PAST HABITS AND STATES

USED TO...

Listen to these people, they are talking about activities they don't do anymore.
Example:
I used to be quiet but now I'm talkative.... I used to play the guitar but I don't do it anymore...

We use 'used to' to talk about a past habit.

Structure:

Affirmative: Subject + used to + verb (simple form) + complement.
Negative: Subject + didn't + use to + verb (simple form) + complement.
Question: Wh- + did + subject + use to + verb (simple form) +complement.

Example:

A: What cartoons did you use to watch when you were a child?
B: I used to watch Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball.
A: Oh! I also used to watch Sailor Moon, but I didn't use to watch Dragon Ball.

Practise "used to" in its affirmative, negative and interrogative form.
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/usedto/exercise1.swf
http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/grammar/Interactive/usedto02.html

TASK:

We want to know if there are many differences among generations. Write about your past habits when you were a child: songs, candy, TV programs, cartoons, games... and have you changed physically? How?

Example:

I'm 23 years old. When I was in elementary school I used to have straight long hair and I didn't use to wear glasses. I used to watch Remi, Thundercats and Sailor Moon. I used to eat some candies called ''kori', a kind of "chicloso" with chocolate flavor.

FINISHED vs UNFINISHED ACTIVITIES

What did you do yesterday?
> I went shopping with my best friend then we ate a delicious pizza.

What have you done today?
> I have worked and I have seen some YouTube videos.

Listen what other people have done in the morning and did yesterday. (The interview is in the morning... so the question is: What have you done this morning?)


Simple Past

• The simple past is used to talk about completed/ finished actions in the past.
• The simple past is often used with expressions that refer to points of time in the past. For example:

at	4 o'clock/2.12/the end of year/Christmas
on	Tuesday/19th March/the 21st/New Year's Day
in	January/1999/the 1990s/summer
no prepositions	yesterday/yesterday morning/last Monday/next April/a few days ago/ the day before yesterday/when I was young

Present perfect simple

The present perfect is often used with prepositions or prepositional phrases indicating periods of time that have not finished yet.
Some time expressions used are: today, this morning, this month, this year, so far, this milenium, over the last few weeks, for the last 3 weeks, up to now, etc.

This week we have received a lot of enquiries about our new web site.
(The week has not finished yet, and there may be more enquiries.)

If we are speaking about a situation after one of these time periods, we use the simple past because we are referring to a period of time that has finished.

Have you seen John this morning?
(It is now 10.30 in the morning; and the morning has not finished.)
vs
Did you see John this morning?
(It is now 3.00 in the afternoon; the morning has finished.)

In level 5, you also checked that present prefect is used to talk about general life experience. In this case, it is often used with the words ever and never .
Example:

Have you ever worked abroad.
(i.e., In all your life up to now?)
I have never been to China.
(i.e., Not in all your life up to now.)

TASK

What did you do last week with your friends?
What have you done this week with your friends? Do you have any plans in mind that you haven't done yet?

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE VOICE (present and past)

PASSIVE VOICE

The passive voice is used when we want to emphasize the object or person affected by an action. The object or the person receives/ received the action that is why we say they are "passive".

The Passive is formed:

Simple present: always, generally --> Object + am/is/ are + past participle + complement

Example: Umbrellas are used to cover from the rain.

Simple past: event in the past--> Object + was/ were + past participle + complement
Example: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

If the agent (the DOER of the action) is important, use "by" to introduce him.
For Example:

Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci

WHEN TO USE PASSIVE VOICE?

• It is often used in business and in other areas (definitions in dictionaries and encyclopedias, school reports, scientific topics) where the object of the action is more important than those who perform the action.

For Example:

We produced over 20 different models in the past two years. (Who produced the models? We DON'T CARE!! :P)

So, it changes to:
Over 20 different models were produced in the past two years.

• If your readers don't need to know who is responsible for the action.

• It used used when we want to sound formal and /or polite.

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Passive simple present:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises

Passive simple past:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?02

PASSIVE VOICE vs ACTIVE VOICE

Generally, we express our ideas in active voice because for us it is more important the DOER (the person that does the action)
Tim Wilson wrote "The Flight to Brunnswick" in 1987. (Active voice emphasizing Wilson)

However, when we want to emphasize the OBJECT, we have to use passive voice.

"The Flight to Brunnswick" was written in 1987 by Tim Wilson. (Passive voice emphasizing "The flight to Brunnswick")

When we don't know who the doer is/ was, it is preferable to use passive voice instead of active.

For example:

Someone stole my wallet! ...It's OK but sounds better: My wallet was stolen!

Exercises. Active or passive?

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-present-2
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-past-2

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

TEXT TO COMPLETE WITH ACTIVE OR PASSIVE VOICE

http://faculty.mdc.edu/kbiache/cellphones.htm ABOUT CELLPHONES

http://faculty.mdc.edu/kbiache/canopener.htm ABOUT CANS AND CAN OPENERS

Exercises of transformation active to passive voice:

Remember! When changing to passive, check: 1) Is it in present? or past? 2) Is it singular or plural?

In simple present:

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

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-present

In simple past:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive/exercises?simple-past
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/sentences_simple_past.htm

Different tenses:
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive1.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/active_passive/passive_sentences1.htm

Further grammar explanation:

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoice.html