passive modals

8/3/2019 Passive Modals

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Does anyone remember what are modalsverbs?

List some of the modal verbs that you know!

Can

CouldMayMightMust

Ought to

ShallShouldWill

Would


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Modal verbs are special verbs which give special meaning to the sentences.

1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.Examples:

He can speak Chinese. She should be here by 9:00.

2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present andSimple Past.

He should not be late. They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

Hewill can go with us.Not Correct Shemustedstudy very hard.Not Correct


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What are passive sentences? Why do we need passive sentences?

Ili is cleaning the room.

The room is being cleaned (by Ili)

Ili wrote an essay.

The essay was written(by Ili)

Ili kicked her boyfriend.Ilis boyfriend was kicked (by Ili).

Ili prepared lunch for her students.Lunch was prepared (by Ili) for her students.


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1. Passive voice is often used when the agent (the doer of an action; the subject ofan active verb) is obvious, unknown, or unnecessary:

Toyotasare made in Japan.Her purse was stolen.

2. Passive voice is often used when the agent is known, but the

speaker/writer doesnt want to mention it:She was given bad advice.

A mistake has been made.

3. Passive voice is often used when the agent is very general suchas people or somebody.

English is spoken here.

The door should be locked.

4. Passive voice is often used when the speaker/writer wants to emphasize a result:

Several thousand people were killed by the earthquake.


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Passive Modals!

Rule: MODAL+BE+PAST PARTICIPLE(present/future modals)

Ili will invite her students out for lunch.Her students will be invitedout for lunch (by Ili)

Ili must give her students good grades.

Good grades must be given to her students (by Ili)Her students must be given good grades (by Ili)

Ili may give her students good grades.Good grades may be given to her students (by Ili)

Her students may be given good grades (by Ili)


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RULE: MODAL+HAVE BEEN+PAST PARTICIPLE(past)

Example:

Ili should have prepared dinner last night.

Dinner should have been prepared (by Ili) last night.

Ili may have given money to her best friend last week.

Her best friend may have been given money (by Ili)

Ili would have invited her students out for lunch yesterday.

Her students would have been invited out for lunch (by Ili)


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Sometimes, we need to use passivesentences and when we do, we cannotthrow away the modal verbs.

Regular passive sentences may not havemodal verbs, but sometimes, sentenceshave modals verbs and we can change it

to passive.


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I must go to school today.

If I change it, it will become

The school must be gone (by me) today.

IS THIS CORRECT????????

No, this sentence cannot be changed to passive because

there is no person receiving the action.

No, because if I were to change it, the sentence would haveno meaning.

passive modals

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