Mastering English Verb Forms: Active, Passive, and Reported Speech

English Grammar Reference: Voice and Speech

Active and Passive Voice Conjugation

The Passive Voice is formed using the verb "to be" + the Past Participle (3rd form or -ed), often followed by (by + agent).

Tense Shifts in Active and Passive Voice

• Present Simple (PS): examines → is examined
• Present Continuous (PC): is examining → is being examined
• Past Simple (Pa.S): examined → was examined
• Past Continuous (Pa.C): was examining → was being examined
• Present Perfect Simple (PPS): has/have examined → has been examined
• Past Perfect Simple (Pa.P.S): had examined → had been examined
• Future Simple (FS): will examine → will be examined

Passive Voice with Modals and Special Structures

• Modals: should examine → should be examined
• Modal Perfect (Mod. Perf): must have examined → must have been examined
• Obligation (Have to): must have examined → must have been examined (Note: This structure typically implies deduction or past obligation.)
• Be Going To: is going to examine → is going to be examined

Causative Structure

Have/Get + Object + Past Participle (3rd form or -ed)

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

When reporting what someone said, the verb tense usually shifts back one step (backshift).

Tense Backshift Examples (Direct → Reported)

• Present Simple (PS): He takes → He said that he took
• Present Continuous (PC): He is taking → He said that he was taking
• Past Simple (Pa.S): He took → He said that he had taken
• Past Continuous (Pa.C): He was taking → He said that he had been taking
• Present Perfect Simple (PPS): He has taken → He said that he had taken
• Present Perfect Continuous (PPC): He has been taking → He said that he had been taking
• Past Perfect Simple (Pa.P.S): He had taken → He had taken (No change)
• Past Perfect Continuous (Pa.P.C): He had been taking → He had been taking (No change)
• Future Simple (FS): Will take → Would take

Modal Verb Changes in Reported Speech

• Can → Could
• May → Might
• Must → Must / Had to
• Have to → Had to

Time and Place Adverb Changes

• Now → Then
• Today → That day
• Tonight → That night
• Yesterday → The day before
• Last week → The week before
• A month ago → The month before
• Tomorrow → The next day
• Here → There
• This → That
• These → Those

Essential Phrasal Verbs

Common phrasal verbs with their meanings (Catalan/Spanish translations provided for context):

• Warm up: escalfar (To prepare for exercise)
• Take up: començar (To start a hobby or activity)
• Pick up: recullir (To collect or retrieve)
• Look for: buscant (To search for)
• Get across: comunicar (To communicate or make understood)
• Get by: defensar-se en l'idioma (To manage or survive, often linguistically or financially)

Key Vocabulary Terms

A selection of useful vocabulary, categorized by theme (Health/Fitness and Education/General).

Health and Fitness Vocabulary

• Disease: enfermetat (Illness)
• Endurance: resistència (Stamina)
• Pressure: pressió (Stress or force)
• Avoid: evitar (To keep away from)
• Chase: perseguir (To follow quickly)
• Enable: permetre (To make possible)
• Get over: superar (To recover from)
• Improve: millorar (To make better)
• Injure: lesionar (To hurt)
• Kick in: patades (To start taking effect)
• Last: durar (To continue for a period of time)
• Sense: sentir sentiments (To feel emotions)
• Strengthen: enfortir (To make stronger)
• Fed up with: fart de (Tired of)
• Strenuous: esgotador (Requiring great effort)
• Stressful: estressat (Causing stress)

Common Health Phrases

• Catch a cold: refredat (To become ill with a cold)
• Get out of breath: sense alè (To become breathless)
• Get rid of: desfer-se de (To dispose of)
• Lift weights: aixecar peses (To exercise with weights)
• Out of shape: fora de forma (Not physically fit)
• Overdo it: exagerar (To do something excessively)
• Set a goal: posar-se metes (To establish objectives)

Education and General Vocabulary

• Bulletin board: anuncis (A board for notices)
• Caretaker: cuidador (A person who looks after a building)
• Courage: coratge (Bravery)
• Fee: tarifa (A payment charged for a service)
• Fur: pell (Animal hair)
• Head teacher: director (The principal of a school)
• Janitor: conserge (A person who maintains a building)
• Schedule: calendari (A timetable)
• Tuition: matrícula (The fee for instruction)
• Achieve: aconseguir (To succeed in reaching a goal)
• Attend: assistir (To be present at)
• Drop out: abandonar (To quit a course or school)
• Encourage: animar (To give support or hope)
• Enroll: inscriure's (To register for a course)
• Expect: suposar (To anticipate or assume)
• Figure out: descobrir (To solve or understand)
• Record: registre (A document preserving evidence)
• Stand up (for): defensar (To support or defend someone)
• Trick: truc (A clever action intended to deceive)
• Wipe out: netejar (To clean completely or destroy)
• Compulsory: obligatori (Required by rule)
• Illiterate: analfabet (Unable to read or write)
• No trace of: sense rastre (Without any sign or evidence of)