Advanced Passive Voice, Conditionals, and Reported Speech

Passive Voice Structures

Normal Passives

• Active: The association is seeking new partners.
• Passive: New partners are being sought by the association.
• Active: They will describe no evidence of deleterious effects of exercise therapy.
• Passive: No evidence of deleterious effects of exercise therapy will be described.

Impersonal and Personal Passives

• Active: People say that English is very difficult.
• Impersonal Passive: It is said that English is very difficult.
• Personal Passive: English is said to be very difficult.
• Active: The population believed that the new government would increase taxes.
• Impersonal Passive: It was believed that the new government would increase taxes.
• Personal Passive: The new government was believed to increase taxes.

Conditional Sentences

Second Conditional

Structure: If + past simple, …would/might/could + infinitive

• Context: I didn't follow his advice. Now, I'm in trouble.
• Conditional: If I had followed his advice, I wouldn't be in trouble.
• Inversion: Had I followed his advice, I would not be in trouble.
• Context: I won't join you because I have to stay at home.
• Conditional: If I didn’t have to stay at home, I would join you.
• Inversion: Were I not to have to stay at home, I would join you.

Third Conditional

Structure: If + past perfect, … would/could + have + past participle

• Context: You dropped the vase because you weren’t careful.
• Conditional: If you had been careful, you wouldn’t have dropped the vase.

Reported Speech and Reporting Verbs

• Agree: He said, "All right. I’ll lend you my camera." / He agreed to lend me his camera.
• Demand: She said, "I want to see the manager!" / She demanded to see the manager.
• Offer: He said, "I’ll help you." / He offered to help me.
• Promise: She said, "I’ll be back soon." / She promised to be back soon.
• Refuse: He said, "No, I won’t tell you my secret." / He refused to tell me his secret.
• Threaten: She said, "I’ll tell Mum if you don’t stop." / She threatened to tell Mum if I didn’t stop.
• Advise: She said, "You should get more sleep." / She advised me to get more sleep.
• Beg: She said, "Please lend me the money." / She begged me to lend her the money.
• Forbid: He said, "You can’t see him again." / He forbade me to see him again.
• Invite: She said, "Will you join me?" / She invited me to join her.
• Order: He said, "Don’t move!" / He ordered me not to move.
• Remind: She said, "Don’t forget to post the letter." / She reminded me to post the letter.
• Warn: She said, "Don’t press the button!" / She warned me not to press the button.
• Admit: He said, "Yes, I stole the necklace." / He admitted stealing the necklace.
• Deny: She said, "No, I didn’t read your diary." / She denied reading your diary.
• Complain: She said, "The hotel is too expensive." / She complained that the hotel was too expensive.
• Explain: She said, "I arrived late because I was busy." / She explained that she had arrived late because she had been busy.
• Inform: He said, "You have passed the exam." / He informed me that I had passed the exam.