t really care where,” Alice answered.

“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

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Section C: Word Unscramble Read each sentence carefully and then unscramble the letters to form the correct word. Write the word in each blank.

1. Someone who is _______________ has a strong desire to obtain wealth, usually using unfair methods or force.

2. The new neighbour is rather snobbish and has a _____________ manner.

3. Marie has always had a _______________ attitude towards extreme sports.

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4. I remember him as a _______________ person. He hardly mixed around with his colleagues.

5. Someone _______________ always patronises people he considers inferior.

6. The dishonest and _______________ salesman will do anything to increase his sales.

7. Someone _______________ usually has a clear understanding and perception of a complicated situation.

8. The team comprises many young and _______________ researchers.

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Unit 5Vocabulary Focus:

Synonyms of “walk”

In this unit, we shall look at some synonyms of ‘walk’. This word can be defined as the act of travelling on foot. There are many ways of walking, and in this unit, we shall look at some synonyms for ‘walking slowly’, ‘walking quickly’, as well as ‘walking with a flourish’.

Walk Slowly

amble/meander/roam/ stroll/wander/saunter

to walk without hurrying and in a relaxed way, with no particular purpose or destination

creep/slink/sneak to move quietly and carefully, usually in order to avoid being noticed

dawdle to go somewhere slowly, taking more time than necessary

drift to move as a result of an outside force, with no control over direction

hobble/limp to walk with difficulty and in an awkward way, usually because the feet or legs are injured

lag/trail to move so slowly that one is behind other people

lumber/blunder to move slowly, awkwardly or clumsily

pace to walk back and forth with regular steps, as a result of strong and usually negative feelings

paddle/wade to walk through shallow water with difficulty

prowl to move around quietly, trying not to be seen, such as when hunting

shuffle/shamble to move with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet

slouch to walk slovenly

skulk to move stealthily, with negative intentions

stagger/lurch to walk with lack of balance as if one is going to fall down

toddle to walk with short steps, trying to keep the body balanced (used especially for young children)

traipse to walk from one place to another, often feeling tired or bored

trudge/plod to walk heavily, especially over a difficult surface or while carrying something heavy

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Practice 5B: Guess the Walk! Look at each picture below and write down the way of walking it shows.

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

1 2

3 4

7 8

9 10

65

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154

ACT...NOW!

In the last exercise, you wrote down three goals for yourself. Go back and look at them again. How did you feel after reading them again? Did you fi nd yourself feeling doubtful about what you had written?

These doubts are basically our fears and they will prevent us from achieving our goals if we let them! Here what to do:

Write down some of the negative thoughts that you had.

For example:If I work hard for English and I still fail, it would just be a complete waste of time and my friends would all laugh at me for even bothering to try. Maybe it’s a better idea not to try so hard, at least if I fail, I can still say it’s because I didn’t bother to try.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Now, write over everything you have written in red pen: “No more F.E.A.R.!” Try it!

Once you have confronted your fears, it is time to act! Look at each of your goals and write down one thing you can do RIGHT NOW in order to eventually achieve it!

For example: if your goal was to improve your grade for English from band 2 to band 1 for CA1, these are some short term actions that you will need to take!(1) I will try to do all my English homework by myself fi rst, no matter how diffi cult it is.(2) I will pay attention when my teacher teaches, even though I fi nd it boring.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Once you have fi nished writing down what you need to do, wait no longer, DO IT!

1 MINUTE POWER UP

24_1 Minute_act.indd 15424_1 Minute_act.indd 154 1/28/2010 2:02:06 PM1/28/2010 2:02:06 PM

200

The Comprehension (Open-ended) Section

In the PSLE examination, the Comprehension (Open-ended) Section is the last section of the paper. In this section, you are required to read a passage of about 500-550 words that can either be fiction or non-fiction. Following this, you are required to answer 10 questions of 2 marks each. The total marks allocated for this section is 20.

To do well in this section, you should apply reading strategies and a systematic approach to answering the questions.

Many students think it is enough to read the text just once before they go on to answer the questions. Actually, it is not true. You should read the passage at least twice before attempting any questions. A third reading is recommended for a more thorough understanding of the passage. It may seem tedious or time-consuming but you will find it easier to answer the questions later.

1. The First Reading: Reading for general information

The first reading is also known as a ‘scan’. In a ‘scan’, we are reading for a general idea of what the passage is about.

You can use the 5W’s and 1H questions to help you form ideas of what you are reading. Try to imagine or visualise the events as you do so.

For example:

• What kind of text is this? Fiction or non-fiction? / Narrative or factual essay?

• What is the main idea of the text? What is the text about? Find out the central idea of the text.

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For example, in the case of a narrative,

• What is happening in the story?• Who are the characters? • What are the characters doing? • When is the event taking place?• Where is the event taking place?• Why is the event happening? • Why do the character(s) say or do certain things?

If it is a factual essay, what is the topic of the essay? What issues or topics are being discussed in the essay?

It is also helpful to write short notes along the margin to help you keep track of such information. These notes need not be in long sentences. Short phrases or even key words from the passage will do. You may also choose to underline or highlight the key words.

2. Assess the questions

Assessing the questions after the first reading will help you to focus your attention on the answers in the second reading.

In general, questions can be classified into three types as follows.

(a) Literal QuestionsThese questions are straightforward and the answers can be found directly from the passage. They are usually 5W’s and 1H questions. The answers also do not require much rephrasing.

For example:

The men, with Yamashita at the helm, began their trek at dawn into the forests of the Kuraba Alps. They had been chosen by the village head to track down and kill the monster that had been wreaking havoc on their village’s crops and livestock. Everyone knew the beast lived in the forests, along with other dangerous animals.