English Grammar Step by Step

1 a This television set is never used b Furniture is made here c He is called "Mr Efficient" d French and German are taught here e We are very badly paid/We are paid very badly

2 a America was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 b I was offered a rise/A rise was offered to me c He was arrested for murder d The meeting was cancelled owing to unavoidable circumstances e The president was sworn in yesterday

3 a Nothing is being done about it b Am I being offered a bonus/Is a bonus being offered to me? c Is the house being rented now? d The meeting is still being held e The same topic is still being discussed

4 a He was being interrogated then b A burglar alarm was being installed in the house when he came in c We were being chased by a tiger when they saw us/when we were seen by them d We noticed that we were being followed e The bears were not being fed when we got there

5 a If you behave well, you'll be bought a cornet/a cornet will be bought for you b The dog ought to be built a kennel/A kennel ought to be built for the dog c You won't be paid tomorrow d A lot of help is going to be needed e Our threat can't be carried out

6 a The contract would have been signed if you hadn't put your foot in it b Their house must have been redecorated c In two months' time, all the population in the town will have been affected by this contagious disease d The job of cleaning the streets would have been contracted out to this firm by the town council if they were more efficient e She can't have been kidnapped

7 a The report still hasn't been finished b When we went there, the house had already been sold c The walls of our house have been overlaid with a synthetic fibre against damp d Later on, I realised that my ice-cream cones had been eaten as well e The bottons of my jacket have been turned off

8 a This fabric used to be cut by hand, but now a machine is used b I was shown the door/The door was shown to me c The door would have been opened if I had had the key d Two of the murderers have been trapped so far e I am given a kiss by my wife every single morning/A kiss is given to me by my wife every single morning f Was the tournament won by Jane Green? g AIDS would not have been contracted by many people if they had been more careful h I'm afraid the programme will have to be put off on account of circumstances beyond our control i Some pages had been torn out of her diary j My father was attacked by a rabid dog when he was striding across the field k I was put off by the way he smelled l Was she promised the moon/Was the moon promised to her? m Fish and chips is sold here n Last month three of my tyres were punctured o Her fierce dog will be set on anyone that enters the place p Two of my tyres had been slashed q She must have been attacked and killed by a ferocious beast r Who(m) was penicillin discovered by/By whom was penicillin discovered?; It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 s The old cinema is being pulled down t Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen u The island was being invaded when our air force arrived v The sentry was throttled and the powder magazine was/, blown up w Diswashers are repaired x She was stabbed when she was sleeping y This building should be knocked down (by the local authority) z Amy hasn't been invited to the party

9 a I can't stand being laughed at b I don't like to be given gifts by my pupils/I don't like gifts to be given to me by my pupils c I asked to be admitted to the club d I'd prefer not to be phoned e They dislike being shouted at

10 a He was made to work in shifts b She was heard to say that her van was in its last legs c He was seen to strike her with a stick d We were made to confess everything e Brenda was seen to dance to rock and roll music

11 a He was claimed to have stolen her purse/It was claimed (that) he stole/had stolen her purse b The match is expected to take place on Friday evening/It is expected (that) the match will take place on Friday evening c She is thought to be touched/It is thought (that) she is touched d He was alleged to have robbed the jeweller's/It was alleged (that) he (had) robbed the jeweller's e He was considered to be a currupt politician/It was considered (that) he was a corrupt politician

12 a She urged that the business should be expanded1/Her boss was urged to expand the business b His men were ordered to take up their positions right them c The authorities recommended that no fires should be made in the area d The Prime Minister insisted that the public expenditure should be reduced e We suggested that another accountant should be employed

13 a It has been recommended not to use dynamite in the mine/It has been recommended that no-one should use dynamite in the mine/It has been recommended that dynamite should not be used in the mine/They have recommended that dynamite should not be used in the mine b It has been recommended that this trademark of cheese should not be consumed, as it is said that some batches are off/..., as some batches are said to be off/They have recommeded that this trademark of cheese should not be consumed.../It has been recommended not to consume this trademark of cheese... c It may be well thought that a traitor should be put to death/One may well think that a traitor should be put to death d It has been announced that public spending is going to be cut down/They have announced that public spending is going to be cut down e It is being demanded to know the whys and wherefores of their decision/It is being demanded that the whys and wherefores of their decision should be known/People are demanding that the whys and wherefores of their decision should be known

14 a We are going to have (or "get") this letter translated into English2/This letter is going to be translated into English for us b This tap is dripping. We'll have to have (or "get") it mended/A plumber will have to be employed to mend it c I had (or "got") my eye bruised in a fight/My eye was bruised in a fight d I have had (or "got") my spectacles broken/My spectacles have been broken e She is having (or "getting") her hair done/Her hair is being done

15 a Our former house is being taken down b I do not object to being promoted, but I do object to being paid so little c He was thought to be overseas/It was thought (that) he was overseas d The flag had been torn away from its pole by the wind e Who(m) was this document signed by?; It was signed by my brother f We have been promised the earth/The earth has been promised to us g He proposed that they should be given a pay rise/He proposed that a pay rise should be given to them/It was proposed that he should be given a pay rise/It was proposed that a pay rise should be given to them/It was proposed our giving them a pay rise h I'd like to be taken to the opera tonight i She's not responsible for the enemy being told our intentions/for our intentions being told to the enemy j His students are allowed to use dictionaries in his examinations/He allows dictionaries to be used in his examinations k She was helped to exterminate the plague of rats l The government has decided that more money should be spent on education/It has been decided (by the government) that more money should be spent on education/It has been decided (by the goverment) to spend more money on education m The phone wire had been ripped out so that the police could not be rung n She was sent to London (by her boss) last month o I'm sick and tired of being taken photographs/of photographs being taken to me p I'm going to have/get my brakes checked/My brakes are going to be checked q The enemy was seen and killed when they were sliding into the barracks r We hate being ordered around s I'm having/getting my bungalow painted/My bungalow is being painted t He is believed not to have gone out with a woman in his life/It is believed (that) he has not gone out with a woman in his life u Tony Taylor was knocked down by Simon Brown in the second round v She was seen to leave the house hurriedly w She was seen speaking to Mrs Green x The world record for javeling throwing is held by Peter Jones y More money will have to be invested in the project z She was strangled with a scarf

____________________
1  Instead of should + infinitive, we can use the subjunctive with these verbs: She urged that the business be expanded. This structure is very formal, and has not been included in this key. If you wish to employ this construction, you only have to remove the word should. For further details, see unit 22, section 36.
2  The first alternative given is usually better.