BALLYKELLY AND NAVACONCEJO: TWO VERY SPECIAL PLACES

Have you got a special placer where you keep going? Read about Naomi (last year assitant teacher) and Irene's special places and share yours with us. Add your comment!



Naomi's special place

Ballykelly is a small village less than 30 minutes away from the closest city which is called Londonderry. I have lived here since I was born until I moved to Belfast for university and the majority of my extended family still lives there today.  I would describe it as a very close knit community; it’s the type of place where everyone knows each other.

My favourite thing about this place is its natural beauty especially the Sperrin mountains which surround the area. These green hills make up the largest mountain range in Northern Ireland but are the least explored, which makes them even more special in my opinion. There are also impressive forests, rivers and parks that you won’t find anywhere else.      

As well as this, it’s near my grandparents’ house which holds lots of memorable moments for me such as learning how to cook for the first time from my granny.

It must be said, it’s probably not the most exciting place in the world but it’ll always be my favourite one!           

   A view from the Sperrin mountains.

Irene's special place

Navaconcejo is a small village just over an hour's drive from Cáceres. The village is surrounded by mountains, as it is at the bottom of a valley. The whole county, called Jerte Valley, is popular with tourists, who like trekking and nature, as well as for the cherry blossom which many people come to watch at the beginning of each spring.

One of the most important elements in this valley landscape is the river Jerte, whose name has an Arab origin and means "pleasure". An it is really a pleasurable area, full of different species of trees and with many springs of water that come from the top of the mountains to the river.

My favourite place is a two kilometres walk from Navaconcejo to Cabezuela, the nearest village. It is a narrow path following the river bank, very close to the water. During periods when the weather is wet, the path can be really muddy an it may be difficult to follow in some parts. But at the same time, the walk is more beautiful because the river usually flows with more water.

Whenever I go to my village, I always try to do this walk. If the day is sunny you always meet people, especially after luch, so it is a good opportunity to have a chat and enjoy nature.

PASSIVE SENTENCES TESTS

TEST 1. CLICK HERE

TEST 2.

Change these sentences from active to passive. Use a personal subject wherever possible.

1 We clean the garages every day.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2 Someone has given him a lot of money.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3 The police arrested two hundred people.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
4 Paul wrote the words and John made the music.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5 We check every car engine thoroughly.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6 We export this computer to seventy different countries.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7 We opened the factory at nine o'clock.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8 They send two million books to America every year.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
9 Did he give you enough sugar?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
10 No-one has ever taught the pupils to do that exercise.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
11 John Hughes built the biggest sand castle in the world.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
12 They showed me the palace where the king lived.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13 Has anyone ever asked you to tell the story?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14 They watered the plants and swept the floor in my absence.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15 The Scots drink more alcohol than the Irish.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

CAUSATIVE SENTENCES

 Use in Different Tenses

1-Present Simple               causative form

He paints  his shoes........... He hashadhas hadhis shoes paintpaintedpaints.

2-Present Continuous

He is mending his car.............He hashadis havinghis car mendmendedmending.

3-Past Simple

She watered her garden...........She  hadhas hadwas hadher garden waterwaterswatered.

4-Past Continuous

She  was perming her hair..........She has hadhadwas havingher hair  permed.

5-Future Simple

I will repair the roof.........I will be havingwill havehavethe roof repairedrepairingrepair.

6-Present Perfect

The manager has cleaned the windows.........The manager hadhad hadhas hadthe windowscleannedcleanedclean.

7-Present Perfect Continuous

She has been taking photos……………..She has havinghas been havinghad beenphotostokentakentaked.

8-Past Perfect

You had ironed  your T-shirt....You had hadhadhas hadyour shirt ironedironirons.

9-Past Perfect Continous

He had been decorating  your house...........You have been havinghad been havinghas been having your house  decoratesdecoratedecorated.

10-Modal/Infinitive

He may send the parcel.........You may havehave mayhad the parcel sentsendsended.

11-Future Continuous

I will  be cutting my hair …..I will havingwill have beenwill be havingmy hair  cuttedcutedcut.

Q1 - I'm going ............ at the new hairdresser's

to get my hair cut
to cut my hair

Q2 - She needs to ........

have her car repairs
have her car repaired

Q3 - I really must get ....... the central heating

somebody to fix
somebody fix

Q4 - They ought to have ........ replace the broken windows

somebody to
somebody

Q5 - He ......... while he was away on holiday

had his flat burgled
burgled his flat

Q6 - I .......... my phone repaired after I dropped it

had
had to

Q7 - She didn't have time to get to the shops and .......

get her film developed
develop her film

Q8 - It took ages to get ...........

somebody do it
somebody to do it

Q9 - I'll ....... John to do it when he arrives

get
have

Q10 - She ......... on the underground last week

had her purse stolen
got her purse stolen

Q11 - He .......... tickets sent to his home address yesterday

has had
had

Q12 - You should .......... a long time ago

have it fixed
have had it fixed

Q13 - They couldn't .......... anyone to fix their burst pipes

get
have

Q14 - They had it ....... by the same person who decorated their old house

to do
done

Q15 - After winning a fortune, she ....... her family to do everything for her

gets
has

Q16 - I ......... the house redecorated if I could afford it

would have
would have had

Q17 - He got a friend ........ him at the airport

meet
to meet

Q18 - The teacher ...... him do all the work again

had
got

Q19 - He ....... his bags loaded onto the train by a porter

had
get

Q20 - I had my car ......... a fortnight ago

service
serviced

Q21 - I'm going to have them ____ it

fix
fixed

have something done

Complete the sentences and make clear that the people don't / didn't do it themselves. (The first sentence is given as an example.)

1. Yesterday, (I / cut / my hair) .
2. Every Friday, (Joe / wash / his car) .
3. Tomorrow, (she / repair / her shower) .
4. Each Saturday, (we / deliver / a pizza)  to our home.
5. Last year, (Bob / clean / his house)  by a charwoman.
6. As Phil had a broken arm, (he / type / his texts)  by his secretary.
7. (I / pick up / the goods)  tomorrow in the afternoon.
8. (we / redecorate / our walls)  last summer.
9. Whenever Clara is staying at this hotel, (she / carry / her bags)  into her room.
10. (we / organise / our last party)  by professionals.

Fill the gaps with have and the verb in brackets in their correct forms.

1	We ___________ the roof ___________ last year. It cost us a packet. (repair)
2	Anne ___________ her hair ___________ every Friday afternoon. (do)
3	I ___________ the brakes ___________ three times a year. (check)
4	The government ___________ the whole town ___________ yesterday. (evacuate)
5	I ___________ my hard drive ___________ for a bigger one last week. (change)
6	When did you last ___________ the airconditioning ___________ ? (service)
7	You don't think Liv Tyler's beautiful?! You should ___________ your eyes ___________ . (test)
8	After the plague of fleas, the boss ___________ the office ___________ . (disinfect)
9	Your cat's coughing. You need to ___________ him ___________ for parasites. (treat)
10	Daphne ___________ her legs ___________ once a fortnight. (do)
11	I normally ___________ my suit dry ___________ before a wedding. (clean)
12	The headmaster ___________ all the lockers ___________ for the missing footballs yesterday. (search)
13	Have you ___________ your house ___________ ? (double-glaze)
14	Have you ___________ that poster I bought you ___________ yet? (frame)
15	The house is in chaos. We're ___________ a new kitchen ___________ in. (put)

IMPERSONAL SENTENCES

1. People know that she is a good swimmer.
   → 
2. They say that Francis is in hospital.
   → 
3. They think that the children are in bed.
   → 
4. People believe that the robber has worked in the bank.
   → 
5. People believe that nuclear power stations are dangerous.
   → 
6. His collegues thought that he was on holiday.
   → 
7. People know that cars pollute the environment.
   → 
8. They suppose that the new product will come out soon.
   → 
9. They found that the mission was impossible.
   → 
10. They believe that she will win a gold medal.
    → 

PASSIVE SENTENCES 4: IMPERSONAL STRUCTURES

Sometimes we do not know who did an action o it is not relevant. Then, the subject can be "PEOPLE" or "THEY":

a) People say that he is handsome (in the present). 

Or the subject can be "IT": 

b) It is said that he is handsome. 

And we can also used a passive sentence: 

c) He is said to be handsome. 

Pay attention to this examples in the past: 

They knew he had an idea.

It was known that he had an idea.

He was known to have had an idea. (to + have V3)

If the predicate of the passive sentence is a verb transitive like believe, think, find, say, report, consider, understand, acknowledge, expect, tell, know then you can change the active sentence into passive.  These are formal structures. They are often used in news reports and on TV.

EXERCISES

Rephrase the sentences to make them more formal. Look at the example above.

1) People think that the new prime minister is a good speaker.

It is .

 The new prime minister .

2) They report that the suspended gunman is in custody.

The suspended .

  It is .

3) People don't expect that the new party will win the election.

It isn't .

The new .

4) The police say that the principal is at large.

It is .

The principal .

5) The detective knows that the robber has left the city.

It is .

The robber .

6) People believe that giving encouragement is important at work, too.

It is .

Giving encouragement .

7) They told us that Charles drank too much at the party.

It was .

Charles .

– Rephrase the sentences to make them more formal.

1) People know that drug addiction is dangerous.

It is .

2) They believe that the lunch will be delicious.

The lunch is .

3) They think that the children are at school.

The children .

4) People said that the robbery lasted half an hour.

It is .

5) People acknowledge that he is talented.

He is .

6) The newspapers reported that he won the jackpot.

He was .

7) They think that your tea is too sweet.

It is .

8) Everybody says the old bridge will collapse.

The old .

– Rewrite the sentences. Look at the examples.

1) It is said that the thief stole several wallets.

The thief is said to have stolen several wallets.

2) People think that the pigeons carry a lot of diseases.

It is thought that the pigeons carry a lot of diseases.

3) Sarah is known to be the prettiest girl in the class.

It is .

4) It was understood that he got divorced.

He was .

5) Amy Winehouse was reported to have died.

It was .

6) It is acknowledged that she is a talented painter.

She is .

7) The Sun was believed to move round the Earth.

It was .

8) It is said that the pilot was drunken.

The pilot .

9) This kind of material is found to be poisonous.

It is .

10)The witness was thought to have injured.

It was .

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=6854
Created by Susan V. Toth (Zsuzsapszi)

PASSIVE SENTENCES 3. CAUSATIVE FORM

In English, the causative form is used when we don't do something ourselves, instead we arrange for someone else to do it for us.

The boy is getting his hair cut

There are two verbs generally used in the passive causative form; they are Have and Get. In addition, there is usually no agent in this form; it's not like in active form which has the agent. The action verb is in the past participle, and the object comes before it. The difference between have and get in this passive causative form is that have is more formal than get. 

I have my teeth cleaned
once a year 

Pattern

Subject

Have/Get

Object

Past Participle

Examples:

• I ask someone to fix my car.
  = I have my car fixed.

• She asked John to wash the plate.
  = She got the plate washed.

Write the correct response, changing the ACTIVE sentences into PASSIVE CAUSATIVE FORM sentences: 
EX: Jim is sendind the letter. --> Jim is having the letter sent. 


1. My mother changed the curtains. --> 

2. Thomas is going to wash the car. --> 

3. Maria has redesigned the web site. --> 

4. Kelly will take Mr. Brown to the beach. --> 

5. John brought the cat to the vet. --> 

6. Jane is putting the vase on the table. --> 

7. We were driving Mr. Jones to the airport. --> 

8. We fed the dog. --> 

9. We have given the money to the homeless shelter. --> 

10. Thomas cut his hair. --> 

PASSIVE SENTENCES 2: DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS

 They gave her a present.
They gave a present to her.


She was given a present.
A present was given to her.



DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/english-grammar/verbs/double-object-verbs


PASSIVE WITH DOUBLE OBJECT VERBS: http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/passive_two_objects.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/objects_tenses.htm

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-4216.php

http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/support-files/passive_verbs_with_two_objects.pdf

PASSIVE SENTENCES. 1

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-passive-voice-exercise2.html

NOW TRY TO CHANGE FROM ACTIVE TO PASSIVE:

1. They were interviewing her for the job. 
She ________________ for the job.
 
2. Tom is writing the letter. 
The letter ________________ by Tom.
 

3. Everyone understands English. 
English ________________ by everyone.
  

4. The employees brought up this issue during the meeting. 
This issue ________________ by the employees during the meeting.
  

5. The professor told him not to talk in class. 
He ________________ by the professor not to talk in class. 
  

6. They say that women are smarter than men. 
Women ________________ to be smarter than men.
  

7. The fire has destroyed the house. 
The house ________________ by the fire. 
  

8. She would have told you. 
You ________________ by her. 
  

9. She would reject the offer. 
The offer ________________ by her.
  

10. This surprises me. 
I ________________ by this.
 

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-passive-voice-exercise3.html


1. They passed me up for that position. 
I ________________ for that position.
  

2. By tomorrow, I will have bought the car. 
By tomorrow, the car ________________ by me.
  
3. John bought the Picasso painting. 
The Picasso painting ________________ by John.
  
4. Most students misunderstand this story. 
This story ________________ by most students.
  
5. My brother carried the groceries into the room. 
The groceries ________________ by my brother into the room. 
  
6. Juan is preparing the enchiladas. 
The enchiladas ________________ by Juan.
  
7. His brother was telling him to calm down. 
He ________________ to calm down by his brother. 
  
8. A dog bit me. 
I ________________ by a dog. 
 
9. The movers have delivered the furniture. 
The furniture ________________ by the movers.
  
10. This city will surprise you. 
You ________________ by this city.
  

FOR MORE PRACTICE:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive