DIRECT-INDIRECT SPEECH (REPORTED SPEECH)

 

Direct Speech

When we want to describe what someone said, one option is to use direct speech. We use direct speech when we simply repeat what someone says, putting the phrase between speech marks:

• Paul came in and said, “I’m really hungry.”

It is very common to see direct speech used in books or in a newspaper article. For example:

• The local MP said, “We plan to make this city a safer place for everyone.”

As you can see, with direct speech it is common to use the verb ‘to say’ (‘said’ in the past). But you can also find other verbs used to indicate direct speech such as ‘ask’, ‘reply’, and ‘shout’. For example:

• When Mrs Diaz opened the door, I asked, “Have you seen Lee?”
• She replied, “No, I haven’t seen him since lunchtime.”
• The boss was angry and shouted, “Why isn’t he here? He hasn’t finished that report yet!”

PASSIVE VOICE

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.                    (I wrote a letter: active voice)

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

• the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
• the finite form of the verb is changed (to be+ past participle)

the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Simple Present	Active:	Rita	writes	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is written	by Rita.
Simple Past	Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was written	by Rita.
Present Perfect	Active:	Rita	has written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	has been written	by Rita.
Future I	Active:	Rita	will write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will be written	by Rita.
Auxiliary	Active:	Rita	can write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	can be written	by Rita.

Examples of Passive

Tense		Subject	Verb	Object
Present Progressive	Active:	Rita	is writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	is being written	by Rita.
Past Progressive	Active:	Rita	was writing	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	was being written	by Rita.
Past Perfect	Active:	Rita	had written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	had been written	by Rita.
Future II	Active:	Rita	will have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	will have been written	by Rita.
Conditional I	Active:	Rita	would write	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would be written	by Rita.
Conditional II	Active:	Rita	would have written	a letter.
	Passive:	A letter	would have been written	by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

	Subject	Verb	Object 1	Object 2
Active:	Rita	wrote	a letter	to me.
Passive:	A letter	was written	to me	by Rita.
Passive:	I	was written	a letter	by Rita.

.

As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with ‘to’ (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES

 5 Simple Rules to Master the Use of Gerunds and Infinitives

 

Rule 1: Gerunds can be used as a subject of a sentence.

Take a look at some examples.

Walking is good for your health.

 Making friends has become more difficult since I moved to a new city.

 Becoming a millionaire is a dream of many young people today.

 

Here, the gerunds (in bold) are part of the sentence subjects (“walking,” “making friends,” “becoming a millionaire”). All three sentences sound like normal, everyday English.

 

Now read these two sentences:

“To be or not to be—that is the question.”

“To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on.”

(Both sentences are quotes from William Shakespeare’s works.)

They sound formal, don’t they? They are poetic, aren’t they? Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of all time, but his English is famously difficult to understand. And that’s because it is literature. It is formal and it is art.

In those two quotes, the infinitives “to be” and “to mourn” are used as the sentence subjects.

So, it is possible to use both infinitives and gerunds as subjects, but gerunds are much more commonly used as subjects. Just pay attention to how the choice reflects on the tone and meaning of your sentences.

HAMBURGERS-Passive Voice

 THE STORY OF THE HAMBURGER

The hamburger is the most eaten food in the whole world. The first hamburgers were made and sold in Connecticut in 1895 by an American called Louis Lassen. Louis called them hamburgers because he was given the recipe by sailors from Hamburg in Germany.

Hamburgers became a favourite meal in America in the early part of the twentieth century. Their popularity grew even more after the Second World War, when they were bought in large quantities by teenagers who preferred fast food to family meals. In 1948 two brothers Dick and Mac Donald opened a drive-in hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California.

Since then over 25,000 McDonald’s restaurants have been opened worldwide and now 35 million MacDonald's hamburgers are eaten every day in 115 countries from India to the Arctic Circle.

Exercise :

 Put the verbs into the correct tense, active or passive.

The first hamburgers (make) in 1895. Louis Lassen (call) them hamburgers because he (give) the recipe by sailors. Hamburgers (become) his favourite meal. Their popularity (grow) even more when they (buy) in large quantities by teenagers who (prefer) fast food. Dick and Mac MacDonald (open) a drive-in hamburger restaurant. 25,000 McDonald's restaurants (open) worldwide. More than 35 million hamburgers (eat) every day.

 

Answer:
The first hamburgers were made(make) in 1895. Louis Lassen called(call) them hamburgers 
because he was given(give) the recipe by sailors. Hamburgers became(become) his favourite meal. 
Their popularitygrew(grow) even more when they were bought(buy) in large quantities by teenagers who preferred(prefer) fast food. Dick and Mac MacDonald opened(open) a drive-in hamburger restaurant. 25,000 McDonald's restaurants have been opened(open) worldwide. More than 35 million hamburgers are eaten(eat) every day.

CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

 

All types of conditionals and wish from Romanychch

TIME IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

 80 Idioms with the Word Time

Considering that time is such a critical element in our lives, it’s no surprise that the word time should crop up so often in English idiomatic usage. Here’s a list of phrases that refer directly to time.

1. a devil of a time: said of an ordeal
2. a legend in one’s own time: one who gains renown within his or her lifetime (also inspired “a legend in (one’s) own mind,” referring to an egotistical person who believes himself or herself to be more significant than he or she actually is)
3–4. a matter/question of time: said in reference to a state that will soon change
5. a rare old time: an enjoyable experience
6. a race against time: said of trying to accomplish something critical in a short time frame
7. a stitch in time: the first half of a proverb (ending with “saves nine” and with an obscure origin) that refers to the wisdom of taking precaution
8. a whale of a (good) time: an especially exciting or fun experience
9. ahead of time: before the agreed time
10. ahead of (one’s) time: said of someone or something that has an innovative approach or style or one that the world is not ready for
11. all in good time: an expression that encourages patience
12. all the time in the world: an unlimited amount of time
13. all the time: in addition to referring to habitual or continuous occurrence, can refer to knowing about something throughout a given period
14. at a set time: at the agreed time
15. at all times: always
16. at no time: never
17. at the appointed time: at the agreed time
18. bad time: an inconvenient moment or an unfortunate experience
19. before (one’s) time: said of something that existed or occurred before one was born or when one was too young to recall that thing, or said in reference to someone’s unexpectedly early death
20–21. behind its time/the times: late, not keeping up, or obsolete
22. bide (one’s) time: be patient
23. big-time operator: someone who is or thinks he or she is important or influential
24. big-time spender: one who spends a lot of money, or said ironically about a frugal person
25. borrowed time: an uncertain amount of time, at the end of which something will no longer exist or occur
26. buy time: postpone an event for one’s advantage
27. by the time: said in reference to a time after something else has occurred
28. caught in a time warp: unchanged in an antiquated or obsolete way
29. crunch time: a critical period
30. face time: time spent in someone else’s company
31. for the time being: for now
32. from time to time: occasionally
33. do (the) time: serve time in jail or prison
34. down time: rest period
35. get the time: become available
36. give (one) a hard time: be critical
37. good-time Charlie: one who seeks pleasure
38. good times: pleasant experiences
39. hardly have time to breathe: said when one is busy
40. have a time of it: experience difficulty
41. having quite a time: having a pleasurable experience, or having difficulty
42. have time on (one’s side): don’t have to hurry
43. I’ll catch you some other time: I’ll talk to you later when it’s more convenient for you
44. in next to no time: almost instantly
45. in the fullness of time: after enough time passes
46. in the right place at the right time: in a figurative sense, fortuitously prepared for some eventuality; also, literally, located in a position that is advantageous or fortunate
47. it’s about time: said to express impatience, or relief that something has finally occurred (usually accompanied by an exclamation point)
48. it’s high time: it is the appropriate time; one has waited long enough
49. keep time: maintain the beat in music
50. lose no time: do something immediately
51. make good time: proceed quickly or in a reasonable amount of time
52. make time for: set aside a period of time to accommodate someone or something
53. make up for lost time: catch up on time wasted or as a result of going slowly or not going at all
54. mark time: wait
55. not able to call (one’s) time (one’s) own: too busy
56. old-time: old-fashioned
57. on time: punctual
58. once upon a time: long ago
59. out of time: said in reference to no longer having time to do something
60. pass the time (of day) with: chat with
61. pressed for time: lacking enough time to do something
62. run that by me one more time: say that again
63. sands of time: a poetic reference to the passage of time as represented by sand in an hourglass
64. the big time: said in reference to achieving prominence in some endeavor
65. the time has come: the occasion is appropriate
66. the time of (one’s) life: a memorable experience
67. time and tide wait for no man: the world makes no allowance for one being late
68. time bomb: something that will inevitably result in a negative consequence
69. time flies: a reference to the fleeting nature of time
70. time is money: time is important because using it wisely or unwisely affects one’s ability to earn money
71. time on (one’s) hands: spare time
72. time out: in sports, a short period when play ceases; by extension, a break from activity (also used as the announcement of a request for a time out, as is time by itself)
73. (stuck in a) time warp: said in reference to observing something that or someone who appears outdated
74. time was: there was a time when
75. time’s a-wastin’: time is running out
76. time to hit the road: time to depart
77. time works wonders: the passage of time resolves problems
78. when the time is ripe: when the time is appropriate
79. withstand the test of time: endure
80. wouldn’t give (one) the time of day to: ignored

We Love Phrasal Verbs!!!

   

                          

            

 

                  

          

   

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