### Lesson 6: Consolidation of tenses and active/passive voices

Check Homework.

Teacher’s comments:

Kyros has already mastered the active and passive voices of (1) simple present tense
and (2) simple past tense, but still not familiar with the passive voice of continuous tenses
(e,g. is being done, was being fixed) and perfect tenses (has been corrected, has.

Kyros also needs to familiarize himself with IRREGULAR VERBS like those in the
following table:
Base Form Past Past Participle Present
(Present and (Past Tense) (Perfect Tense) Participles
Future Tenses) (Continuous
Tense)
See Saw Seen Seeing
Break Broke Broken Breaking
Drive Drove Driven Driving
Eat Ate Eating Eaten
Flow Flew Flown Flowing
Keep Kept Kept Keeping
Get Got Gotten Getting
Take Took Taken Taking

Study the following list at home:

English Grammar Rules - Irregular Verbs List

Review Vocabulary
Kyros remembered 80% of the list in the first run. Need to memorize EVERY DAY.

Review of Selected Topics from the Last Lesson:

1. Conditional / Hypothetical sentences and the Past Perfect tense:

An imaginary event that did not actually happen. It is usually used with an IF-clause to
specify the condition under which the event could happen. The condition needs to be in
“would have been” (imaginary perfect tense) form.

e,g, I would have been caught by the bad guys if you had not come in time.
(Was I caught by the bad guys? No, because you came in time to save me.)
The whole building would have collapsed if a stronger earthquake had happened.
(Did the building collapse? No,
because______________________________________________)
If I had given you all my money, you would have lost them all in gambling!
(Did you lose all the money in gambling? No, because
__________________________________
__________________)

2. Active and Passive Voices:

Active-voiced Sentence = Subject + Verb (Simple) + Object
Passive-voiced Sentence = Object + Be + Past Participle + (By Subject)

e.g. Active: I (subject) cut (verb) the carrots (object) into slices.
Passive: The carrots (object) were (be) cut (past participle) by me (subject) into
slices.

Note the different forms of passive voices in different tenses:

Simple Present: is/am/are cut
Simple Past: was/were cut
Simple Future: will/shall be cut
Present Continuous: is/are being cut
Past Continuous: was/were being cut
Future Continuous: no passive voice
Present Perfect: has/have been cut
Past Perfect: had been cut
Future Perfect: will/shall have been cut

Sometimes the subject is dropped in passive voices. The emphasis is on what

happened to the object:
e.g. President Kennedy was assassinated!
(by whom is not the emphasis here and is dropped) It is equivalent to:
Someone assassinated President Kennedy!

Note: Not all verbs have passive voice. Some verbs simply can only be in active
voice:
e.g. The sun sets in the West.
The submarine suddenly emerged from the water.
I went to MIT for my PhD.

More Practice on Tenses and Voices

This is a story about a field trip. Complete it by filling the correct verbs into the
blanks:
Every summer our class ____goes______ (go) on a short trip. Last year we
____went_____ (go) to a zoo. Our teacher ____was___ (be) very nervous.
Teachers ____are_____ (be) often nervous on a school trip. But why? We ____do not
understand_______ _________ (not understand) that. I __took_____ (take) lots of
photos of a baby elephant with my cell phone. "Why _don’t__ you __take__ (not take)
photos of other animals, too?" my friend ___asked__ (ask) me. But I _did not want_ (not
want) to take photos of other animals. I _wanted__ (want) to take photos of all my
friends. They ___had__ (have) some bananas and _______were
showing_______ (show) them to the gorillas. "What _are___ you ___doing____ (do)
there? Come to me!" our teacher __shouted___ (shout). We ___found___ (find) a nice
place for a picnic. Nobody __ate____ (eat) the bananas, but the gorillas ___had____
(have) a nice lunch that day. It ___was___ (be) a great day at the zoo, and
we ___had___ (have) a lot of fun.

Rule #1: Always used past tense in stories, unless it is in a dialog (within “ “)
Rule #2: If the author talks about something that is a fact, use simple present
tense.

Select the correct verbs for the blanks:

1. Abdul ___________ to be a doctor. (wants, wanting, is wanting)
2. The Soup ________ good. (taste, tastes, is tasting)
3. He ______ TV most evenings. (watches, is watch, is watching)
4. He _______ out five minutes ago. (has gone, had gone, went)
5. When he lived in Houston, he _______ to the cinema once a week. (goes, went, was
going)
6. I _______ Ray at the zoo. (saw, have seen, had seen) Cannot use see because
it is not a habit or fact, just an event.
7. I ______ Kent this week. (haven't seen, didn't see, am not seeing) This week is
neither past or present. This sentence means “I haven’t seen Kent so far this
week”
8. This paper _____ twice weekly. (is appearing, appearing, appears)
9. Ashok fell off the ladder when he ________ the roof. (is mending, was mending,
mended)
10. I _________ something burning. (smell, am smelling, have been smelling) This
sentence usually appears in a dialog.
11. Look, the sun ______ over the hills. (rises, is rise, is rising) This sentence usually
appears in a dialog.
12. She ______ unconscious since four o'clock. (is, was, has been)
14. He used to visit us every week, but he _______ now. (rarely comes, is rarely
coming, has rarely come)
15. I ______ him since we met a year ago. (didn't see, haven't seen, hadn't seen)
The “a year ago” is for “met”, not for “haven’t seen”)
16. We ______ our breakfast half an hour ago. (finished, have finished, had finished)
17. She jumped off the bus while it _______ . (already started, had already started,
would already start) Typical use of past perfect tense – in conjunction with a simple
past tense which serves as a time marker.
18. I ______ for half an hour when it suddenly started to rain. (have walked, have been
walking, had been walking) This is past perfect continuous tense, a very rare tense
to use. First it is past perfect because of “started”. Second, it is perfect continuous
because it implies that I kept walking after it started to rain.
19. Did you think you ______ me somewhere before? (have seen, had seen, were
seeing) Past perfect because of “did you think”
20. The town _________ its appearance completely since 1980. (is changing, changed,
has changed)

We will resume here next week.

Advanced:
1. Tim was very upset yesterday because he _____ that he ______ his wallet.
A realised / will lose
B had realised / lost
C realised / had lost
D realises / loses
E has realised / lost

2. While mum __ the VCD I hired, I __ my assignment.

A was watching / finished
B is watching / had finished
C watches / would finish
D will watch / am finishing
E was going to watch / finish

3. She __ the house when I __ to her after a long time.

A will be cleaning / go
B had been cleaning / went
C has been cleaning / have gone
D is cleaning / am going
E has cleaned / have been

4. Some time ago, an interesting discovery __ by archaeologists on the Aegean Island

of Kec.
A had to be made
B has been made
C was made
D is made
E used to be made

5. For the time being, we _____ for the exam, but this time tomorrow we _____ the best
movie of this year.
A study / will watch
B are studying / will be watching
C have been studying / are watching
D are studying / will have watched
E have studied / will be watching

6. James Bond always drank champagne in the novels although he _____ to wine by
the time he _____ it to the silver screen.
A had switched / made
B has switched / has made
C switched / had made
D was switching / would make
E switched / was making

7. By the end of tomorrow, Dortmund __ Chelsea Champions League Cup.

A is eliminating
B will have been eliminating
C has been eliminated
D will have eliminated
E eliminates

8. These days, people who _____ manual work, often receive far more money than
clerks who _____ in offices.
A are doing / are working
B were doing / were working
C have done / have worked
D do / work
E have been doing / work
9. The theatre company __ a grant of £6.000 and it __ a further £2.000 from elsewhere
now.
A will be given / seeks
B has been given / is seeking
C is given / has been seeking
D was given / has sought
E would be given / is seeking

10. She ___ me at the meetings only on Sundays as a child.

A was seeing
B has seen
C saw
D had seen
E is seeing

11. During the summer months, the monastery _____ very busy, for it is visited by
thousands of people who _____ the pass in cars.
A was / crossed
B is / crossed
C has been / cross
D is / cross
E has been / have crossed

12. _____ and _____ me about your trip to Denver.

A Sitting down / tell
B To sit down/told
C Sit down / tell
D Having sat down / told
E Sitting down / telling

13. Mother ____ Ali that he _____ to clean the garage after school.
A reminded / will promise
B has reminded / promises
C had reminded / promised
D will remind / promises
E reminded / had promised

14. The injured _____ to the ambulance while the people _____ around the crime scene.
A were being taken / were gathering
B have been taken / gathered
C have been taken / gather
D were taken / would gather
E would be taken / had gathered

15. I couldn't find out what _____.

A happens
B will happen
C had happened
D has happened
E is happening

16. “Hi, mum!” ____ Peter, as he ______ himself down on the floor with a groan.
A said / had thrown
B says / has thrown
C has said / is throwing
D said / was throwing
E was saying / threw

17. It was six o’clock and he ____ bored because he _____ for two hours.
A was / was waiting
B had been / had waited
C is / has been waiting
D was / is waiting
E was / had been waiting

18. The headline of the Guardian was quite impressive; “Saddam Hussein ____ in Tikrit”.
A had lived
B lives
C would live
D will live
E has been living

19. In those times, life was hard and bitter for both of them. For a whole year, they _____
as complete strangers to each other as if they _____.
A remained / had never met
B had remained / had never met
C remained / never meet
D would remain / would never meet
E were remaining / had never met

20. The mother of Adolf Hitler ____ of aborting him but soon she changed her mind and
_____ him into the world.
A would think / brought
B thinks / brings
C was thinking / has brought
D had thought / brought
E has thought / brings

21. By ten o’clock, he ____ the engine and he _____ to paint the garage when I paid a
visit to him.
A will have repaired / has started
B repaired / was starting
C was repairing / had started
D repairs / starts
E had repaired / was going to start

22. A few years ago, it ____ that certain cells of the human body never _____.
A is found / died
B was found / die
C has been found / died
D had been found / dies
E was found / dies

23. Since they _______ acting, they ________ in three plays, a television commercial
and two TV dramas.
A begin / have performed
B began / have performed
C begin / are performing
D began / have been performing
E began / had been performing

24. The peak _____ the prize for mountaineers, especially if it _____ before.
A is / has not been attained
B will be / wasn’t attained
C was / had not been attained
D has been / weren't attained
E was / hasn’t been attained

25. She last drove a car three years ago. Since she _____ an accident, she _____ a car
for three years.
A had had / didn't drive
B had had / hasn’t driven
C had / hasn’t driven
D has / hasn’t driven
E has had / hasn’t been driving

The following is a conversation in an interview. Please fill in the blanks with the
correct tenses.
Matt: Hi, I _________ (be) Matt Rotell, a friend of Alice's.

Reporter: Oh, yes. Alice _____________ (mention) you the other day. Gee, you
_________________ (not look) like a detective.
Matt: Well, that's good, I __________ (guess).

Reporter: I'm curious. Tell me, how ________ you ____________ (decide) to become
an undercover cop?

Matt: Well, when I _________ (be) a kid, I ______________ (love) to read detective
novels. By the time I __________ (be) ten, I ____________________ (read) every book
in the Hardy Boys series. I __________ (know) that I _________________ (want) to get
into law enforcement.

Reporter: But according to Alice, you ___________________ (attend) law school

nowadays.

Matt: Right. I __________ (get) married last month. I _____________________ (not

mind) being on the police force when I __________ (be) single, but ever since I
_______________(meet) Nicole, my wife, I ____________________ (want) to do
something less dangerous.

Reporter: I _______________ (understand). By the way, ____________

you ____________ (have) any luck yet with those counterfeiters?

Matt: Well, I _____________________________ (follow) them for more than a month

now, but so far I ___________________________ (not be able to) catch them in the act.
Sometimes I ___________ (worry) that by the time they're caught, I'll have my law
degree and I'll be defending them!

Choose the right voice for the underlined verbs in the sentences below:
1 Hundreds of people (employ / are employed) in this factory and many of them (will lose
/ will be lost) their jobs.

2 Three men (arrested / were arrested) after the incident, and five others (took / were
taken) to hospital.

3 About 71 percent of the Earth's surface (is covered / covers) by water, and oceans (are
held / hold) about 96% of all Earth's water.

4 The package (sent / was sent) more than a week ago, but it (didn't arrive / wasn't
arrived) until yesterday.

5 The building (has been destroyed / has destroyed) by the fire, but everybody (rescued /
has been rescued).

6 My camera (stole / was stolen) and I (lost / was lost) all the photographs from my last
trip.

7 You (should arrest / should be arrested) for what you (were done / did).

8 I know red wine (should drink / should be drunk) cold, but we (are drunk / drink) it at
room temperature.

9 I (don't allow / am not allowed) to see you anymore, so you (shouldn't be come /
shouldn't come) again.

10 Please, (stay / be stayed) away from the places where you (can be seen / can see)
Multiple choices:
1 The new musical ______ next week at 12th Street's Old Auditorium.
a. is going to be performed
b. is going to perform
c. will perform

2 A lot of measures ______ to fix the economy.

a. have been taken
b. are taking
c. have taken

3 I ______ you exactly what to do when we arrive.

a. will be shown
b. am shown
c. will show

4 The police discovered a group of women who ______ in an illegal factory.

a. have been exploited
b. were being exploited
c. were exploiting

5 When do you think they ______ us the copy of the contract?

a. will send
b. will be sent
c. are they being sent

6 Chicken thighs ______ for 40 to 50 minutes.

a. should be baking
b. should be baked
c. should bake
7 After five months the children ______ to say many things in English.
a. had learned
b. had been learned
c. had learning

8 Five people ______ after a car ______ into a bus last night.
a. were injured / crashed
b. injured / was crashed
c. injured / crashed

9 Road safety ______ in every school of the country.

a. should teach
b. should be teaching
c. should be taught

10 He has no initiative. He needs ______ what to do all the time.

a. to tell
b. to be told
c. to been told

Mixing tenses and voices: (advanced)

Authorities _______________________ (just/announce) that Saint Paul’s
Bank ___________________________ (rob) yesterday. Two
men ________________________ (go) into the bank at 9.30 armed with automatic guns.
The customers and workers ____________________________ (tell) to lie down on the
floor and one of the bank clerks __________________________ (ask) at gunpoint to
give them all the money. Then the two robbers ________________________ (leave) the
building quickly. Local authorities have informed that about 500,000
dollars ________________________________ (steal) yesterday, but fortunately
nobody ___________________________________ (injure). Police
investigators ______________________________ (assure) residents that the
robbers ___________________________________ (find) soon.

Wine ______________________________________ (produce) for thousands of years.

The earliest known evidence of
wine ________________________________ (come) from Georgia (Caucasus), where
8000-year-old wine jars _____________________________ (find) in 2008. Wine
_____________________________ (reach) the Balkans by c. 4500 BC
and __________________________ (consume) in ancient Greece, Thrace and Rome.
Throughout history, wine _____________________________ (consume) for its
intoxicating effects, which are evident at normal serving sizes.
Wine ______________________________________ (also/play) an important role in
religion for centuries. Red wine ______________________________ (associate) with
blood by the ancient Egyptians
and _____________________________________ (use) by both the Greek cult of
Dionysus and the Romans in their Bacchanalia. Nowadays, both Judaism and
Christianity __________________________________ (incorporate) wine in their
religious rituals.

Homework

1. Study the following list at home

English Grammar Rules - Irregular Verbs List

2. Learn New Vocabulary

The Forgotten Castle

Nestled deep within the heart of an ancient forest, where the trees grew tall and gnarled
and the sunlight filtered through in fractured beams, stood a castle long forgotten by the
world. Its spires, cloaked in moss and crowned with ivy, pierced the canopy of the woods
like fingers reaching for the heavens. The walls, once pristine and gleaming white, were
now weathered stone, kissed by centuries of rain and draped in a tapestry of emerald
vines. Time had turned the castle into a secret, a whisper woven into the fabric of the
forest itself.

The forest surrounding the castle was no ordinary woodland. It was a labyrinth of
towering oaks and elms, their ancient roots rising from the earth like the backs of
serpents. Mist hung in the air, curling around the tree trunks and pooling in the hollows of
the ground, lending the forest an ethereal, dream-like quality. The air was rich with the
scent of damp earth, pine, and the faint sweetness of wildflowers that bloomed in secret
glades. Birdsong echoed faintly through the trees, a melody of flutes and whistles that
seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

The castle’s gate, a towering arch of iron wrought into twisting patterns of leaves and
thorns, stood ajar, creaking faintly as the wind whispered through. Beyond it, the
courtyard was a wild garden, overrun with nature’s reclaiming touch. Roses of every hue
bloomed in chaotic profusion, their petals soft as silk but guarded by thorns sharp as
daggers. Weeds grew in the cracks of the flagstones, and a fountain at the center, once
the pride of the castle, now stood dry, its marble maidens weeping only tears of moss.
Inside the castle, the air was cool and heavy, laden with the scent of stone and the faint
musk of decay. Long-forgotten tapestries hung on the walls, their vibrant scenes of
knights and maidens faded to muted shades of gold and crimson. The grand hall, with its
vaulted ceilings and towering windows, was a cathedral of shadow and light. The
stained-glass windows, though cracked and dulled, still cast fractured rainbows across
the floor when the sun touched them. Dust motes danced in the beams of light, spiraling
lazily like tiny galaxies suspended in the air.

The throne room was perhaps the most haunting of all. At its center stood a solitary
throne, carved from blackened wood and inlaid with silver filigree, now tarnished with
age. Behind it, a tapestry hung, depicting the crest of a long-lost dynasty: a silver stag,
crowned and proud, standing amidst a forest of stars. The room was silent, save for the
faint rustle of the wind slipping through unseen cracks.

Legends spoke of the castle, though they were little more than fragmented tales
whispered by travelers who had dared to venture too far into the forest. Some said it had
belonged to a king who had loved the woods more than his people, who had forsaken his
throne to dwell in the wilderness until the forest itself consumed him. Others claimed it
was cursed, that no one who entered the castle ever returned, their footsteps swallowed
by the forest’s insatiable hunger.

But for all its haunting beauty, the castle was not entirely abandoned. Deep within its
halls, past doors that groaned on their rusted hinges and staircases that spiraled into the
shadows, there was a single room untouched by time. Its walls were lined with shelves
upon shelves of books, their spines gilded and their pages untouched by dust. A faint
golden light flickered within, emanating from a solitary candle that never seemed to burn
down. And in the center of the room sat a desk, upon which lay an open book, its quill
poised as if waiting for a hand to guide it.

The castle, it seemed, had a will of its own. It waited, patient and eternal, for one who
could uncover its secrets, who could breathe life into its hollow halls and awaken the
stories it had long kept hidden. The forest, too, seemed to watch, its shadows deepening
and its trees whispering as if in anticipation.

And so the castle remained, a forgotten gem in a sea of green, a monument to a past
shrouded in mystery. It stood as both sanctuary and snare, a place of beauty and dread,
waiting for the day when its solitude would be broken and its tale told once more.

Add the vocabulary from the above story to the vocabulary list:

Vocabulary Synonyms
elongated
verdant
precariously
clinch victory
resonating
formidable
resolute
agility
finesse
Impeccably (impeccable adj.)
dove (v.)
futile
thudded
erupted
jubilant
swarmed
exhilaration
palpable
triumphant
etched
enchanted
creaky
rusted
groaning
oasis
vibrant
scent
mingling
aroma
canopy
intricate
hue
petals
glistening
brook
cascaded
serenade
solitary
entwined
rustle
hum
cocoon
tranquility
seep
fragrant
Nestled settle or lie comfortably
gnarled knobbly, rough, and twisted, especially
with age.
fractured Hard object broken or cracked.
spires a tall, pointed structure on top of a
building, especially on top of a church
tower
cloaked to cover or hide something
pristine clean and fresh as if new; spotless.
gleaming (of a smooth surface) reflecting light,
typically because it is very clean or
polished.
weathered worn by long exposure to the atmosphere;
weather-beaten.
draped arrange (cloth or clothing) loosely or
casually on or round something.
tapestry a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures
or designs formed by weaving coloured
weft threads or by embroidering on
 canvas, used as a wall hanging or soft
furnishing.
woven to make cloth by repeatedly crossing a
single thread through two sets of long
threads on a loom (= special frame)
labyrinth a complicated irregular network of
passages or paths in which it is difficult to
find one's way; a maze.
serpents a large snake.
curling Recent Examples of Synonyms for
curling. winding. curving. twisted.
serpentine.
ethereal extremely delicate and light in a way that
seems not to be of this world.
glades an open space in a wood or forest
wrought (of metals) beaten out or shaped by
hammering.
ajar (of a door or other opening) slightly open.
profusion an abundance or large quantity of
something.
daggers a short knife with a pointed and edged
blade, used as a weapon.
flagstones a flat stone slab, typically rectangular or
square, used for paving.
maidens an unmarried girl or young woman.
laden heavily loaded or weighed down.
musk a strong-smelling reddish-brown
substance which is secreted by the male
musk deer for scent-marking and is an
important ingredient in perfumery.
crimson of a rich deep red colour inclining to
purple.
vaulted
cathedral he principal church of a diocese, with
which the bishop is officially associated.
motes a tiny piece of a substance; a speck.
inlaid ornamented with embedded pieces of a
decorative material flush with the surface.
filigree ornamental work of fine (typically gold or
silver) wire formed into delicate tracery.
depicting Represent by a drawing, painting, or other
art form.
crest a comb or tuft of feathers, fur, or skin on
the head of a bird or other animal.
dynasty a line of hereditary rulers of a country.
stag a male deer, especially a male red deer
after its fifth year, or a social gathering
attended by men only.
consumed eat, drink, or ingest (food or drink), or buy.
insatiable (of an appetite or desire) impossible to
satisfy.
spines gilded a series of vertebrae extending from the
skull to the small of the back, enclosing
the spinal cord and providing support for
 the thorax and abdomen; the backbone.
flickered (of light or a source of light) shine
unsteadily; vary rapidly in brightness, or
make small, quick movements.
emanating (of a feeling, quality, or sensation) issue or
spread out from (a source).
quill any of the main wing or tail feathers of a
bird, or the hollow sharp spines of a
porcupine, hedgehog, or other spiny
mammal.
anticipation the action of anticipating something;
expectation or prediction.
gem a precious or semi-precious stone,
especially when cut and polished or
engraved.
monument a statue, building, or other structure
erected to commemorate a notable
person or event.
shrouded wrap or dress (a body) in a shroud for
burial.
sanctuary refuge or safety from pursuit, persecution,
or other danger.
snare a trap for catching birds or mammals,
typically one having a noose of wire or
cord.
solitude e state or situation of being alone.