English for AP Exams · Chapter 3

Grammar II: Voice, Narration, Conjunctions and Modals

What to remember

In the passive voice the object becomes the subject, the verb becomes "be + V3", and the doer comes after "by".
In indirect speech, change the reporting verb, pronouns, tense and time/place words together; reported questions use normal word order.
Modals (can, may, must, should and others) are followed by the base verb (V1); each carries a fixed meaning such as ability, permission or duty.

1. Active and passive voice

In the active voice the subject does the action: "Ravi writes a letter." In the passive voice the subject receives the action: "A letter is written by Ravi."

Steps to change active to passive:

1. Move the object to the subject position.
2. Use the correct form of "be" in the same tense as the active verb.
3. Put the main verb in the past participle (V3).
4. Add "by" and the doer, if the doer is needed.

Tense	Active	Passive
Simple present	She writes a letter.	A letter is written by her.
Present continuous	She is writing a letter.	A letter is being written by her.
Present perfect	She has written a letter.	A letter has been written by her.
Simple past	She wrote a letter.	A letter was written by her.
Past continuous	She was writing a letter.	A letter was being written by her.
Past perfect	She had written a letter.	A letter had been written by her.
Simple future	She will write a letter.	A letter will be written by her.
Future perfect	She will have written a letter.	A letter will have been written by her.
Modal	She can write a letter.	A letter can be written by her.

Special points:

Intransitive verbs (no object) cannot take the passive. "He sleeps" has no passive.
Pronoun change: I-me, we-us, he-him, she-her, they-them. Passive: "He helps me" becomes "I am helped by him."
Two objects: either can become the subject. "She gave me a book." Passive: "I was given a book by her" or "A book was given to me by her."
Imperative sentences: "Open the door." becomes "Let the door be opened." Requests: "Please open the door" becomes "You are requested to open the door."
Questions: "Who wrote this book?" becomes "By whom was this book written?" "Did he break the glass?" becomes "Was the glass broken by him?"
Verbs with fixed prepositions keep them: "The people laughed at him." becomes "He was laughed at by the people."
Future continuous and perfect continuous tenses are not usually changed to the passive.
Some verbs, such as "have", "resemble" and "suit", are generally not used in the passive.
The doer is dropped when it is unknown or unimportant: "My bag was stolen."

2. Direct and indirect speech

Direct speech gives the exact words in quotation marks. Indirect (reported) speech reports them without quotation marks, usually with "that".

Steps:

1. Choose the correct reporting verb: said, told, asked, ordered, requested, advised, exclaimed.
2. Remove the quotation marks and add "that" for statements.
3. Change the pronouns to match the speaker and listener.
4. Change the tense if the reporting verb is in the past.
5. Change the words of time and place.

Tense shift (when the reporting verb is past)

Direct	Indirect
Simple present	Simple past
Present continuous	Past continuous
Present perfect	Past perfect
Simple past	Past perfect
will	would
can	could
may	might

Word changes

Direct	Indirect
now	then
today	that day
tomorrow	the next day
yesterday	the previous day
ago	before
here	there
this	that
these	those

Points:

No tense change when the reporting verb is in the present or future ("He says that he is ill"), or when the statement is a universal truth or habit.
Questions with a helping verb (is, are, did, can) use "if" or "whether" and normal order: "She asked, 'Are you ready?'" becomes "She asked if I was ready."
Wh-questions keep the question word and use normal order, with no auxiliary before the subject: "He asked, 'Where do you live?'" becomes "He asked where I lived."
Commands and requests use "to": "He said to me, 'Go home.'" becomes "He ordered me to go home."
Exclamations use "exclaimed with joy/sorrow": "She said, 'Alas! I am ruined.'" becomes "She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined."
Wishes and prayers use "wished" or "prayed".
"Said to" is changed to "told" in statements, and to "asked" in questions.
The word "that" is used only for statements, not for questions or commands.

3. Conjunctions

A conjunction joins words, phrases or clauses.

Type	Examples	Use
Coordinating	and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so	Join equal parts
Subordinating	because, although, if, unless, since, while, when, till, before, after	Join a dependent clause to a main clause
Correlative	either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also, whether...or, no sooner...than, hardly...when	Work in pairs

Key points:

Although / though show contrast. Do not use "but" in the same sentence. Wrong: "Although he was ill, but he came." Right: "Although he was ill, he came."
Because / since / as show reason. "Because" is the strongest; "since" and "as" are used when the reason is already known.
Unless means "if not". Do not use "not" with it: "Unless you work hard, you will fail."
Lest means "so that not". It is followed by "should": "Walk carefully lest you should fall."
No sooner...than and hardly/scarcely...when: "No sooner had he come than it rained." "Hardly had he come when it rained."
Not only...but also: keep the same structure after each part. "He is not only clever but also hardworking."
Neither...nor pairs two negatives; do not add another "not".
Both...and: "Both Ravi and Sita are present." Do not use "both" with more than two.
Till / until show time up to a point: "Wait till I return."
Whether...or shows doubt between choices: "I do not know whether he will come or not."
As soon as, as long as, so that, in order that show time, condition or purpose.
Scarcely and hardly are negative words; do not use another negative with them.

4. Modals

Modals are helping verbs that show ability, permission, possibility, duty and advice. They have no -s in the third person, have no "to" after them (except "ought to", "used to" and "have to"), and are followed by the base form (V1).

Modal	Chief meaning	Example
can	ability; informal permission	She can swim.
could	past ability; polite request	Could you help me?
may	permission; possibility; wish	May I come in?
might	weak possibility; past of "may"	It might rain.
must	strong duty; strong certainty	You must obey the law.
shall	future with I/we; offer; duty	Shall I help you?
will	future; willingness	He will come.
would	past habit; polite request	He would walk daily.
should	advice; duty	You should rest.
ought to	moral duty	We ought to respect elders.
need	necessity (mostly in negatives and questions)	You need not go.
dare	courage (mostly in negatives and questions)	He dare not speak.
used to	past habit	He used to smoke.

Useful points:

Can vs may: "can" is ability; "may" is permission. Both are used for permission in everyday speech, but exams prefer "may" for formal permission.
Must vs have to: "must" is the speaker's own sense of duty; "have to" is an outside rule.
Need not shows no necessity; must not shows prohibition.
Should vs ought to: both give advice; "ought to" is followed by "to".
Would rather + V1 shows preference: "I would rather walk."
Had better + V1 gives strong advice: "You had better go."
Used to + V1 shows a past habit that no longer exists; be used to + V-ing means "be accustomed to".
Modal + have + V3 shows the past: "He must have left" (certain), "She should have called" (duty not done), "They could have won" (a missed chance).
After a modal, the verb stays in the base form. Wrong: "He can sings." Right: "He can sing."
Two modals are not used together. Wrong: "He will can come."

5. Question tags

A question tag is a short question added to a statement to confirm it.

Rules:

1. A positive statement takes a negative tag: "She is a nurse, isn't she?"
2. A negative statement takes a positive tag: "She is not a nurse, is she?"
3. The tag uses the same helping verb as the statement. With no helping verb, use do/does/did: "He plays well, doesn't he?"
4. The tag uses a pronoun for the subject.
5. For "I am", the tag is "aren't I": "I am late, aren't I?"
6. After an imperative, the tag is "will you?": "Open the door, will you?" For "Let us", the tag is "shall we?": "Let us go, shall we?"
7. "There is": "There is a book, isn't there?"
8. Words like never, hardly, scarcely, seldom, rarely, nothing, nobody make a statement negative, so the tag is positive: "He never lies, does he?"
9. "Everybody", "someone", "nobody" take "they": "Everyone came, didn't they?"
10. "Must" in the statement takes "mustn't" in the tag when it means duty: "We must go, mustn't we?"
11. "Have" as a main verb: "He has a car, hasn't he?" or "doesn't he?" Both are used; check the options given.
12. "Used to": "He used to smoke, didn't he?"

Exam traps

1. Past participle: the passive always uses V3 after "be" (written, not wrote).
2. "By whom" vs "who": "Who did it?" becomes "By whom was it done?"
3. Reported questions: use normal word order. "He asked where I lived," not "where did I live."
4. "That" with questions: "that" is used only for statements.
5. "Although ... but": never use both together.
6. "Unless" with "not": wrong, as "unless" already means "if not".
7. "Need not" vs "must not": no necessity vs prohibition.
8. "I am" tag: "aren't I", not "amn't I".

One-liners

1. The passive voice uses a form of "be" plus V3.
2. Intransitive verbs have no passive form.
3. "Who wrote it?" becomes "By whom was it written?"
4. After a past reporting verb, "will" becomes "would".
5. "Tomorrow" becomes "the next day" in reported speech.
6. Yes/no questions are reported with "if" or "whether".
7. Commands are reported with "ordered", "advised" or "requested" plus "to".
8. "Lest" is followed by "should".
9. "No sooner" is followed by "than".
10. "Hardly" is followed by "when".
11. A modal is followed by the base verb.
12. A tag for "I am" is "aren't I".

Practice questions

The passive voice is formed with a form of "be" plus the
1. V1
2. V3
3. V2
4. V-ing
Answer
B. V3
The passive uses "be + past participle".
Passive of "She writes a letter."
1. A letter has written by her.
2. A letter was written by her.
3. A letter is written by her.
4. A letter is writing by her.
Answer
C. A letter is written by her.
Simple present passive is "is/am/are + V3".
Passive of "They built a bridge."
1. A bridge is built by them.
2. A bridge has been built by them.
3. A bridge was built by them.
4. A bridge built by them.
Answer
C. A bridge was built by them.
Simple past takes "was/were + V3".
Which sentence cannot be changed into the passive?
1. He opened the door.
2. He wrote a poem.
3. He eats rice.
4. He sleeps.
Answer
D. He sleeps.
An intransitive verb has no object, so no passive.
In reported speech, "tomorrow" usually becomes
1. yesterday
2. the next day
3. the previous day
4. today
Answer
B. the next day
"Tomorrow" becomes "the next day".
In reported speech, "now" usually becomes
1. ago
2. here
3. then
4. there
Answer
C. then
"Now" becomes "then".
"He said, 'I am tired.'" In indirect speech this is
1. He says he was tired.
2. He said that I am tired.
3. He said that he is tired yesterday.
4. He said that he was tired.
Answer
D. He said that he was tired.
Present becomes past after a past reporting verb.
Which conjunction means "if not"?
1. Unless
2. Although
3. Since
4. Because
Answer
A. Unless
"Unless" means "if not".
"No sooner had he arrived ___ it began to rain."
1. then
2. than
3. that
4. when
Answer
B. than
"No sooner" is followed by "than".
"Hardly had he come ___ it rained."
1. so
2. that
3. when
4. than
Answer
C. when
"Hardly" is followed by "when".
Which modal expresses permission in formal English?
1. ought
2. used to
3. dare
4. may
Answer
D. may
"May" is used for formal permission.
Which is the correct question tag? "She is a nurse, ___?"
1. isn't she
2. doesn't she
3. is she
4. wasn't she
Answer
A. isn't she
A positive statement takes a negative tag.
The correct question tag for "I am late" is
1. isn't I
2. aren't I
3. don't I
4. amn't I
Answer
B. aren't I
"Aren't I" is the standard tag for "I am".
Passive of "She is writing a letter."
1. A letter was being written by her.
2. A letter is written by her.
3. A letter is being written by her.
4. A letter has been written by her.
Answer
C. A letter is being written by her.
Present continuous becomes "is/are being + V3".
Passive of "Who wrote this book?"
1. By whom was this book written?
2. By whom is this book wrote?
3. Who was this book written by?
4. Who had this book written?
Answer
A. By whom was this book written?
"Who" becomes "by whom" in the passive.
Passive of "Open the door."
1. The door is opened.
2. Let the door be opened.
3. The door was opened.
4. Door open by you.
Answer
B. Let the door be opened.
Imperatives use "Let ... be + V3".
Passive of "They laughed at him."
1. He laughed at them.
2. He was laughed by them.
3. He is laughed at by them.
4. He was laughed at by them.
Answer
D. He was laughed at by them.
The preposition stays with the verb.
Passive of "She has finished the work."
1. The work has been finished by her.
2. The work was finished by her.
3. The work is finished by her.
4. The work had been finished by her.
Answer
A. The work has been finished by her.
Present perfect becomes "has/have been + V3".
Change to indirect speech: She said, "I will come tomorrow."
1. She said that she will come tomorrow.
2. She said that she would come the next day.
3. She said that she would come tomorrow.
4. She said that I would come the next day.
Answer
B. She said that she would come the next day.
"Will" becomes "would", and "tomorrow" becomes "the next day".
Change to indirect speech: He asked, "Where do you live?"
1. He asked that where I lived.
2. He asked where did I live.
3. He asked where I lived.
4. He asked where I live.
Answer
C. He asked where I lived.
A reported wh-question uses normal word order and the past tense.
Change to indirect speech: She said to me, "Are you ready?"
1. She asked me was I ready.
2. She told me if I was ready.
3. She asked me that I was ready.
4. She asked me if I was ready.
Answer
D. She asked me if I was ready.
A yes/no question is reported with "if" or "whether".
Change to indirect speech: He said to me, "Go home."
1. He said that go home.
2. He ordered me to go home.
3. He asked me if I went home.
4. He told me that I go home.
Answer
B. He ordered me to go home.
A command is reported with "ordered ... to".
Choose the correct sentence.
1. Although he was ill, yet but he came.
2. Though he was ill, but he came.
3. Although he was ill, but he came.
4. Although he was ill, he came.
Answer
D. Although he was ill, he came.
"Although" and "but" are not used together.
Fill in the blank: "Walk carefully lest you ___ fall."
1. should
2. would
3. can
4. will
Answer
A. should
"Lest" is followed by "should".
Choose the correct form: "He is not only clever ___ hardworking."
1. then
2. than
3. but also
4. and
Answer
C. but also
The pair is "not only ... but also".
Choose the correct tag: "He never lies, ___?"
1. does he
2. did he
3. doesn't he
4. isn't he
Answer
A. does he
"Never" makes the statement negative, so the tag is positive.
Choose the correct tag: "Open the door, ___?"
1. don't you
2. will you
3. are you
4. do you
Answer
B. will you
After an imperative, "will you" is used.
Choose the correct tag: "Let us go, ___?"
1. do we
2. don't we
3. shall we
4. will we
Answer
C. shall we
After "Let us", the tag is "shall we".
Choose the correct tag: "Everyone came, ___?"
1. didn't he
2. wasn't it
3. did he
4. didn't they
Answer
D. didn't they
"Everyone" takes the pronoun "they" in the tag.
Which sentence is correct?
1. He can sings well.
2. He can to sing well.
3. He cans sing well.
4. He can sing well.
Answer
D. He can sing well.
A modal is followed by the base verb.
"You ___ not smoke here; it is banned." Which modal fits best?
1. dare
2. may
3. must
4. need
Answer
C. must
"Must not" shows prohibition.
Consider these statements. 1. A modal is followed by the base verb. 2. A modal takes "-s" in the third person.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
Modals do not take "-s".
Consider these statements. 1. "Need not" shows no necessity. 2. "Must not" shows prohibition.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements are correct.
Consider these statements. 1. "That" is used to report questions. 2. "If" or "whether" is used for yes/no questions.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
B. 2 only
"That" is only for statements.
Consider these statements. 1. A positive statement takes a negative tag. 2. A negative statement takes a negative tag.
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
A. 1 only
A negative statement takes a positive tag.
Consider these statements. 1. "Used to" shows a past habit. 2. "Be used to" is followed by V-ing and means "accustomed to".
1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2
Answer
C. Both 1 and 2
Both statements are correct.
Match the modal with its chief meaning.
1. may - ability
2. can - past habit
3. used to - permission
4. should - advice
Answer
D. should - advice
"Should" gives advice.
Match the coordinating conjunction with its use.
1. so - contrast
2. but - contrast
3. because - choice
4. or - reason
Answer
B. but - contrast
"But" joins contrasting ideas.
Which sentence shows a duty that was NOT done in the past?
1. He should have called.
2. He may call.
3. He must have called.
4. He could call.
Answer
A. He should have called.
"Should have + V3" shows a missed duty.
"He must have left early." This sentence expresses
1. a future duty
2. a past habit
3. permission
4. strong certainty about the past
Answer
D. strong certainty about the past
"Must have + V3" shows strong inference about the past.
Which sentence is in the passive voice?
1. The teacher praised the boy.
2. The boy was praised by the teacher.
3. The boy praised the teacher.
4. The teacher is praising him.
Answer
B. The boy was praised by the teacher.
The subject receives the action.
Change to indirect speech: She said, "Alas! I am ruined."
1. She asked with sorrow if she was ruined.
2. She exclaimed that alas I was ruined.
3. She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.
4. She said that alas she is ruined.
Answer
C. She exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.
Exclamations use "exclaimed with sorrow" and drop the interjection.
No tense change is required in "He said, 'The earth moves round the sun.'" because
1. The statement is a universal truth
2. It has no subject
3. The verb is past
4. It is a question
Answer
A. The statement is a universal truth
A universal truth stays in the simple present.
Choose the correct tag: "He plays well, ___?"
1. didn't he
2. doesn't he
3. hasn't he
4. isn't he
Answer
B. doesn't he
With no helping verb in the statement, the tag uses do/does/did in the same tense.

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1.Change the voice: "The company exports its products to many countries."
2.Change the voice: "The company will launch a new product next month."
3.Change the voice: "The company exports its products to many countries."
4.Change the voice: "The committee rejected the proposal."
5.Change the voice: "The committee rejected the proposal."
6.Change the voice: "The company exports its products to many countries."
7.Change the voice: "The manager checks the reports every morning."
8.Change the voice: "The government will announce the results tomorrow."
9.Change the voice: "The committee rejected the proposal."
10.Change the voice: "The manager checks the reports every morning."

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