The Passive, Count / Non-count

Nouns, Articles

General Training for Grammar

May 2013
The Passive
Active Sentences and Passive Sentences

Active
S O
(a)The mouse ate the cheese.

The object in an active sentence

becomes the subject in a passive
sentence.
Passive
O S
(b) The cheese was eaten by the
mouse.

The subject in an active sentence is the

object of by in a passive sentence.
Forms of the Passive
Form of all passive verbs:
be + past participle

Be can be in any of its forms: am, is,

are, was, were, has been, have been,
will be, etc.

Ex: Sara was surprised by the news.

Exercises
Change the verbs from active to passive. Do
not change the tenses.

1. Leo mailed the package.

The package ________ ___________ by

Leo.
2. That company employs many people.

Many people _______ ____________ by

that company.
3. That company has hired Ellen.

Ellen _______ ___________ by that

company.
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
A TRANSITIVE verb is followed by an
object. An object is a noun or
pronoun.

S V O
(a) Bob mailed the letter.
An INTRANSITIVE verb is NOT followed
by an object.

S V
(b) Something happened.
Only transitive verbs can be used in the
passive.

ACTIVE: Bob mailed the letter.

PASSIVE: The letter was mailed by
Bob.
An intransitive verb is NOT used in the
passive.

ACTIVE: Something happened.

PASSIVE: (not possible)
INCORRECT: Something was happened.
Common Intransitive Verbs

agree die happen rise

appear exist laugh seem
arrive fall live sit
become flow occur sleep
come go rain sneeze
Using the by-Phrase

The by-phrase is used in passive

sentences when it is important to
know who performs an action.

(a) This sweater was made by my aunt.

Usually there is no by-phrase in a
passive sentence.

The passive is used when it is not

known or not important to know
exactly who performs an action.

(b) My sweater was made in Korea.

Passive Modal Auxiliaries
Modal auxiliaries are often used in the
passive.

FORM:
modal + be + past participle
Active Modal Auxiliaries to Passive M.A.

Bob will mail it. – It will be mailed by

Bob.
Bob can mail it. – It can be mailed by
Bob.
Bob should mail it. – It should be
mailed by Bob
… continuation
Bob ought to mail it. – It ought to be
mailed by Bob.
Bob must mail it. – It must be mailed
by Bob.
Bob has to mail it. – It has to be
mailed by Bob.
Bob may mail it. – It may be mailed by
Bob.
Exercises
Complete the sentences by changing the
active modals to passive.

1. Someone must send this letter

immediately.

This letter _____________ immediately.

2. People should plant tomatoes in the
spring.

Tomatoes ______________ in the spring.

3. People cannot control the weather.

The weather ______________________.

Used To vs. Be Used To
Used to expresses the habitual past. It
is followed by the simple form of a
verb.

(a)I used to live in Chicago, but now I

live in Tokyo.
INCORRECT: I used to living in Chicago.
INCORRECT: I am used to live in a big
city.
(b) I am used to living in a big city.

In (b): be used to is followed by the –

ing form of a verb (a gerund). *

*NOTE: In both used to (habitual past)

and be used to, the “d” is not
pronounced.
Count/Noncount
Nouns and Articles
A vs. An
A and an are used in front of a singular
noun. They mean “one”.

A is used in front of words that begin

with a consonant.

An is used in front of words that begin

with the vowels.
For words that begin with the letter u:

(1)An is used if the u is a vowel sound,

as in umbrella, an uncle, an unusual
day.
(2)A is used if the u is a consonant
sound, as in a university, a unit, a
usual event.
For words that begin with the letter h:

(1)An is used if the h is silent: an hour,

an honor, an honest person.
(2) A is used if the h is pronounced: a
holiday, a high grade
Count and Noncount Nouns
A count noun:

(1)Can be counted with numbers: one

chair, two chairs, etc.
(2) can be preceded by a/an in the
singular: a chair.
(3) has a plural form ending in –s or –
es: chairs.
A noncount noun:

(1)Cannot be counted with numbers.

INCORRECT: one furniture
(2) Is not immediately preceded by
a/an.
INCORRECT: a furniture
(3) Does not have a plural form (no final
–s)
INCORRECT: furnitures
Noncount Nouns
Noncount nouns refer to a whole group
of things that is made up of many
individual parts, a whole category
made of different varieties.

Ex: mail [letters, postcards, bills etc.]

fruit [bananas, oranges, apples etc.]
jewelry [rings, bracelets, etc.]
Using Several, A Lot Of,
Many/Much, and A Few/A Little

(a)Several is used only with count

nouns. [several chairs]

(b) A lot of is used with both count and

noncount nouns. [a lot of chairs, a lot
of furniture]
(c) Many is used with count nouns.
[many chairs]
Much is used with noncount nouns.
[much furniture]

(d) A few is used with count nouns. [a

few chairs]
A little is used with noncount
nouns. [a little furniture]
Exercises
Complete the sentences with a/an or some.
Decide if the boldface nouns are count or
noncount.

1. I often have _________ fruit for

dessert.
2. I had _______ banana for dessert.
3. I got ________ letter today.
4. I got _________ mail today.
5. Anna wears __________ ring on her
left hand.
6. Maria is wearing __________ jewelry
today.
7. I have __________ homework to
finish.
8. I have _______ assignment to finish.
9. I needed _________ information.
10. I asked __________ question.
Nouns That Can Be Count or
Noncount
glass

(a)Windows are made of glass. *

(b) I drank a glass of water. **
Janet wears glasses when she reads.
* used as a Noncount Noun
** used as Count Noun
hair

(a)Rita has brown hair. *

(b) There’s a hair on my jacket. **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
iron

(a)Iron is a metal*
(b) I pressed my shirt with an iron.**

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
light

(a)I opened the curtain to let in some

light. *
(b) Please turn off the lights.(lamps) **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
paper

(a)I need some paper to write a note. *

(b)I wrote a paper for Professor Lee. **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
time

(a)How much time do you need to

finish your work? *
(b) How many times have you been to
Mexico? **
* used as a Noncount Noun
** used as Count Noun
work

(a)I have some work to do tonight. *

(b)That painting is a work of art. **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
coffee

(a)I had some coffee after dinner. *

(b) Two coffees, please. **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
chicken/fish

(a)I ate some chicken/some fish. *

(b) She drew a picture of a chicken/ a
fish. **

* used as a Noncount Noun

** used as Count Noun
experience

(a)I haven’t had much experience with

computers. *
(b) I had many interesting experiences
on my trip. **
* used as a Noncount Noun
** used as Count Noun
Using Units of Measure with
Noncount Nouns
To mention a specific quantity of a
noncount noun, speakers use unit of
measure such as two cups of or one
piece of.

(a)I had some tea.

(b) I had two cups of tea.
A unit of measure usually describes the
container (a cup of, a bowl of), the
amount (a pound of, a quart of), or the
shape (a bar of soap, a sheet of
paper).

(c) I ate some toast.

(d) I ate one piece of toast.
Guidelines for Article Usage
TO MAKE A GENERALIZATION

(a) A dog makes a good pet.

(b) Dogs make good pets.
(c) Fruit is good for you.

The speaker is talking about any dog,

all dogs, dogs in general.
… continuation
TO TALK ABOUT NON-SPECIFIC
PERSON(S) OR THINGS (S)

(d) I saw a dog in my yard.

(e) I saw some dogs in my yard.
(f) I bought some fruit.
… continuation
THE SPEAKER AND THE LISTENER
ARE THINKING ABOUT THE SAME
SPECIFIC PERSON (S) OR THINGS.

(g) Did you feed the dog?

(h) Did you feed the dogs?
(i) The fruit in this bowl is ripe.
*** A speaker uses the when he/she
mentions a noun the second time.

First mention: I had a banana…

Second mention: I gave the banana…
Exercises
Fill in the blanks with the correct article
[the, or a/an].

1. A: What did you do last night?

B: I went to ______ party.
A. Where was it?
2. A. Did you have a good time at
_______ party last night?
B: Yes.
A. So did I. I’m glad that you decided to
go with me.
3. A: Do you have _____ car?
B: No. But I have _____ motorcycle.
Using The or Ǿ with Names
The is NOT used with titled names.

(a)We met Mr. Wang.

The is not used with the names of

continents.

(b) He lives in Europe.

The is not used with the names of most
countries.

(c) He lives in France.

* The is used in the names of only a few

countries [the Czech Republic, the
U.A.E., the Philippines, the U.S.]
The is not used with the names of
cities.

(d) He lives in Paris.

The is used with the names of rivers,

oceans, and seas. [but not names of
lakes]

(e) The Nile River is long.

The is used with the names of
mountain ranges.

(f) We hiked in the Alps.

The is not used with the names of

individual mountains.

(g) Mount Fuji is in Japan.

Capitalization
Capitalize

1. The first word of a sentence.

2. The names of people.
3. Titles used with names of people.
4. Months, days and holidays.
5. The names of places.
6. The names of courses.
… continuation
7. The titles of books, articles and
movies.
8. The names of languages and
nationalities.
9. The names of religions.
Prepared by:
ATRM Alex
TRM Boo

IBIZ Academy, 2013